Taking inspiration from the enchanted forests of storybooks, the 250-square-meter space is like a kindergarten, indoor playground, and art studio rolled into one. Different sections are modeled on different outdoor objects, like “The Nest,” “The Cocoon,” and “The Tree House.”
A sixth-grade class at St. Jude’s School in Lindora, Santa Ana, west of San José, capped off their school year with a project that allowed them to learn about alternative energy as a fuel by making their own little hybrid cars powered by solar energy and batteries.
These students, parents, teachers, volunteers and donors are expert foragers, turning unused classrooms, time and resources into educational gold. Their determination, commitment and selflessness also represent a broader spirit of giving that we seek to celebrate.
There is much to commemorate: Not only does Jorge Washington turn 75 years old this month, but it is allegedly the first urban public school in Costa Rica to harness solar power effectively.
Legislators from the ruling Citizen Action Party, Broad Front Party and Social Christian Unity Party last week presented a bill at the Legislative Assembly to reform the country’s Labor Law, including a proposal that would eliminate a ban on strikes by some public workers, approved by the previous administration.
Inequality and access to education were topped Costa Rica’s most pressing issues, according to the United Nations Development Program’s 2014 Human Development Index released Thursday.
After two years of classes, workbooks, and intensive study camps, more than 179 students graduated from an English program hosted by the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center in San Pedro. Every student ranges in age from 14 to 16 years, and – according to the mission of the Access Microscholarship Program – comes from a low-income or at-risk household.
An Education Ministry report released on Tuesday morning indicates that of 3,751 public schools in Costa Rica, only 613 were functioning normally on Monday, while 1,394 were partially operational and 1,744 remained closed.
Teachers’ unions representing some 70,000 educators agreed to a proposal Monday presented by the Catholic Church to put an end to a strike that has dragged on for nearly a month and complicated the start to President Luis Guillermo Solís’ term.
