The sun-soaked dry season is beginning to wane at Lake Atitlán, and we are now entering a hazy, low-pressure transition between seasons that stirs a profound craving for the regularity of the rains. We have had a few downpours, but the rains have not yet truly arrived. We continue to plant in eager anticipation! The past several months have been filled with daily treasures and lots of learning. The kindergarten has enjoyed harvesting chard, carrots and wild herbs for snack every week, and our two first graders have just finished their first small knitted pillows. The kids here are truly like a family now. Here are some of the highlights of the past term. During the Easter season, we took time to dye eggs -- a commonplace activity in the US, but a special novelty here in Guatemala. Most of the kids had never dyed eggs before, and the looks on their faces as the pure white eggs turned to bright pastels were priceless. Afterwards we hid the eggs and let the kids hunt for them. In the US, an Easter egg hunt without chocolate-filled plastic eggs would likely be a disaster. But our kids were ecstatic to find their dyed hard-boiled eggs -- and eat them! One girl ate three eggs in a row before we could tell her to slow down! It was a unique pleasure to clean up pieces of eggshell as opposed to pieces of plastic wrappers. For May Day we held a special ceremony and fiesta. The day began with an exposition of the children’s work: paintings, clay sculpture, crafts, and knitting work (from the first graders). The kids were adorned in flower crowns that they made as well as capes that one of the mom’s made. They sang songs to honor the four elements, and the first graders performed a piece they prepared on recorders. We laughed and played games with the children and their parents, and then shared a feast prepared by the parents. We ate pepián -- a traditional Guatemalan dish -- with tamalitos and jamaica (a popular drink made from hibiscus flowers). It was a magical day of celebrating the change in seasons, our school community and the accomplishments of the children. With the advent of the rains approaching, the first graders have been making trips back into the mountain to observe our natural surroundings as the seasons change. The girls love these trips, and they take special delight in noting the rise in the water level of the river as the river slowly extends its reach toward the pueblo after a big rain. They even decided to make a special study of tadpoles, since we kept finding so many. We brought five back to the school where the girls have taken care to feed them, change their water, and note their various stages of development with each progressing day. The kindergarteners also love to watch the tadpoles at the end of their day. This week we are breaking for a mid-year vacation during which Courtney, Althea and I will be traveling to Virginia. On 16 May, we will attend a benefit puppet show for Escuela Caracol that is being performed by Chesterbrook Elementary in McLean, where my mom (Suzanne) is a second grade teacher. The show is called Seeds of Peace, and it will highlight the relationship between kids at the two schools over the past year. We have exchanged letters as well as seeds, and each school has planted “peace gardens” using seeds from the other school. It has been a beautiful exchange which we hope will continue to blossom. Update on our short-term goals: - Teachers: we hope to close the search for our kindergarten teacher for next year within the month, and the grades teacher position for 2009 is still open. - Classroom building: we have drawn up our preliminary plans for our next classroom space -- a second floor to what is currently our office -- and now we are seeking funding for it. Ideally construction will begin in October or sooner. - Accreditation: we are working with a lawyer here and hope to submit our paperwork by this September. We are still looking for funding to hire a Guatemalan administrator to serve as our liaison with the Ministry of Education (a requirement for accreditation). - Non-Governmental Organization: together with our neighbors, La Camabalacha, we are forming an NGO (non-profit) here in Guatemala. We hope to submit this paperwork to the government by June. - Water tank: we have purchased a water tank, though we are still seeking the funds to build the tower for it. http://www.lacambalacha.orgshapeimage_2_link_0
May 2008 Update by Joshua Wilson, Escuela Carcol Director
Making Tamalitos
The Stars in the Day’s Play
Josefa & Sophia Dressed Up
Roasting Coffee
Tending to Sunflowers
The Gang Hangs in the Shade
Heber on the Meditation Rock
Dying Easter Eggs
Sophia & Angela
Lucas & Amarils
Marley & Angelita
The Girls with their Easter Eggs
Josefa Helps with Dying
Wendy
Acting out the Three Pigs
Marley & Wendy
Chloe as the Big Bad Wolf
KinderCaracol Kids
One Happy Family
Dany & Lucas
Playing on the Petate
Laying Back
Making May Day Crowns
Courtney & Josefa Making Crowns
Eumelia
Amarilis Helps with the Crowns
Althea Shows Off Her Crown
May Day Prep
Courtney Pins Celine's Cape
Blessing the Garden
Celine & Luna
The May Day Circle
Opening
KinderCaracol Presentation
Singing
Singing Together
Celine leads
Josefa Assists
View of Capes
Fairies in the Tree
Celine & Luna Lead
May Day Ceremony
Que Si, Que No
Celine & Luna Spotlight
Dany Presents Flowers to His Mom
Mayra & Her Mom
Courtney Greets Everyone
Princess Angela
Prince Heber
Celine & Luna Searching for Tadpoles
Celine
Meditative Moment
Happy with the River
Found One
Holistic Education for an Intercultural Community
 
 
San Marcos La Laguna • Lago Atitlán • Guatemala
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