Author: General Admin

  • Acts of Kindness Week

    Acts of Kindness Week

    We’re always kind.  It’s one of our core characteristics.  But last week, the primaria “Town Hall” meeting decided to make it official with a week full of intentional niceties like:

    • Mon – say “hi” to everyone
    • Tues – make 5 people laugh
    • Wed – hug people
    • Thurs – share cookies with the big/little siblings class
    • Fri – perform random acts of kindness

    And not coincidentally, in the middle of it we had our annual Meeting for Appreciation.  For over 2 hours, different grades or group of teachers were identified, then people shared things they appreciate about them.  It didn’t take long for children and teachers alike to eagerly lavish praise and appreciation on each other, such as:

    • I like seeing you walk up in the morning because you are so radiant.
    • I want to thank Emanuel and the entire 5/6 class for being so welcoming to my brother.
    • Thanks for helping us to always push our limits and make us laugh.
    • You are so welcoming with younger children.
    • Thanks to my big brother for being my big brother.
    • Thanks to my teacher for having fun things to do in class.
    • Thanks to Emanuel for being so aggressive but also so fun in sports.
    • Even though you gave me an 80 and I’m never going to forgive you, you’re an awesome teacher.
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  • Caminata 2016

    Caminata 2016

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    Our annual “Caminata” (walkathon) returned to an old favorite this year – 11km up to the San Gerardo overlook, with views of Arenal volcano and lake.  Evidently this was a popular decision, as we enjoyed an increase in participation and sponsorships.

    Student participation rose from 55% to 73%, and 85% of parents took part either walking or volunteering.  And the amount raised increased by 50% to $5,400.  This support will enable us to move forward with a great music and arts program, with amazing new teachers filling both those roles (welcome Hugh Grey and Pili!)

    Of course, what better way to describe the fun, fatigue, art, food, and community than through these photos?

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  • Monteverde Day – 65th Anniversary!

    Monteverde Day – 65th Anniversary!

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    In his final week, Wolf Guindon steeled his legendary reserve and came to the 65th celebration of the founding of Monteverde. Amongst the trees and gardens of the Trostle land, we all enjoyed the usual potluck and multi-generational games, including a rediscovery of Dare-Base and a scavenger hunt to find answers to Monteverde history questions – test yourself below. And look through the photos to find many beloved faces.

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    1. Name 4 published books written by Monteverdeans. The Tropical Plants of Costa Rica,
    The Mammals of Costa Rica, Walking with Wolf, Monteverde; Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest, El Consejero Guanacasteco, Once Upon an Island,

    2. Which Monteverdeans are translating Birds of Costa Rica into Spanish? Luisa Moreno and Marcela Morales

    3. Name 6 of the founding members of the Monteverde Conservation League? Bob Law, Richard LaVal, Wolf Guindon, Bill Haber, Guillermo Vargas, Jim Wolfe, Joe Stuckey, John Trostle

    4. How are the rules of Monteverde Scrabble different than Official Scrabble? People start with 8 letters instead of 7; players can use the dictionary, cheat sheets, and consult with each other; the blank can be swapped out after it has been played for the same letter it is supposed to be; if one has three of the same letter, one can be exchanged.

    5. How did the scrabble tradition in Monteverde start and about how long has it been going for? Since the early 1950’s

    6. Who were the first couple to be married under the care of the Monteverde Friends Meeting? Betty and Lawrence Osborn

    7. Who was the most recent couple to be married in the meetinghouse? Rick Mera and Jannelle Wilkins

    8. Name 4 couples that met in Monteverde and are currently settled here. Elias and Mary Newswanger, Katy VanDusen and Frank Joyce, Siria Ugalde and Alvaro Salazar, Rodrigo Solano and Melody Guindon, Sarah Stuckey and Carlos Araya

    9. Name three women who served as midwives in Monteverde? Mary Rockwell, Lucky Guindon and Silvia Smith

    10. What was the inspiration for naming the Bosque Eterno de los Niños? Sharon Kinsman talked with Eha Kern’s students in a rural Swedish school about the Monteverde Conservation League’s efforts to raise money to buy forest. The children then worked to raise over $30,000 for land purchase and inspired children all over the world to do the same.

    11. What are bread twists and how are they made? Who started making them in Monteverde? Biscuit dough wrapped around ½” or 1” sticks roasted over a fire and filled as you wish. Mary Mendenhall would make them with students after cleanup.

    12. How many tico families were bought out from the original piece of land? 6

    13. Name three of them. Ruben Ugalde, Clemente Gonzalez, Zamoras, Juan Gonzalez, Avila, Mendez

    14. How many manzanas was the original piece of land? 2000 MZ or 3440 acres

    15. How big is Bosque Eterno SA? 554 hectares

    16. Who were the first Monteverdeans to visit Monteverde? John Campbell, Hubert Mendenhall, Howard Rockwell Sr.

    17. On what date did they arrive for the first time? April 19, 1951

    18. What was Monteverde named before it was Monteverde? Cerro Plano

    19. Who named Cerro Plano? Jose Mendez

    20. Who named Monteverde? The original families.

    21. When did Quakers first start moving to Monteverde? June 1951

    22. How was Monteverde Day celebrated in 1952? By working on the meetinghouse site

    23. Where was the road then? It went through where the kinder and the stage of the new meeting house are now and above the graveyard.

    24. Who was the first baby born in Monteverde? Rebecca Jane Guindon

    25. How was Monteverde Day celebrated in 1954? By working on the graveyard and writing the Monteverde song

    26. When did MFS move into the new school house? April 1957

    27. When was the last meetingroom that is now classrooms built? April 1964

    28. When did Lindora Electric plant begin operation? Sept 7, 1957

    29. How long did it operate for the community? 34 years

    30. When did community telephones begin to operate? March/April 1961

    31. When did John Trostle first visit Monteverde? October 1961

    32. When did Edith Peckham and Marian Gooden move into their house? Oct 15, 1959

    33. When did the library open? March 26, 1975

    34. What Monteverdean discovered the Golden Toad in what year? Jerry James in 1964

    35. When was the grand opening of the dairy plant? April 8, 1954

    36. Where was the first tennis court in Monteverde and when was it built? David Rockwell’s (Emily House) in October 1958

    37. Who was ran the school for the first 20 years? Mary Mendenhall

    38. Who was the first teacher’s assistant at the kinder who became the teacher that same year? Melody Guindon

    39. Who built the road? Eston Rockwell

    40. What games were played at recess in the 1950’s and ‘60s? Dare Base, Annie Over, jump rope, softball (in Howard’s pasture)

    41. What toys did children make in the early years? Stick horses, wheels (lids) on sticks, rag dolls, tops, etc.

    42. Who initiated coffeehouses at the school? Ann Kriebel

    43. Name 3 artists who taught sometime between the mid-50’s to the mid-70s? Jo Rockwell, Graciela Rockwell, Bill Kucha, Ron Tomlinson

    44. Where was the first public telephone in Monteverde? Flor Mar Café

    45. Where was the first pension in Monteverde and who ran it? At what is Justin and Sofia’s house now, Irma and Abner Rockwell

    46. Who had the first pulperia in Monteverde? Cecil Rockwell

    47. Where was the first pulperia? Where the dairy plant is now in a room of Reuben Ugalde’s house along with school, Meeting, and community center

    48. How many hours did it take to get to San Jose in the 1950s? 8 at best

    49. How did people get there? In the cheese truck with Hubert Mendenall or Eston Rockwell or with Cecil Rockwell. The cheese truck left at 1 am so that the cheese would not overheat on the way. Some took the train from Puntarenas. Some spent the night on the floor of a house at La Pita on the way back.

    50. Who were the original families that bought land? Hubert and Mildred Mendenhall, Cecil and Elva Rockwell, Reuben and Helenbelle Rockwell, John and Doris Campbell, Elwood and Ruth Mendenhall, Arthur and Clara Rockwell, Wolf and Lucky Guindon, Eston and Mary Rockwell, Ted and Janice (sister of Doris C.) Harkey, Abner and Irma Rockwell, Dorothy and Howard Rockwell Sr., Lawrence and Betty Osborn,

    51. Who is still here of the original families? Wolf and Lucky Guindon, Mary Rockwell, Marvin Rockwell, Howard Rockwell

    52. How big were the tents that people originally lived in? 14’ x 16’

    53. How were decisions made about the road, communications, visitors, and the like? At Town Meeting

    54. What Monteverdean brought the Alternatives to Violence Program to Costa Rica? Martha Moss

    55. Name 5 ways people in Monteverde made money aside from producing milk in the 1950’s. Sewing, selling plants, botiquin (pharmacy), pulperia, electricity, radio repair, meat operation,

    56. Name 8 foods that people produced here in the 1950s. Chamol, arracache, black berries, chayotes, guayabas, oranges, bananas, plantains, squash, eggs, chicken, lard, milk, butter, pork, cabbage, carrots, .

    57. What two adjacent farms that we now consider part of Monteverde were not part of the original tract? Stella’s, Stuckey’s, McBurney (Miriam and Jorge’s)/Sather (Crandell’s)

    58. Why is Bajo Tigre called Bajo Tigre? Because a jaguar used to live there until it was killed on Marvin Rockwell’s farm (where Judy Poe’s place is) by Rafael Arguedas and Iginio Santamaria because it was killing pigs and dogs.

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  • Wolf Guindon: 1930-2016

    Wolf Guindon: 1930-2016

    It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Wilford Guindon, better known to all as Wolf, at the age of 85. His last days were spent surrounded by his loving family and friends in his home in Monteverde.

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    Wolf and his wife Lucky were part of the original group of Quakers who came from Fairhope Alabama and started the community of Monteverde in 1951. For the first twenty years Wolf spent his time dairy-farming, selling chainsaws and clearing land, but then he heard the concerns of the biologists and started spreading the seed of conservation in the early 1970s. He was a founder of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Monteverde Conservation League and was employed by both as Head of Protection. For nearly four decades he was a forest guard and, guided by his Quaker beliefs, he refused to carry a gun, instead diffusing difficult situations with respect and humor. His principles continue to influence the nature of protection work in the area.

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    As part of the community, Wolf helped build and was a strong supporter of the Monteverde Friends School since its beginnings in 1952. Although he was often working deep in the forest, he would hurry back for school events, arriving with his pack still on his back, his clothes wet and his rubber boots muddy. He was always one of the best patrons of the bake sales as well as contributing his exuberant spirit to all school activities. He was a caller at the square dances, a natural and shameless performer in skits, and a huge supporter of pie socials!

    Wolf and Lucky together contributed eight children as students to MFS – at one time the Guindon family made up one third of the student body! They were good students and community members, all sharing their infectious laughter and quick minds with the school and meeting. Their youngest daughter Melody Guindon has been our Kinder teacher since her own graduation, guiding the next generations of young children into their school year.

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    Wolf’s dedication to the conservation of the forests and his love for being in the wilderness has been an inspiration for everyone in the community, particularly for the students of MFS. He enthusiastically shared his joy and his concerns and welcomed children and teachers to join him on hikes. He devoted the last half of his life to the future of the forests and his love for the community, the woods and all its inhabitants has influenced each of our students to be respectful of this beautiful place we call home. His legacy remains in the sea of green that covers the mountain, in the songs of the returning Bellbirds and Quetzals and in the hearts of all who follow the paths that he forged through the dense cloud forest. He will be deeply missed.

    – Shared by Kay Chornook, author of “Walking With Wolf”

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  • Solidarity in Silence

    Solidarity in Silence

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    “My name is Camila.  I am ending the silence by not speaking the whole day.”

    Silence4Asking teenagers to be quiet for a whole day, in solidarity with LGBTQ students and other marginalized people around the world, was their idea.  Students wanted to once again participate in the GLSEN Day of Silence. We supported their initiative by:

    • circulating a list of participating students to all teachers so they could adapt their lessons and expectations
    • opening the day with a video about the background and philosophy of the day of silence and support for marginalized people
    • showing a video, and follow-up discussion, about homosexuality and discrimination in the Latino community
    • exploring the groups of people who experience challenges here at our school
    • holding a debriefing session with participating students at the end of the day

    Some students only made it to lunchtime, and some chose not to participate directly, but we all felt moved by the experience.  We held loved ones in the light, tried to walk a bit in their shoes, and became more aware of our communication patterns and listening skills. Learning to listen, and to appreciate the worth and different experience of others, is a core part of Quaker Education.  Gracias to the students for having the initiative and the courage to accept this challenge.

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