Library Woes
Our new library was scheduled to open on January 24th, however there were a few wrinkles. Somehow, the cost of air conditioning the new building jumped to a whopping $30,000, when it was originally quoted much much lower. Here we are, at the beginning of March without a new facility. The library has been packed up and ready to move since early January. The most frustrating piece of the puzzle is my 7th grade accelerated reader class. In anticipation of the library closure, my kiddos checked out two books each in December to begin for this semester's course. Certainly this was enough material to get through 3 weeks of school. But, the weeks of a closed library began to add up.Unlike the United States, books are a high commodity here, especially those written in English. I wish it were as simple as heading to the local thrift store to stock my classroom library, but unfortunately that's just not the case. We are fortunate, however, that the librarian unpacked a box of books for the students two weeks ago for them to choose a new title.
Good news, the school has renegotiated a price and hopefully, the new library will open in two weeks. Please pray for this to happen!
Festival
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| NCA 3K or 5K Fun Run to raise money for a pool. |
On a lighter note, NCA organized a festival to raise money for our homeroom parents' wish list item...a new pool. Several other larger schools in the country have pools, and our parents decided that this should be NCA's newest endeavor. Did you know that a high percentage of Nicaraguan people do not know how to swim? I assumed that with the great number of huge lakes and two coast lines, Nicas were born with fins and gills. Not true! This pool can be used as a mission to teach people how to swim as well as add to the PE and extra-curriculur activity program at NCA.
Each classroom was responsible for a game, somewhat like a fall or spring festival at U.S. schools. My girls and I decided to offer a service instead! Yes, a hair painting and nail salon! For just under a dollar, kids could get their hair painted or a get a manicure. It was huge success--too bad we ran out of hair paint 2 hours into the festival. The most popular attraction was the jail. Festival-goers could pay to have someone carted off to jail. Some put up a good fight, some went quietly, and some tried to escape...
Jeremy's Classes
Wrinkles continue to iron out for Jeremy, too. Many of you know that Jeremy is teaching Apologetics, the one class he didn't want to teach! God has a sense of humor, does He not? The first semester was a bit of challenge, but Jeremy has finally settled in and is enjoying teaching.
His newest endeavor this semester is teaching Domestic Arts. He is teaching students the arts of cooking, repurposing, and many other handy things. When he arrived, the kitchen classroom needed some work, so Jeremy worked his magic to update it and make it functional. Part of his makeover included a pot rack and a super cool demonstration mirror for the cooking unit.
Field Trip
The 7th and 8th grade students took a field trip to La Maquina for science explorations. Each team had a list of items to find including decomposition, autotrophs, and lots of other scientific terms I have forgotten over the years. Luckily, my girls knew what they were doing!
Influence
Many of you may have seen my facebook post earlier this week where a student proclaimed I should be a preacher. That statement made my heart sing! Each and every day, I do my best to weave God's word and love into the classroom and it's working! Moments like these are such an affirmation of God's place for us right now. Here are all of my students except a new young man from Zimbabwe that started last week. Please keep them in your prayers, the future leaders of Nicaragua, Korea, the United States and other nations. Don't misunderstand my words, these are not just the next generation, but the next leaders of our land. Many of these kiddos come from highly inflential families. You are supporting, thorough your prayers and financial gifts, the future.
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| NCA 7th Grade Class 2014-15 |
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| NCA 8th Grade Class 2014-15 |
