Peaks Island students are ‘kelping’ the environment

Contemplating a future as a marine scientist working in the Gulf of Maine, Emma Christman is spending her senior year of high school helping kids at Peaks Island Elementary School grow kelp.
Christman is a student at Baxter Academy for Technology and Science in downtown Portland, and is teaching the younger students about aquaculture, marine science, water quality, climate change and more through a special program offered in conjunction with the Island Institute.

Island School Students Learn Ocean Science by Growing Kelp

Students in Maine who have been learning about marine science will conclude their project by dropping kelp-growing lines in the water at the start of the winter growing season.
The Peaks Island Elementary students have been participating in a program called “KELP4KIDS.”
KELP4KIDS is a 12-week curriculum for second- through fifth-graders at the island school. Kelp is grown as a crop in Maine for use in food and other products.

2017 Island Teachers Conference: Meeting island students where they are

Island schools may be small, but the needs and interests of their students are big and varied. How then do island educators provide the wide range of support and rigor needed to ensure a student’s success? Personalized learning plans, trauma-informed classrooms, and integrated creative arts are just some of the innovative approaches that were featured at the recent 2017 Island Teachers Conference.

Summer Institute for Island and Coastal Teachers is a SUCCESS

In mid-July, 22 educators from 11 schools and organizations gathered at College of the Atlantic for an intensive three-day workshop focused on experiential and place-based learning. Learn more about the workshop and the important role differentiation plays in island education from Education Director Yvonne Thomas.

One Shirt, Two Shirt, Green Shirt, Blue Shirt

Tess Beem, our TLC Project Coordinator, reflects on the past year and what she’s learned about the elusive mixing and melding that happens when the TLC island schools get together for at an in-person field trip, and the importance of downtime, free play, or unstructured time — what she calls magical mix time.

Island Institute Report Reflects Challenges for Maine & the Coast

The Island Institute, based in Rockland, just released the first edition of “Waypoints: Community Indicators for Maine’s Coast and Islands.” The publication presents economic, community and environmental indicators for Maine’s coastal and island communities as they compare to the rest of the state and the nation. Detailed data on each of the 120 island and coastal communities is available online in the supplementary data tables. “Waypoints” is available online at www.islandinstitute.org/waypoints.

Island Institute publishes ‘deep dive’ into coastal, island economies

The Island Institute has published its first deep-dive comparison of the economic, community and environmental indicators for Maine’s coastal and island communities with the rest of the state and nation.
The first edition of “Waypoints: Community Indicators for Maine’s Coast and Islands” is intended to be a resource for local community members, state and federal representatives, agency staff and research partners whose work relates to and impacts coastal communities.

Island Institute publishes first edition of “Waypoints: Community Indicators for Maine’s Coast and Islands” – with summary analysis and detailed data on 120 communities

ROCKLAND, ME – The Island Institute released today the first edition of Waypoints: Community Indicators for Maine’s Coast and Islands. The publication presents economic, community and environmental indicators for Maine’s coastal and island communities as they compare to the rest of the state and the nation.