Pasito a Pasito's Year-End Ceremony -- Clausura de Pasito a Pasito
November
4th marked the 3rd Graduation/Closing Ceremony for the Pasito a Pasito
program (our preschool program). The ceremony was a big affair for the
kids that allowed the children to celebrate and share with their parents
all that they learned over the past year. The new location was all
decorated, the children were in the their Sunday bests, and we had
several distinguished guests sharing this time with us.
Check out photos from the event by clicking here.
The ceremony began with the presentation of the National Flag and the National Anthem. After the National Anthem, the official passing of the flag from the Step 2 class of Pasito a Pasito to Step 1 class occurred.
Check out photos from the event by clicking here.
Every morning, the parents drop their children off at Paso a Paso and trust that the teachers are going to have a positive lasting impact on their children. The good news is that that lasting impact is frequently validated. Time and time again teachers, community officials, and neighbors familiar with the project remark to Any, Sonia, Evita, and others in the community just how well-behaved our Pasito a Pasito students are and how well prepared they are for the classroom when the get there.
Not only is that lasting impact noticed by the local community, but also by volunteers that share time at the project as well. Just a few days ago [maybe a few more by the time this is posted :)], we had a large group of volunteers at Paso a Paso doing crafts with the kids. While the volunteers were here, at distinct occasions, two leaders of this group commented on how well behaved the kids were, especially compared to some of the other projects they had been to earlier in the week.
We love hearing comments like this about our kids and are so proud of the time and care our teachers put into their work. This ceremony was as much about celebrating the efforts of Sonia and Evita as it was about the accomplishments of our kids.
This post also appeared on GuidedSteps.org
Check out photos from the event by clicking here.
The ceremony began with the presentation of the National Flag and the National Anthem. After the National Anthem, the official passing of the flag from the Step 2 class of Pasito a Pasito to Step 1 class occurred.
 |
Picture of the front of our 'stage' for the event.
Cultural
moment: Note the pine needles on the ground. In Guatemala, for very
special events, it is traditional to adorn the floor with pine needles
to mark the significance of the event.
|
Then all of the kids presented a short bio on themselves.
"Buenos
días. Mi nombre es Yasmin Esmeralda Chiz Bucu. Tengo 5 años. Soy una
niña. Vivo en San Antonio Aguas Calientes. Estudio en Pasito a Pasito.
El nombre de mi maestra es Sonia Lopez."
"Good
morning. My name is Yasmin Esmeralda Chiz Bucu. I am 5 years old. I am a
girl. I live in San Antonio Aguas Calientes. I study at Pasito a
Pasito. My teacher's name is Sonia Lopez."
Then, the first of two costume changes happened and the kids were ready
to show off the traditional Marimba dance that had fervently been
working on (along with a couple other prepared dances).
Certificates of completion of Step 1 were presented to the younger
preschoolers and Graduation certificates were given to those that would
be transitioning to the public school next year. We had 8 children
graduate from our program and 12 children advances to Step 2 of the
program. One of our distinguished guests, Maco Tulio, distributed the
Graduation certificates to our Step 2 kids.
A few heartfelt words were shared by Sonia, Evita, and Maco; and then it
was time for the second costume change. And the pompoms talked about in
my previous post
came into action. The kids danced two last times before the closing of
the ceremony. Then, before refreshments, a small gift was presented to
each of kids.
Final Thoughts...
The ceremony was a beautiful occasion to capture a summary of all the incredible, at times exhausting, work that Evita and Sonia do everyday with the kids at Paso a Paso and the direction that Any provides the project.Every morning, the parents drop their children off at Paso a Paso and trust that the teachers are going to have a positive lasting impact on their children. The good news is that that lasting impact is frequently validated. Time and time again teachers, community officials, and neighbors familiar with the project remark to Any, Sonia, Evita, and others in the community just how well-behaved our Pasito a Pasito students are and how well prepared they are for the classroom when the get there.
Not only is that lasting impact noticed by the local community, but also by volunteers that share time at the project as well. Just a few days ago [maybe a few more by the time this is posted :)], we had a large group of volunteers at Paso a Paso doing crafts with the kids. While the volunteers were here, at distinct occasions, two leaders of this group commented on how well behaved the kids were, especially compared to some of the other projects they had been to earlier in the week.
We love hearing comments like this about our kids and are so proud of the time and care our teachers put into their work. This ceremony was as much about celebrating the efforts of Sonia and Evita as it was about the accomplishments of our kids.
This post also appeared on GuidedSteps.org
Comments
Post a Comment