Coastal Montessori public schools

Puerto Rico is an archipelago that includes around 660 islands, islets and cays and has one of the most extensive coral reef systems in the Caribbean. More than 300 square kilometers provide habitat for ecosystems of reefs, mangroves, grasses, corals and seagrass beds.

The coast of Puerto Rico is characterized by its rich marine life. Puerto Rico is an archipelago, and we are all, in some way, near the coast. Life on the coast, its richness and its risks, must be an integral part of the curriculum of our schools.

According to the National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Puerto Rico, the main concerns of the population have to do with the permanence of land on the coast and its extinction in the face of climate change, the risk of loss of property, sources of income and life itself. The expected increase, frequency and magnitude of atmospheric phenomena such as storms and hurricanes, storm surges, floods confront us with enormous dangers and the coastal erosion that we are seeing advance. There are other concerns that arise from these, for example the impact on health, food production and the deterioration of biodiversity.

The Montessori curriculum is characterized by integrating educational experiences, the relationship of the students with their environment and living learning about current issues in the community. Nine Montessori public schools have called themselves “coastal Montessori public schools” and have convened to dialogue, study the coast where they live and work on issues related to their habitat.

The alliance that was born between SEA GRANT, CARICOOS, Marine Sciences (UPR Mayagüez Campus) and the Alejandro Tapia y Rivera school in la Parguera was the starting point for this meeting and project. From this alliance, a number of educational projects were born in la Parguera that lead to knowledge of the coast, its ecosystems, its wealth and its risks. The students learn about their habitat, and then share the knowledge with their community so that they can make better, wise and informed decisions in terms of their care, protection, safety and food supply.

The group of allies extends the invitation beyond la Parguera to the group of coastal Montessori schools and develops a project around these issues in order to address the little information that the most vulnerable communities around the island have about coastal risks and how coexist and protect coastal ecosystems. Young people take hold of science and put it at the service of their families and communities in Patillas, Toa Baja, Llorens, Vieques, Aguada, and Lajas.

The meetings of the coastal Montessori public schools began last November 4, when the Department of Marine Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, in collaboration with Sea Grant, invited them to participate in an introductory workshop on Magüeyes Island . Since then, this group meets every two weeks to share the projects that are being born in their multi-trophic and aquaponic schools. Each school chooses its project of interest, from aquaponic systems, mangroves and creation of micro ecosystems to achieve fish reproduction and food cultivation.

Through the project they learn about multi-trophic aquaculture and the integration of re-circulatory systems and their different operations. One of the goals is to raise awareness of the important potential that mariculture has in the country both for the economy, for food sustainability, and for environmental conservation. These projects are living ways to learn and develop academic skills.

The Montessori República del Perú school in San Juan is part of this project, it is located in front of the “El último trolley” beach in Ocean Park, Santurce. Natividad Reyes del Valle, Secondary level teacher at said school, is part of the project. From the beginning as a teacher, she liked the initiative because it provides an educational experience where multiple skills and subjects are integrated. She found the topics interesting and relevant to the community with which she works. Natividad informs us that this project has generated a lot of interest in her students and that there are over 100 students and 25 teachers from the school participating.

Likewise, the high school mathematics teacher, Miguel Cruz Serrano, indicated that one of the fruits has been the great interest and motivation that this project has fostered in the students. The motivation has been so great that various multi-trophic systems have appeared at the school, including a school garden that the students have taken over.

The students of tRepública del Perú have already begun to prepare for the First Symposium of Coastal Schools that will take place soon, where they will present what they have built, learned and achieved in their school through this experience.

It is expected that on May 17, teachers and students who developed these systems will be at Alejandro Tapia y Rivera school. The proposed agenda for that day includes the presentation by each school of the results of its project, the formation of a group of "scientific students" and a visit to the Marine Sciences facilities on Magüeyes Island.