The Mayan Solar New Year, Waqxaquí Toj, was celebrated with a Mayan Ceremony, where every student delivered an offering according to their very own Nahual. All the teachers and students were part of this celebration in which the teachers guided a small but very significative ceremony. When the ceremony ended, everyone enjoyed the local tradition […]
Another school year has passed, and as is tradition, our whole educational community came to Escuela Caracol to celebrate the closing ceremony. This year we had some surprises that resulted in the best closure of these past 7 years.
The event began with an exhibition of the work of students that served as a reception for the families. After this time of delight and socializing we joined together at our beautiful palapa.
Children from every grade level, from the youngest in kindergarten through our seniors in sixth, showed some of the skills they have learned during the school year. As you would expect in a Waldorf school, the event was clearly marked by the presence of art, rhythm and creativity.
Following the presentation of each grade we premiered a recently shot documentary of Escuela Caracol, directed by Jose Arteaga, colleague of teacher Karla Olmedo. A much-anticipated work of art illustrating the findings of an intercultural research project that Ms. Olmedo has been leading over the last half of this year in the Escuela Caracol community. This systematization of experiences among our community, in addition to identifying our collective voice (through events like Cafe Caracol), has resulted in this documentary that is of impeccable quality and faithfully reflects our social impact in this kaqchikel community of Lake Atitlan. Soon we will share the final edition on our YouTube channel.
In closing to our end of the year ceremony, the magician D’Mond offered a fun show of magic and humor that delighted our children. Our ceremony, full of life, magic, art and fun, was the reflection of a memorable year for us all. Now comes the deserved vacation time, which will provide a time for renewal and preparation for a collective success in the next seven-year cycle beginning in January 2015. Thanks for supporting us throughout 2014!
