College of the Atlantic students mark the start of the school year by taking the plunge - not into stacks of books or piles of assignments, but an icy plunge into Frenchman Bay.  The Bar Island Swim takes place the day before classes start and is a spirited celebration of the beginning of the academic year.  While the brave (or are they crazy?) students, faculty and staff swim the quarter-mile to Bar Island, friends and colleagues cheer, work the safety boats, and hand out hot chocolate and warm towels to returning swimmers.  The entire COA community then gathers for a cookout on the terrace overlooking the ocean.