First step: Talking with the Schools

Escuela Carlos Darwin, in the misty highlands

Last week was a big week for our Book Bus project, as we made our first contact with local schools, introducing them to the project and collecting some initial data to send to our friends in Quito and the UK. We are hoping to work with four schools on the island: Carlos Darwin, the two campuses of Alejandro Alvear, and Pedro Pablo Andrade. All four campuses were visited over the course of a couple of days, and we are happy to report that the project was received with enthusiasm by school directors, who welcome the opportunity to receive more resources, both in terms of physical material of books, and in human capital with reading volunteers. One school is concerned about the logistics of the project, as they are a bit short on space, and have a large volunteer base already, but still seem willing to see what type of adjustments can be made to fit their situation. It was a very exciting endeavor to get the project started, and share information with the schools!

The existing library at the main Alvear campus

In addition to introducing them to the project, the schools shared some basic information with us that we passed onto to the Book Bus offices in Quito and the UK. This information includes basic contact information and numbers of students, so that staff in the UK can begin collecting books that correspond with appropriate age levels of students that we have here in San Cristobal. In addition, school directors shared extra information with us about the needs and priorities within their schools. Here’s a sneak glimpse into the schools of San Cristobal:

       
           -Centro de Educación Básica Fiscal Carlos Darwin:

                        -Located in El Progreso, in the highlands of San Cristobal, 7 kilometers                             from the main town, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

                        -The school serves students from preschool to 10^th grade

                        -They have a total of 86 students and 10 teachers

            -Escuela de Educación Básica Alejandro Alvear:

                        -Located in the main port city Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

                        -This school has two campuses, one that serves preschool through first                             grade, and another, bigger campus for 2^nd through 10^th grade

                        -This school has 498 students and 31 teachers

            -Escuela de Educación Básica Fiscalmisional Pedro Pablo Andrade:

                        -Also located in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

                        -The largest school we visited, this school has approximately 610 students                        and 42 teachers

                        -It also serves students from preschool to 10^th grade 

A 6th grade class at Pedro Pablo Andrade

We’re excited to keep moving forward, working with these schools to help make reading fun and exciting for the students of San Cristobal! Tune in two weeks, when we try to gather similar information for our community “Reading Corners.”