St. John Tradewinds, November 9-15, 2009 9 St. John Tradewinds News Photo Courtesy of GHS Deblyn Van Gelder and GHS seventh grade pirates get ready to set sail aboard Breath. Land Ahoy: A Pirate’s Tale from Gifft Hill School's Seventh Grade By Deblyn Van Gelder, Gifft Hill School Teacher Special to St. John Tradewinds Is it because we live in the Caribbean, or is it that there is simply a bit of the buccaneer in all of us? The Gifft Hill School seventh graders hoisted their Jolly Rogers to resounding hales of “Yo ho ho” ona recent field trip to Norman Island aboard the charter boat Breath owned by Peter and Dorothy Muilenburg and captained by Jared with his crew Josh. “[’ve got dibs on the doubloons,” boasted Jack- son Barry who showed his commitment to the pirate profession by amputating his leg for the occasion (re- placing the missing limb with a toilet plunger). “There’s always a chance we’ll find treasure,” ex- plained the captain. “Supposedly only one-seventh of the buried booty has been uncovered.” Culminating a literature unit on the novel “Trea- sure Island,” the 10 students voyaged back in time to 1750 in search of an answer to the question, “was Norman Island the inspiration that Robert Louis Ste- venson used to write his classic tale of buried pirate treasure and Caribbean mutiny?” To research the answer, the junior privateers ex- plored Norman Island and snorkeled the nearby caves. “Every time I jumped off the rat lines, I thought I saw a sea chest in the sand,” exclaimed Luca del Olmo. “What’s that creepy smell in the caves?” John Spi- nale wanted to know. “Tts’s bat guano,” said the captain. “In fact, gather round, I have a good story about that bat guano.” The fortune hunters circled their captain to learn more about Caribbean lore. The questions continued as the students sought information about the rumored Norman Island treasure, hidden by British Captains Lloyd, Blackstone and Norman on (then) Liberty Is- land. Peter and Dorothy Muilenburg (a founder of Pine Peace School, now the Gifft Hill School) have coordi- nated this particular adventure since 2000. “The community has given so much to us,” said Peter Muilenberg. “I want to give back whenever pos- sible.” After the class at sea, the swashbuckling students created large posters, graphically organizing the in- formation they had compiled over the two-month long unit. And what was the final tally? Did Robert Louis Stevenson use Norman Island as his model for Trea- sure Island? “Tf you tilt Stevenson’s map in such a way, it could be St. John,” said Malik Richards. Jaqualyn Clark agreed. “Look at all of the geographical similarities: Skel- eton Island, Spyglass Hill, and the swamp with all of the mosquitoes,” said Clark. “Plus, many treasures have been found on Norman Island and everyone knows there’s more.” Austin Edwards was certain Norman Island had nothing to do with the famous novel. “Robert Louis Stevenson never even set foot in the Caribbean,” Edwards said. Makeda Dawson echoed everyone’s thoughts. “Sailing on Breath and snorkeling the caves takes your breath away,” said Dawson. And what did Captain Jared have to say? “Any island in the Caribbean could be dubbed Treasure Island,” said the captain. We’ve got it all at... St. John MARKETPLACE NEW Ry KZ IGUANA-RID @ Protect your plants! Repels by odor & taste. Completely safe for humans, pets & birds. Mon-Fri 7am to 5pm Saturdays 8am to 12 Noon PH: 693-8780 FAX: 776-6685 ith over 40 extraordinary villas, we provide on-island 24-hour personalized service to every guest. Expansive ocean views, glittering pools, lush landscaping, spectacular decks—we have it all. We live here too—join us and be Catered To! Book on-line at www.cateredto.com Located on the second floor at the Marketplace 340-776-6641 * FAX 340-693-8191 ° 1-800-424-6641 PAUL — Major Appliance Service — Paul Crutchley 340.690.5213