Author: General Admin

November Coffee House

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

Another month, another amazing coffee house highlighting the huge variety in Monteverde Friends School and community. A picture is worth a thousand words, or notes, so please enjoy these pics (click on the slide show to the right) of poetry, song, dance, story, fiddle, yoga, ballet…

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_gallery admin_label=”CoffeHouse Photos” gallery_ids=”2812,2822,2828,2825,2813,2820,2811,2816,2814,2817,2819,2818,2815,2821,2810,2824,2826,2827″ fullwidth=”on” show_title_and_caption=”off” show_pagination=”on” background_layout=”light” auto=”on” hover_overlay_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.9)” caption_all_caps=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_gallery][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

November 22, 2015
Moving to Costa Rica

Ever dream of moving to Costa Rica? Our new co-director Rick Juliusson (in the grey “Raven Lunatic” shirt, hiking with other newly-arrived school parents on the nearby mountain trails) shares his initial welcome in July:

As a newcomer to the Monteverde community, my Welcome Radar is running strong. We can learn a lot about a school and a community by how new families, workers and students are welcomed.

My welcome begins as soon as I arrive after a 24-hour flight/drive up the mountain. My co-director Debbie has already lit the lights, opened windows, and made sure the house was clean and ready for me. She gives me enough of an orientation to know where to put my bags down, then compassionately lets me crash for a few minutes on my own.

Only a few minutes, though, before one of our school’s local families shows up with a hot seafood meal. Delicious food and good company, telling me all about the reasons they choose our school for their children and showing how genuinely excited they are to have me join them. Instead of feeling alone and hungry, I feel loved and valued (and very well fed – they’ve just opened a seafood restaurant down the road, so they know how to cook!)

Breakfast (gallo pinto rice & beans with fresh-squeezed mango juice) the next morning is in the home of another family – one of the founders of the Quaker community from back in 1950 – and lunch is brought by yet another school parent/volunteer. And it’s not just food. Teachers, students, local families are constantly making special efforts to come and introduce themselves. Within the first week I’ve joined or been invited to weekly groups for Scrabble, yoga, volleyball, Shakespeare reading, choir, ultimate frisbee, indoor soccer, and more committees than a Quaker can shake a friendly stick at. I walk up to a local hotel to ask about using their pond for swimming, and the receptionist eagerly tells me that his children are in the school and how they’ve been looking forward to meeting me since reading my bio (and that we’re welcome to swim if the cold water doesn’t freeze us).

I’ve lived in many communities in many parts of the world, and never had an easier time getting plugged in than here at Monteverde Friends School. I believe that in part, this is because Monteverde’s founding families literally had to rely on each other for survival and sanity – living (and giving birth!) in tents on the cloud-forest mountainside for years as they established their new home and community. This legacy of giving, receiving and welcoming is not just a good habit, it’s the true spirit of this special place. Whether you’re a family wanting a new space to breathe together, a student looking to study abroad, or someone wanting to visit or volunteer, you’ll be welcomed with open arms (and kitchens) and love living here in Monteverde.

November 9, 2015
Pura Poutine, eh?

Move over Gallo Pinto and tortillas, it’s Culture Day in Costa Rica! At Monteverde, that means children bringing food and sharing traditions from their many diverse home cultures.

Poutine – an instant Canadian heart attack consisting of fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds – was just one of the yummy offerings children brought to share. But before that indulgence, we were treated to various performances and presentations. The grade 7-8 social studies class let us know about the food, armies, clothing etc of ancient China. The grade 5-6’s each wrote and sung a verse about the highlights of their culture (evidently, Americans highly value hotdogs, Coke and baseball. And the highschool students learned a traditional American folk dance (the guy with the beard is our beloved Benito, an MFS grad from before time began). And of course we all played together – games from all over the world.

Monteverde Friends School is a rich cultural learning environment thanks to the mix of international study-abroad students, families who have come for one or a few years, families who have laid deep long-term roots in the community, and of course the majority of students who are from local families. Culture Day is a fun way to celebrate and learn more about our diversity, and of course a great excuse to eat gravy and cheese curds…

November 6, 2015
Coming Home – Thoughts from a Returning Teacher

Heather Livingston, a beloved teacher at MFS last year, recently returned to visit (and of course, volunteer at the school’s Children’s Day!). Here are her feelings about coming back:

Last week I returned to Monteverde Friends School after leaving for the states in June. When I stepped into the Meeting House to join Monday’s all school assembly I saw a hundred bright, familiar faces looking up at me. With their excited eyes and warm smiles greeting me, I immediately felt like I was back home. It was amazing to return to MFS with a new perspective and realize that some things don’t change even after you leave.

“The genuine human interactions and relationships between students, teachers, and staff are, to me, what make this school such a unique place.”

Monteverde Friends School is not only concerned with the academic success of a child, but with the well being of a whole person. Each student is treated with love and support in their journey at MFS and after they leave. While visiting, I was reminded of this and witnessed many of the organic opportunities that help to build and maintain these relationships.
Heather Livingstone helps load kids on during Children’s Day

During recess and lunch I participated in the intergenerational “mejenga” or pick up soccer game, heard spontaneous laughter shared by teachers and students, listened to shameless duets and guitar playing in the hallway, and admired the critical and curious question-asking in and outside of class.

This short visit opened my eyes to the incredible community that has been built at MFS and the space that is held for students, staff, and teachers to be themselves and be accepted as they are.

I am so grateful to know the people and the place that make up this school. I feel that no matter how long a person has been at MFS or how long they have been gone, they will be welcomed back to this community with open arms.

Thank you to the MFS community for welcoming me back, it was wonderful to be with you all!

October 26, 2015
Laughing Yoga in Monteverde

We start every morning together at Monteverde Friends School. Daily assemblies provide a rich 10 minutes to gather as a community (one of the core Quaker values of our school), celebrate birthdays, share announcements, then do some fun activity together. Not always yoga, but very often laughing.

This week we have enjoyed a sing-along song/story, learned about local bird calls, drawn names out of a hat then shared one thing we appreciate about that person, and of course, laughing yoga.

It’s no stretch of the imagination to see how laughter and movement are an ideal way to start a Wednesday morning. Children from 4 to 74 sharing in the sounds and belly-feeling of merriment, encouraging each other to express joy, and getting juices flowing to the body and brain.

We walked out to class, as we usually do, feeling like we’re in this beautiful school together. At Monteverde Friends School, learning doesn’t begin when the bell rings; it begins when we open ourselves to learning. Morning assembly, in all its creative iterations, accomplishes just that.

October 8, 2015