by Angie Briceño | Mar 15, 2018
On April 23rd we will be hosting our Earth Day Charity event.
What´s this day about?
It´s about supporting an organization involved in local environmental protection and conservation, in an unusual and fun way. The challenge will be to raise money for a chosen organization both before and during the day of the event, with the participants spending the day up in a fig tree until they manage to collect $ 1,000 for their cause by reaching out to their connections through the internet and social media in order to promote the event. The participant(s) who reach the $ 1,000 goal before 2:30 pm on April 23rd, may come down from their tree. In addition, the first three participants will be able to donate the money raised to the organizations they chose to support. The rest of the funds raised will be used to invest in expanding Futuro Verde’s sports facilities. In 2017, we raised $ 6,093 and the beneficiary organizations were: Green Wave, ASOPROLAPA and Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeepers. The rest of the money was used to purchase 7 new computers for the multimedia center.
If you wish to participate, we invite you to investigate and find an organization that you would like to support next April 23rd, Earth Day. Don´t miss out on Earth Day!
by Lural Ramirez | Dec 26, 2017
As Futuro Verde moves into its first year as an IB World School, we are excited for some new curricular changes in 2018 that will benefit students at all ages and stages in our school and better prepare all students for their new end goal of an IB diploma!
In preschool and primary school:
- Two sessions of mindfulness classes for each grade, each month- keeping kids in touch with their emotions and on the path to a healthy, calm and mindful self
- Weekly library time- to listen to a story read aloud by our librarian Daniela Ugalde and to check out or renew a book from our school library, which boasts over 5,000 unique titles at all reading levels. Building their love for reading one book at a time!
- CREW time twice weekly- this extension of ‘homeroom’ assures everyone in class is a part of the crew, no passengers allowed. A great time to set class goals, reflect and build community!
All of these changes come in addition to the holistic offering Futuro Verde has always shown commitment to: swimming, physical education, art, music, environmental education, comparative language study, global studies, technology classes, peace practices and all the basic subjects required under Costa Rican law and our MEP accreditation.
In middle and high school:
- Electives! Choose between-
- Physical education options: for the first trimester students will choose between swimming and cycling to complement their general physical education classes. Each new semester will bring fun new options to choose from!
- Additional languages: French or Classical Languages
- The Arts: choose which semester to take music or visual arts
- CREW time twice weekly- same goals as in primary and preschool grades with an added emphasis on self-management and organizational skills.
For students in 11th grade, the choices abound:
- Language Arts and/or Acquisition: Literature (Spanish), Language and Literature (English), English B or Spanish B
- Business Management
- Biology
- Math Studies
- The Arts: Music or Visual Arts
For all IB classes, students choose from within each group and, additionally, which classes they would like to take at a higher level. These classes come in addition to their Core classes: Theory of Knowledge, CAS and Extended Essay.
It is looking like it will be a fantastic 2018 school year ahead at Futuro Verde!
by Katie Chiaverini | Nov 30, 2017
The big day is almost here…the first annual Sustainable Solutions Fair hosted by Futuro Verde students on Saturday, December 2nd from 9am to 2pm! All of our students, grades pre-K through 11th, have been working very hard on developing innovative projects and they are ready to educate their families, friends, and community members on sustainable solutions to local issues.
Our school community will gather together on this day to share ideas about how we can protect our environment and lead a healthy life; making sustainability a part of our everyday lives with each action we take.
Over the last few months, the students have been asking questions, researching, interviewing, planning, discussing, designing, creating, building, improving, and developing their chosen topics based around one shared theme: sustainability. The level of engagement and direct involvement the students have had with teachers, volunteers, parents, peers, specialists, and nature itself is impressive. The Sustainable Solutions Fair is definitely a joint project from start to finish. From little hands squishing recycled paper into water to large hands shoveling clay-ridden earth to mix with compost, it is evident that searching for sustainable solutions not only requires critical thinking, but hard work and a lot of grit!
The beauty of sustainability is that it can be applied to anything. It is all encompassing. From a small, local problem to a large, global issue shared amongst many, sustainable solutions are always a possibility. While many students have focused locally, their ideas can be applied globally. From methods of organic pest control to plastic pollution, from over fishing to domestic animal overbreeding, from excess waste to red tide…our student projects truly embody the term “think globally, act locally.”
On this day, our children will be our teachers. Get ready to be inspired!
by Javier Sánchez Cáceres | Nov 1, 2017
This day and age, we hear a lot of talk about environmental problems, climate change, exploitation and unsustainable use of natural resources. Honestly, the panorama can be so overwhelming that we feel frustrated and fail to understand that many of these problems go hand in hand with their solutions. Many of these solutions are presented to us as impossible tasks because we view them from an individualistic perspective. However, when we take a moment and breathe deeply, we soon realize that by working as a team, sharing ideas and resources, these solutions begin to flow and appear very possible.
The initiative of the Sustainable Solutions Fair emerged based on the need to provide a space where different environmental, social and economic problems that affect us both, directly and indirectly, can be openly discussed. The FSS is Science Fair meets Christmas Bazaar, with the idea of enjoying projects on sustainability carried out by our students, artistic and musical presentations, taking advantage of the opportunity to purchase locally handcrafted products and expanding your horizons with forums and workshops in a sustainable development setting.
We cordially invite you to join us on December 2nd, a special day dedicated to nature and creating awareness of the need for a human development system that allows us to use Mother Earth’s natural resources in a responsible way with respect for both nature and the next generations.
We’re expecting you!
by Debbie Bruylant | Sep 21, 2017
Do you know how to determine the water quality of a river? What parameters should you take into account? What equipment do you need to carry out the analysis?
Four students from Futuro Verde inquired about these questions in the month of June 2017. Together with their environmental education teacher and three students from the National University, they explored the Danta River in Santa Teresa with the aim of evaluating its water quality in the framework of a project that seeks to promote the scientific learning of the students, generate awareness about the country’s water resources and involve students in community problems.
After an informative session at the institution, the students took samples of the Danta River at two different locations on June 3rd, 2017. Our student scientists came to the following conclusions: the visual analysis of the river clearly shows the effect of the lack of urban planning, the lack of macro-invertebrates is alarming in both points, and the physical and chemical parameters describe a river that suffers from contamination.
With the arrival of new scientific sampling equipment to our FV lab, we will be exploring more rivers in the community! One of the objectives of “We are all water” is to extend the activity to community members. If you are interested in learning about the water quality of the rivers in our area and collaborating with our student scientists we invite you to contact Javier Cáceres at
Javier@futuro-verde.org.
by Javier Sánchez Cáceres | Aug 2, 2017
Nature, its ecosystems, and natural resources are the mainstay of humanity. Although this assertion seems to be very obvious and common knowledge among even the youngest of children, human beings repeatedly act against this principle, with their actions directly affecting the integrity of our ecosystems and the services they provide us with. The foregoing often occurs due to a lack of education or interest, poor administration of district services and/or a lack of priorities.
During last July, as we all know, essential waste collection and disposal services in the entire Cobano district were suspended due to an alleged budget shortage.
In the aftermath of this terrible news and the problem it has unleashed, it is very gratifying to see how people have come together and focused all their effort and energy on seeking a solution to the unmeasured production of waste. Among various measures carried out, worth mentioning are the remodeling of Montezuma’s collection centers, the reduction of solid waste, and efforts to educate the public about the management of recyclable materials and raise awareness about the importance of keeping our gorgeous part of Planet Earth healthy. At Futuro Verde, we work on our commitment to protect and conserve nature every day. We have renovated our recycling center with the aim of being able to sort and dispose of recyclable materials from both the school and the members of our school community who do not have waste collection services in their neighborhoods. We are very much aware that any measure is insufficient when it is not accompanied by educational efforts, which is why we are promoting values linked to nature conservancy, waste reduction, and recycling more than ever.
Finally, we wish to share some suggestions with you regarding how to reduce solid waste at home:
– Buy only what is necessary and, when possible, what is biodegradable.
– Eliminate the consumption of disposable products (straws, plastic cutlery, glasses, dishes, among others).
– Reduce the consumption of products containing several wrappings and the Tetra Pak.
– Use returnable containers.
– Preferably use glasses or ceramic glasses, cups, and dishes.
– Use reusable bags instead of asking for plastic bags.
– Use rechargeable batteries.
– Try to use cloth napkins.
– Use organic waste for composting.
