top of page

Falmouth Academy Trip

We are excited to welcome Falmouth Academy students to Penikese for three days of exploration and adventure!

*Parents/guardians: please be sure to complete this Liability Form which also includes:

        - Tee shirt size

        - Food allergies & preferences

General Schedule

Monday:

9:00am                      Depart for Penikese, plankton tow en route

10:00am-11:00am    Unload gear & food, move into bunks, snack

11:00am-12:15pm     Historical walking tour of Penikese

12:15pm-1:00pm       Lunch

1:30pm-2:30pm        Intertidal exploration and specimen collection

2:30pm                       Afternoon snack

2:45pm-4:00pm        Microscopy & scientific illustration lesson

4:00pm                       Free time

5:30pm                       Dinner

6:30pm                       Chores

7:00pm                       Sunset walk

7:30pm                       Prepare for bed (PJs and teeth)

8:00pm                       Evening circle discussion​

9:00pm                       Lights out

​

Tuesday:  

8:00am                       Wake-up

8:30am                        Breakfast

9:15am-10:30am        Birding lesson

10:30am                      Morning snack

11:00am-12:15pm       Cyanotype lesson

12:15pm-1:00pm        Lunch

1:30pm-2:30pm          Marine debris lesson & survey

2:30pm                        Afternoon snack

2:45pm-4:00pm         Sense of place mapping lesson 

4:00pm                        Free time

5:30pm                        Dinner

6:30pm                        Chores

7:00pm                        Sunset walk

7:30pm                        Prepare for bed (PJs and teeth)

8:00pm                        Evening Circle discussion​

9:00pm                        Lights out

​

Wednesday:

8:00am                        Wake-up

8:30am                         Breakfast

9:15am-10:30am         Orienteering compass activity

10:30am                       Morning snack

11:00am-12:15pm        Final chores, pack-up gear

12:15pm-1:00pm          Lunch

1:00-1:30pm                 Load gear

1:30pm                          Depart Penikese

2:30pm                          Arrive in Woods Hole

​

​

Weather and other variables can affect our activities on the island as well as our departure or return. We appreciate everyone's flexibility and patience!

​

Getting to Penikese Island

The trip from Woods Hole to Penikese Island takes about one hour.  Students are transported aboard the "Richard S. Edwards", a 36’ US Coast Guard inspected vessel, operated by a licensed captain.  She is a safe and comfortable vessel for up to 24 passengers.

​

All participants will always wear lifejackets onboard the boat.

 

We will have Dramamine tablets available. If your child is prone to motion sickness, you may want to consider this.

Our Island Home

The Main House is modeled on a 19th century New England farm house and was built, in large part, using salvaged beams found on and around Penikese Island.

 

The house uses solar panels for nominal electrical needs, wood for heating, and propane for cooking.  It has hot and cold running water, indoor & outdoor showers, and a clean composting Clivus Multrum toilet facility. The upstairs dorm space has twin beds arranged in a cozy, inviting set-up. 

​

A short distance away from the Main House is a one-room schoolhouse. We also have a workshop building, a garden, a ball court, and acres of beaches and of rolling grassy terrain to explore.

Suggested Packing List

Penikese Island is a very rustic place so students should bring clothes that are not precious.  Shoes can take a beating, and white colored items - shirts, shoes, or shorts - can get dirty quickly.  Also, flip flops are ok for walking around the house but NOT for walking on the paths!

 

Items to bring for 3 days, 2 nights:

  • Pillow & pillowcase

  • Sleeping bag or twin sheets and a blanket (*we also have extra clean blankets)

  • Underwear (x3)

  • Pants (x2)

  • T-shirts (x3) (*everyone will also receive a Penikese T-shirt)

  • Long sleeved shirt (x2)

  • Comfortable walking shoes

  • Socks (x3)

  • Water shoes (optional)

  • Sweater/fleece/jacket (something warm for cool night-time weather)

  • Rain jacket

  • Pajamas/cozy clothes (x1)

  • Sun hat or baseball cap

  • Sunglasses

  • Sunscreen

  • Water bottle

  • Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant)

  • Feminine products, if needed (*we will also have a supply on the island)

  • Flashlight or headlamp (optional) (*we will provide clip-on book lights)
     

Items NOT to bring:

  • No phones or electronic devices

  • No jewelry or anything precious

Meals

Island-made meals eaten together three times a day are at the heart of the Penikese experience.  We provide plenty of healthy, vegetarian-focused, kid-friendly food in a cozy family-style setting, with two snack breaks each day on the island.

 

We can easily accommodate most special diets, including vegetarian, vegan, nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and most food-related allergies; please contact us in advance if your child requires any particularly unique accommodations.

​

An example of a typical day’s menu consists of:
Breakfast: Fruit bowl, granola, yogurt, oatmeal, bagels + breads (GF available), cream cheese, butter, jam, eggs
Lunch: Build your own sandwich (sliced turkey, sliced cheese, veggie burgers), grain salad (quinoa with cucumbers and feta), garden salad, raw vegetable plate (carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes), hummus, potato chips

Dinner: Pasta with red sauce or pesto (+GF ), roasted veggies, garden salad, raw veggie plate (cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers), garlic bread (+GF), parmesan cheese

​

No soda. We serve water, milk, non-dairy milk, and juice.

Safety & Wellness

At Penikese, we are safety experts. We have safely housed hundreds of youth and have ferried thousands of visitors to Penikese Island over our 50 year history. The Massachusetts Department of Early & Secondary Education (DESE) has commended us on our health, safety, and emergency protocols.

 

We are remote and we are prepared. Our staff is certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED. The Island and boat are equipped with extensive first aid and safety equipment; our staff has been trained how and when to use it. We run trainings with Boston Medflight for helicopter evacuation and with the US Coast Guard (Base Woods Hole & Base Menemsha). We have practiced and proven protocols for medical, fire, and severe weather emergencies.

​

House Doctor: Dr. Alan Steinbach, an experienced local Family Practitioner is our Consulting Physician. He is on call 24/7. â€‹

 

Urgent Care: In case of serious student illness or injury, should a child need to be transported off the Island, the parents/guardians will be contacted immediately and will be put in direct contact with a staff member, Dr. Steinbach, and at an appropriate time, with the student.  Our boat will bring the patient to the nearest suitable port, according to medical need. Parents are responsible for all medical charges that may be incurred.​

Expectations

For Students:

NO ELECTRONICS: No phones, no tablets, no smart watches, etc. Leave them safely at home. We will take pictures of the experience and share a slideshow with families.

​

For Parents/Guardians:

  • Our Policy: No visits or phone calls. Your child has just 3 days to enjoy Penikese. If you need to talk to your child while they are away, please contact staff.

​​

  • Please DO NOT pack food to send with your child, we will have plenty! Food invites pests to your child's bunk.

​

Homesickness: Staying on a remote bird sanctuary can be a huge growth experience for students. While they may experience some discomfort being away from their home turf at first, we will be right there to support them through it. 

Standards of Conduct

We ask parents and students to please review our behavior expectations together before departing for Penikese.

 

On Penikese Island, we embrace a positive attitude.  Students and staff alike are expected to treat each other with respect and dignity at all times and to help each other achieve the best possible experience.  Everyone is responsible for working together as a team while on the island.

​

Our guiding values on Penikese Island are:

​

  1. Honesty: Being honest and trustworthy is at the core of all relationships and interactions.

  2. Helping: Look for ways to lend a hand or provide support; show initiative; volunteer. 

  3. Respect: Show respect for oneself and each other, for Penikese Island School facilities, and for the animals/plants/environment of the island.

  4. Thoughtfulness: Think ahead. Consider and anticipate possibilities and outcomes. Be pro-active.

  5. Responsibility: Set & follow good examples, be accountable. Demonstrate independence.

  6. Kindness: Show caring and compassion to others at camp. Be inclusive & forgiving.

  7. Cooperation: Work together, share, and embrace teamwork. Show enthusiasm.

 

Should a student's behavior severely infringe on others, or our core values, we will redirect the student to more appropriate behavior.  Inappropriate behavior may result in dismissal from Penikese Island.

Zero Tolerance Policy

The Penikese Island School abides by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's Zero Tolerance Policy regarding the use of alcohol or drugs on Penikese Island. The use, possession, and distribution of such substances is strictly prohibited on Penikese. 

 

A zero tolerance drug and alcohol policy for a residential program is essential to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all students and staff.  Cigarettes (including electronic smoking devices) are included in the list of prohibited substances.

 

Any student found using, possessing, or distributing drugs or alcohol will be dismissed and removed from the Island. 

PICT1493.jpg

Rachel Carson

“It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility.”

The Penikese Island School acknowledges that we are gathering on the unceded ancestral land of the Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) Nation.  We recognize and respect the Wampanoag people and honor their enduring relationship with this land.  This Land Acknowledgment is an intentional act to counter the erasure of Indigenous people and to demonstrate respect for their sovereign rights.  We are committed to educating our staff and students about the longstanding history of the Wampanoag people.

©2025 by Penikese Island School, Inc.

bottom of page