Last week, we kicked off the school year for staff with a special visit from the Green Schools National Network (GSNN), represented by Jennifer Seydel, Executive Director, and Cheney Munson, Strategy Coach. We have partnered with GSNN due to our Strategic Plan, Strategic Line 1: “Cultivating a holistic, experiential, and sustainability-based educational model,” and its primary objective of “creating an educational model aligned with our mission, values, and principles.”

From August 5th to 7th, GSNN led us through a cross-area workshop, during which we learned from nature and from each other, integrating Green Schools’ expertise and best practices in experiential education and whole-school sustainability approaches. 

 

As part of the working sessions, we had a special visit from Esmeralda Pérez, community leader from the Huetar indigenous community of Costa Rica, and Edgar Mora, former mayor of Curridabat and former Education Minister of Costa Rica. Each contributed to enriching discussions with staff by sharing expanded perspectives on what it means to integrate nature-focused approaches to living, well-being, and different areas, programs, projects, or subjects.

This workshop is part of the work that GSNN will be doing to support the development of an educational model that will be more integrated across all areas and grounded in our sustainability philosophy. 

We are grateful for Jenny and Cheney’s leadership during the sessions and Esmeralda Pérez and Edgar Mora’s participation in the workshops. It is exciting to be the first GSNN sustainability partner in Latin America!