Our Not So "Christmas-y" Christmas Program

 What’s that? You’re wondering what a high school in the Caribbean does to celebrate Christmas or summer break? At SBAHS, we don’t say our sorrowful goodbyes or wish we were still in class goofing off together. Our semesters end with a bang. This first semester in particular, the elementary and high schools collaborated and put on a Christmas performance. Each grade contributed their own little piece, from songs to plays to dance medleys, which is what we SBAHSers did. Though our piece wasn’t what you’d call “Christmas-y”, we still had a ball practicing and showing off our dance moves, as unique as they may be. This video shows our final product with us dancing in front of the student body and parents. See the video below! That is…if you dare… (suspenseful music.)

YouTube link: Our Not So "Christmas-y" Christmas Dance

For Literature the eleventh grade just finished an inspiring and astonishing book called the The Red Tent. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is the story of Dinah, who is mentioned superficially in the bible. Anita Diamant weaves a realistic, historical yet fictional tale of how it was like to live in those times. Trapped in the world of men, Dinah struggles to find her way bringing in universal ideals of acceptance, power, betrayal, lust, greed, love, and forgiveness. You discover how prevalent the relationships between the females during those times and how they do their part in forming Dinah’s identity. This book thoroughly portrays Dinah’s perspective throughout her life which consists of so much more than her infamous tragedy. You come to love her as you see this young women make a stand in her society, overcome tragedy, rise up in overwhelming strength; becoming so much more than her mothers. She inspires, becomes a powerful healer, brings life into her community, and finally reaches a place where she can find forgiveness and a will to love again. Peering through her world through the window of her thoughts, hopes, dreams, and pain, we begin to discover the power in the world she lives in. We see the pain, the fear, and the small victories that drive her and those around her to keep living on in a world where life is intertwined with death. Full of undeniable wisdom, meaning, and shocking realities, the brilliance of this book will make it one you never forget. 

Step Up and Shake It!

Last Tuesday with the help of the Roberts (Andrew's lovely family), the 7th grade held a Dance Central night using XBOX Kinect's latest body tracking video game. Ever played it? In the game you have to mirror what the other dancer on the screen is doing in order to score points. It's the type of game that lets you see just who's been practicing their moves in front of the mirror, and those who....well, haven't. From ages three to thirty-three (meaning the principal Miriam Hanson who had a dance-off with one of her 6th grade students...and won), it seemed that everyone enjoyed the night-out.
This event was actually a fundraiser contributing to the 7th graders' field trip to the Copan Ruins, which us high-schoolers had the privilege of doing two years back as well. Since the 7th grade happens to be studying the indigenous culture of the Mayans, it seems almost fair that they'd get to see it firsthand, right? For months, the class has been trying to come up with the cash needed to go on this glorious adventure, having held two Dance Central nights and one RockBand night so far.
Only just last year, SBAHS was part of the original Sandy Bay Alternative School. Now our new campus separates us from the younger kids. Social events like these though, bring us all together again. It was nice to be able to see all of the old crew, to bust a few moves with them, and to be able to catch up on the latest middle-school soap opera (exaggeration...or is it?).
It was a comfortable night with a lot more than just dance. Personally for us SBAHSers, we fed ourselves off of continuous games of pool and occasionally going "OOOOH!" every time someone flubbed up with their shots. That doesn't mean that we didn't dance. It's tradition to embarrass fellow classmates by secretly signing them up and making them shake it to Rihanna's "Pon de Replay".
At the end of the night, most of us kids joined in on an old custom: dancing all together to Crank Dat since it's the only dance routine we all now. We say "most" to exclude the people that stay in a corner during any dance occasion like a wedding or prom. Though all of us didn't bust a move, it was still a memorable night.

All in all, the 7th grade raised roughly $100, putting them one step closer to their marvelous field trip.

Introducing....Us!

Nine students, two grades, one school: this is what makes up Sandy Bay Alternative High. 


What is that, you ask? It's a tiny school on an island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. Roatan...heard of it? Just off the coast of Honduras? Well, that figures. It's not exactly "renown." 
There's nine of us. NINE. It's not exactly your orthodox high school with cliques and clubs and "after school programs" (we've tried that last one...some of us are scarred for life, but that's another story). We can't exactly have all that stuff with the number of people we have. It's not like we can choose who to hang out with or what to do. We've got each other, and we make lemonade out of lemons. You think word travels fast in your school? Ahem, we beg to differ. 
Now, instead of telling you what we aren't, let us tell you what we are: our campus is an old resort called Bay Island Beach Resort. The building itself is about 30 feet away from the sea (hence the "Beach" in Bay Island "Beach"). Though the ambiance is marine and sunny, we use an online curriculum called Ashworth/ James Madison High School (it's a working name), which is based in Georgia. We're not just stuck on the internet all day, though. On Fridays for a change of pace, we have community service. Last semester, for example, we helped organize the Sandcastle Library, and eventually opened it a couple of weeks ago. This semester, we're helping an iguana conservation group. 
Now, having said all that, this post is mainly just to introduce us, the student body, to you. 
The comments below are statements made by the person's fellow students.


                     Andrew Roberts

Andrew's a HUGE Texas fan and a good sport, completing any dare no matter how much he may embarrass himself.
He gets his work done.

He's a calm, collected young man who enjoys the fine things in life.

Andrew is a great guitarist, and isn't afraid to make a fool of himself.

He is someone with deep loyalties to Texas, a great fashion sense, and a love of guitar playing.

He's a straight blond haired teen with serious gaming skills.

Andrew's nice and is obsessed about his hair.

                          Casther James

Casther, for some strange reason, tends to have us (mainly me) in tears of laughter at least once a day. Funny, funny guy.

Casther is a very smart person.

He's a young lad who likes to be laid back and optimistic.

Casther is very confident, and always speaks his mind, even if it is embarrassing.

Casther, the soon-to-be professional soccer player, will use up the world’s supply of hair gel.

He's great bass player, filled with wit, humor, and random declarations to keep us all laughing. 

                      Cheyenne Schaub

Cheyenne is a great artist.

She is a caring young lady with a passion for music and singing.

Cheyenne has a lot of stage presence, and isn't afraid of crowds.

She's a performer by nature, with a great singing voice and interesting perception of all that is around her.

Cheyenne is a 15 year old musician that also has a "passion for fashion."

Cheyenne's pretty and talented.

She's the Canadian version of Taylor Swift with black hair.

                          Dimitri Midence             

Dimitri, tallest of us all, rides a wicked scooter and is a humble guy.

He's tall, he's strong, his writing is superb, he's independent with his little scooter he drives to school: HE'S GOT IT ALL!

Dimitri is very straight up, no sarcasm or anything that bugs people,and  he's friendly.

Dimitri is thoughtful, especially when he brings everyone baleadas for lunch.

He's a gentle soul with a love for video games.

Dimitri is a straight up guy and he buys me baleadas.

              Jordan Watkins

Jordan is prosperous.

This dude can shred some Gibson, as well as make witty remarks.

Jordan is an optimistic young man who enjoys playing video games with other people.

Jordan, the Californian longhaired not-so-surfer boy, will one day be recognized as Jimmy Hendrix’s long lost son.

Although he may deny it, he is an amazing guitar player with a great sense of humor.

Jordan is the rocker guy with serious guitar skills.

He's nice, smart and has long pretty hair.

                   

                      Kaela Watkins

Kaela is an intelligent young lady who works hard and can still have fun.

This lovely brown-eyed brunette has a love for writing and a kind, strong heart.

Kaela is the one to always start the laugh and the one to always end it.

Kaela is very creative.

Kaela is a super smart girl with overwhelming creativity.

Kaela has pretty long hair, she's neat and clean.

                         Karl Falkenroth

Karl is a wild young man who knows how to have fun.

This little fro-Meister might be smaller vertically, but he makes up for it with his unique personality and love for video games. 

Karl is a great artist, and always makes good jokes.

Karl is the most random person in the world along with the most destructive.

Karl is someone with a lot of energy, wit, and a devilish sense of humor.

Karl is a wicked brownish-afro guy with extreme slickness and speed.

He's a very intelligent person with lots of bright ideas.

                     Marcel Anderson

Marcel ,AKA HGA, makes soulful riffs and rhymes from the heart, and is always there for you no matter what.

Marcel is very good with computers and tech stuff.

Marcel is a quiet but sensible person with a passion for technology.

Marcel is quiet but definitely the funniest, most interesting person I know.

He's someone with wicked computer skills and hidden mind fun of lyrics and beats.

Marcel's the oldest and definitely humblest of the crew, he is a serious computer wiz.

                              Tyra Miller

Tyra "The Killer" Miller spends her days in the 9th grade classroom surrounded by testosterone, making her a personal heroine.

Tyra is good at asking questions.

Tyra is a young lady with spunk and isn’t afraid to speak her mind.

Tyra is a responsible person, and has cool hair.

Tyra is a tall and elegant 14 year old female.