by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Aug 4, 2019
What a successful Conference on Bilingual, Holistic, and Sustainable education we had this year! Now in it’s fifth year, the BHS conference is a valuable opportunity to provide our staff and educators from near and far, students, parents, and other community members with a rich learning experience which might otherwise not be easily accessible from our location.
There were twenty presentations over the two days with keynote addresses by David Rogers, a leader in the dual language education community. Other presentations covered a wide range of topics including: artful thinking routines, the strengths of quiet students, reflection and metacognition in math assessments, whether vegetarianism is sustainable, and the diversity and richness of musical traditions in Costa Rica. Students took part in presentations, attended sessions, and gave wonderful performances to entertain the conference attendees during breakfast and lunch. In the end it was a wonderful event which benefited greatly from this integration and interaction of people of all ages and backgrounds.
For many it was not their first BHS, while for others it was their first experience. However, everyone was unanimous in their praise for this year’s conference, reporting that they finished the two days feeling inspired and grateful that they had shared a wonderful experience together.
by Angie Briceño | May 8, 2019
There are only a few days left until Earth Day Charity Challenge ends!
The organizations have been inviting the participants to visit the different workplaces so that they may learn about what they do and how to help. Last week, the ASVO group was able to watch and participate in the release of sea turtles and learn about why some of the baby turtles did not hatch. They found out it can be important to place a roof to avoid further warming of the sand.
In the following days and weeks, the participants will be visiting and volunteering with the organizations they support.
Here are the amounts collected to date:
Refugio Romelia $96
Wild Sun Rescue Center $109
Casa del Árbol de Futuro Verde $26
Gatos de Futuro Verde $70
ASVO $532
CREMA $129
Remember, the groups to claim the top three spots by raising $ 1,000 can donate the following to their organization:
1st place $1000
2nd place $750
3rd place $500
You can help the groups reach their goal of $ 1,000 and thus support the organizations as they protect the environment and different species!
The rest of the money raised will be used to complete the amount for the construction of the Futuro Verde sports court.
Donate now!
by Alejandro Ramírez | May 6, 2019
Our competitive season is in full swing and there is no doubt that efforts in training are the key to success during competitions! Our athletes are training hard and making our institution proud! In Cross Country, 9 of our runners qualified for the regional event and in the regional event we had excellent results, managing to classify Leandro Salazar and Brittany Castrillo for the national final on May 13 and 14 in Nosara.
Our athletes are also dominating in mind games. On April 25, Chess Interregionals were held, attended by delegations from Nicoya, Lepanto, Cóbano and Santa Cruz. Among the most important results stand out the second place of Joaquín Ramírez, third place of Allison Elias Montoya and first place of our male category B team facing the host team of Lepanto in the final and defeating it in an exciting tiebreak game. Santiago Ramirez, Eco Jacob, Edgardo Salas and Jonathan Semyonov will represent our institution in the national final in Pérez Zeledón on May 27, 28 and 29.
In Swimming and Volleyball our athletes have not yet entered the competitive stage. However, they continue to work hard with a winner’s mentality week in week out because they know that medals are won in training and collected during race day.
Stay tuned for the final results of our competitive season, which, I assure you, look very promising!
by Noelia | May 5, 2019
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” is a phrase by Robert Collier that sums up the work we do at Futuro Verde in general and, more specifically, in the library perfectly.
From the moment the library was founded, firm goals and convictions were established that are reinforced day by day, regardless of the circumstances. We started out with a simple space with a closed bookcase and a collection of no more than 750 books. Today, we have more than 7,000 copies in accessible shelves, as well as two reading, study and teaching areas. Hence, we believe that every minute dedicated to the library has been worthwhile and has paid off.
With the aim of changing the perception that documentation centers have become tedious and lifeless places, the school administration, collaborators and library employees have taken on the task of converting this area into a comfortable and attractive hub, mainly for the students. Attempting, without a doubt, to draw them closer to the most important source of culture, information and knowledge: books. Through school investments, donations and various fundraising activities, we have managed to improve in 4 essential areas:
Increase the bibliographic volume of books in Spanish, English and French.
Bring library spaces to life.
Provide the necessary means for successful investigations.
Instill a love of reading from the smallest levels onwards.
This last point is, undoubtedly, one of the most important and the school decided to support it by hosting our first Annual Book Fair, held the same day as International Book Day on 22, 23 and 24 April.
Since we sold 70% of the books that we had purchased, recovered the money we had invested, and earned a profit in both money and books (since all the books that were not sold will be incorporated into the library), we are extremely proud to announce it was a huge success! Moreover, we feel great satisfaction knowing that many parents and students invested their money in books, which they are enjoying today.
For all of us involved in the preparation of our fair, it was gratifying to see the excitement and emotion on the face of each child, youngster, teacher and parent who came to the stand to admire or buy a book.
I would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the people involved and collaborators: Doris Madrigal, Mariel Urban, Jusneyling Marenco, Angie Briceño, Katie Chiaverini, Lural Ramírez, Evelyn Vargas, Joaquín Salas, Hannia Granados, Hellen Molina, Walter Mairena, Alannah Anglin and Khalida Lockheed, without your support and collaboration this wonderful week would not have been possible!
We also wish to thank the sponsors of our bingo:
- Chelo’s Pizza
- Farmacia Montecristo
- Transporzuma
- Repostería Doris Madrigal
- La Selva
- Maureen’s bracelets
- Piscina Torogoz
- Macondo Montezuma
- Santa Teresa Travels
by Axel Alvarado | Mar 29, 2019
This event allows students to express themselves, through music and literature. Our debut was on March 28th, from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm, at Futuro Verde Educational Center. Garage bands, dance, poems, and songs crowned the night. 11th grade prepared a soda full of delicious food and snacks. There was a jam session time for those who wanted to improvise and showcase their talent. We are grateful for the support of parents, family, and friends.
The reason behind this CAS project is the lack of artistic expression in this area. We know that some places, offer Open Mic nights, but more are needed. Many people want to showcase their talents, and do not have the opportunity. This is why we felt the need to create a space where students, teachers, and parents get together during an afternoon of entertainment filled with improvisation in both music and literature.
We know that more and more people are going to want to participate, so we decided to organize one every two months. We are counting on the collaboration of parents to announce the event to more people!
by Alejandro Ramírez | Feb 26, 2019
Greetings from the physical education, sports and recreation department! This school year will be filled with athletic and recreational opportunities, which I hope students will take advantage of and get involved in. We will start the year inviting students to be part of the different teams that represent our school: Chess, Cross Country, Swimming, and Basketball (only for secondary students). These teams will have the opportunity to represent Futuro Verde in the Student Games (organized by the Ministry of Public Education). We will also offer recreational and athletic opportunities at our institution, such as a volleyball tournament, a chess tournament, a kickball tournament and our Fun Trail Run on the last day of school.
Futuro Verde is as committed as ever to our philosophy of developing programs and events where inclusion, recreation, passion for physical activity and fair play are our main objectives. Our mission is to plan and carry out sports and recreational activities that suit a wide range of tastes and preferences in order to provide all students with an opportunity to get involved in some or other physical activity. During the first weeks I will be forming the teams mentioned above. Stay tuned to notifications that I will be sending home to students who are elected to be team members. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
Wishing you all a wonderful school year full of physical and mental health!
