Very close to the first Montessori school of Marine Sciences and Agriculture

Inspired by an investigation that their students carried out on safely returning to school, some Montessori guides from the Escuela Elemental Urbana Nueva de Lajas decided to transfer their “virtual” encounters to face-to-face encounters in an inspiring, safe and beautiful environment: the beach.

With the computer turned on from a corner of Playa Rosada in Lajas, these guides saw how the black squares that flooded their screens disappeared and the faces of their beloved students appeared in the place.

The teens of Casa del Joven (7th-9th) not only began to show more interest in the virtual meetings, but they also wanted to join their guides in this new environment. "They said to us 'Misi can we get to where you are?' And some began to reach us on the beach," said the guide Carla M. González Cobos. Precisely the youth of this community, along with other students from the Island, presented a proposal that included the best practices worldwide for a safe return to school. This research was welcomed by the Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) and the Montessori communities in the plan to return to school and was presented to the Governor of Puerto Rico in December 2020.

A sister school

That time of the "school without walls" on the beach led to the next step of the project: the birth of a sister school. This is how this school community became part of the history of the La Parguera community that was fighting for the reopening of its neighboring school, Alejandro Tapia y Rivera.

The La Parguera Neighbors Committee, which has been taking care of the school since it closed in 2018, opened the doors to this Montessori project that was born in Lajas.

The Montessori guides were able to continue connecting with their students and other young people from the community during the afternoons with the "Bibliotecas Solidarias" project on the school grounds. This initiative allowed the healthy encounter of many young people from Lajas during the entire time of the pandemic.

The community of La Parguera and the Committee of Families and Guides of the Urbana Nueva Elementary School came together and presented a proposal to the Secretary of Education of PR to reopen their school under this model. This proposal was welcomed by representatives like José Bernardo Marquez and senators like Vargas Vidot. After multiple meetings and encounters, they received the endorsement of the authorities for this campus to operate as an annex of the Nueva Urbana de Lajas Elementary School so that students can continue their Montessori education at the secondary level beginning in August 2021.

At the moment, they have a pre-enrollment of more than 70 students among adolescents who come from Urbana Nueva and teens from communities surrounding La Parguera who would be integrated into the Montessori school for the first time.

"We needed a place and they were fighting for their school to reopen. The "Bibliotecas Solidarias" initiative gave back to the school its purpose and the community is very happy. They have continued to keep the school clean, and the parents are already organizing to do the same so it will be ready for their sons and daughters", said González.

Special projects

Not only do the neighbors have an interest in the reopening of the Alejandro Tapia y Rivera. Recognized organizations such as Para La Naturaleza, the Department of Marine Sciences of the University of PR, Mayagüez campus, the Institute for the Development of Communities and ISER Caribe are eager to work on projects with this community.

The Para La Naturaleza collective has been supporting the group throughout the year and in recent times they donated and installed a beautiful dome in the schoolyard that will serve as a classroom for times when the earth shakes or when they need to be outdoors and at a distance.

The idea is that this school not only will reopen under the Montessori model but that it's going to be the first school focused on Marine Sciences and Agriculture in Puerto Rico. It will be an oasis where university professors and young people come together, where the school experience and the curriculum are enriched and the bridge between school and university is established through concrete life projects.

These alliances are in total harmony with the vision of the Montessori school: the young person must have the opportunity to insert themself into their environment, recognize the value of work and find their place in society.

"We have fishermen, people who work with nets, with nautical knots who know the ecosystem of the area and are eager for children to know their environment and learn about the professions that can be had to stay in La Parguera. Part of the project seeks to expand the vision of these teens about their future professions and to develop a love for where they grow up. We want students to recognize the value of the place where they live, that jewel that is La Parguera so that they can take care of it and defend it" said González.