Pratt Institute students arrive for the second time at the Juan Ponce de León school

Last March, 15 students from Pratt Institute visited the first public Montessori school in PR, the Juan Ponce de León school in the community of Juan Domingo, in Guaynabo, to offer art and art therapy workshops to elementary students.

Students who arrive from this educational institution located in New York had the opportunity to be in a community outside their state to put into practice everything they have learned in their years of study accompanied by several of their professors.

This is the second year that Puerto Rico and the Juan Ponce de León school community have been chosen to carry out this practice experience.

“It has been a very inspiring experience. From the experience they bring in the arts and what they bring from their culture. The boys and girls are very happy every time they see them arrive because they also recognize their value. It has been very nice to see how Pratt students make that effort to speak Spanish. It is a very inspiring experience with which we validate the faith we have in the opportunity to collaborate and continue growing within our communities,” said Alondra Ocasio, coordinator of the Volunteer Program at the Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE).

The elementary school boys and girls had the opportunity to work on an art piece for a whole week with techniques and media taught by the New York students. They culminated in their exhibition in the school community.

The Elementary I students worked on pieces related to the plants and animals of Puerto Rico. While the Elementary ll students made pieces about historical places in San Juan.

In addition, the Puerto Rican artist Rogelio Baéz Vega, who is known for his works of architectural and urban line through his paintings that represent gas stations and three-dimensional constructions that recreate city plans to scale, had the opportunity to teach, talk and see the works of the students of Elementary II.

It was an enriching experience for the boys and girls of Elementary II to be able to present their works and explain how they managed to complete them.

The students who offered art therapy were helped by the Casa Familiar program, which seeks to offer students and families encouraging experiences, psychological services and free alternative therapies.

During that week we saw how the Pratt students prepared with dedication and love Casa Familiar area where they received 16 students from 11 to 17 years old every day in two-hour sections.