Some students from Serapio Lopez School in Nosara had to spend the first day of school sitting on the floor of their classroom. Fifth-grader Lara Schussler, 10, said, “It was really sad and uncomfortable.” Ashley Ruiz, 11, also in fifth grade, added that it was hard for them to concentrate on the class while sitting on the floor. Although, not all of the 344 students showed up on the first day, there were still not enough chairs and desks for the ones who attended that day.
Lidieth “Lety” Prendas, the president of the school board, had called Angelina Fraser, who was in the process of founding the Nosara School Foundation, for help about the chairs and desks a couple days before classes started. The foundation, although it wasn’t officially established yet, immediately took up the issue as their first project. As a result, Ruiz and Schussler were taking class notes on their desks instead of trying to write on their laps on the second day of classes. Fraser, who grew up in Nosara and went to Serapio Lopez School on and off for three years, noted that the school needs more community support and therefore she decided to establish the Nosara School Foundation. She commented that the goal is “all about bettering the schools.”
Fraser affirmed that she is not worried about the politics that surround the foundation. Rebuilding the playground with a large donation from a close friend of Fraser, who wants to stay anonymous, is their current project. In collaboration with the school board and the principal of the school, the foundation is hoping to finish it in early March. “As of now the children have nothing to play on,” Fraser said. The goal is “to create happy an atmosphere for children at school,” she added.
The school board had already started working on renovations over the summer break, according to Prendas. They put up new fences, gates, benches, water proof walkways, trash bins and fixing the school soda, but there is still more work to do. Creating an edible garden that the students will be in charge of, fixing the bathrooms and the electrical installation are amongst the projects that the foundation and the school board plan to collaborate on in the future.
Regarding working with the foundation, Prendas said, “For me, it is the best thing that could happen. All my partners are happy because they can see the change. This is like a revolution for us.”
They already received monetary assistance, labor and material donations from local businesses and families and are open to more support from the community. The principal of the school, Victor Julio Madrigal, said it is a positive move, noting, “We need a lot of things. We must work as a community here.” Fraser said she is open to talking to anyone who wants to support the school. She said, “I didn’t start this to collect money. I started this just to help.”
Comments