Cloud Forest sChool Foundation

www.cloudforestschool.org

Founded in 1991 by local parents committed to quality education for their children, the Cloud Forest School is an inde-pendent school located on 106 acres of cloud forest land in Monteverde, Costa Rica. 212 students matriculate in Pre-school–Grade 11 with 39 full and/or part-time staff. Classes are taught in both Spanish and English, so that students become fluent in both languages. The curriculum is webbed around the environment, with all grades involved in land stewardship.

The local Board of Trustees determines policy and maintains close communication with the Cloud Forest School Foundation, the 501(c)(3) support organiza-tion in the United States which does much of the fund-raising for the school’s operating, capital, and endowment needs.

Cloud Forest School Foundation Mission:

Cloud Forest School Foundation (CFSF) is a not-for-profit educa-tional organization providing support to the Cloud Forest School known locally as the Centro de Educación Creativa (CEC), a bilingual, environ mentally focused school in Monteverde, Costa Rica. CFSF strives to provide CFS with an international network of friends, financial support, professional develop-ment opportunities, and teacher and volunteer recruitment.

The CFS admiTS STudenTS oF any

raCe, Color and naTional and

eThniC origin.

SPring2015

Magic of theMountainDirector Laura Grenholm Bids Farewell

A couple of days ago, I asked one of our colegio students why he signed up for the new Quidditch mini-course. The

response I received was, “it was described to me as dodgeball meets basketball, meets hide and go seek — who wouldn’t sign up?”

Led by a volunteer and CFS alum, our newest mini-course offering is held on a muggle Quidditch field (ie: the CFS cancha and surroundings) with a group of 15 students, grades 8 through 11. Since I’m not totally clear on the rules myself, I didn’t exactly know what was going on when I heard, “Toman sus escobas!” and then a definitive, “Release the Snitch!” It was then that one of our 8th graders, complete with golden tee-shirt, shin guards and safety glasses, took off running into the forest, chased by two other students with broom-sticks between their legs. A well-orchestrated chaos ensued, with two teams running up and down the field, navigating one-handed ball-throwing (at each other and through mounted hoops) to the delighted cheers of spectators. This was only their third day of Quidditch practice.

Maybe it was the way the sun shone through the infinite shades of green on this perfect February day in the cloud forest, but it was one of those CFS moments that will remain etched in my memory. Those of you who have spent time here know exactly what I’m talking about; one of those moments where culture and language, spontaneity and pure joy all coincide to draw out a good, deep belly laugh and an appreciation for all things Creativa.

Like many who have had to say goodbye to the CFS, my message will be more of an “hasta pronto.” As my family and I prepare for our transition back to the US after five years of life on the mountain, I carry with me an immense gratitude for this school, its students and staff, and all the people who have loved it and cared for it over the years (including you!). To be surrounded by role models of all ages living out the CFS mission and vision so lovingly crafted by its founders — well, it is awe-inspiring to say the least.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you for being part of this journey. Let us remain on it together. In the meantime, I will join you in conjuring up the sights and sounds, scents and energies of this place from behind closed eyes (so as to draw upon them at will during the long winters ahead). Let us start with shades of green.

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Viviana Abarca(class of 2010)

Teaching assistant in Prepa at the Cloud Forest School

Jeffry Esteban Arguedas Morales

(class of 2008)

Entrepreneur currently opening a sports bar in

Monteverde.Melissa

Arguedas Murillo (class of 2007)

Studying biotechnology at Costa Rica Institute of

TechnologySilvia E.

Santamaría Badilla(class of 2011)

Director of Sustainability at Los Pinos in Monteverde.

Anthony Arguedas Murillo

(class of 2012)

Hoping to study international business

and marketing.

Luis Eladio Campos Solis(class of 2011)

Studying biology at University of Costa Rica and Receptionist and Concierge

at Los Pinos in Monteverde.

Andrés Chavarria Ugalde

(class of 2012)

Employed by Pizzeria Natsha

Esteban Abarca(class of 2011)

Studying Engineering Systems at University

of Costa Rica

Ileana Mena Mora(class of 2005)

Lives in La Fortuna with her son and husband

and works for a travel agency.

Second AnnualAlumni EventFebruary 7, 2015, marked our second annual alumni

gathering. Alumni met in the Faculty house that was built last year, and reminisced over old photos, went on a walk of the campus, which was followed by lunch and then a soccer game. We hope to continue hosting annual alumni events in the future, as we are proud to have a network of accomplished graduates in the area and throughout the country. We were happy to have the following alumni (or “egresados” in Spanish), present:

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two stages of tank installation and water collection run-off infrastructure. For exam-ple, rather than using potable water for our restrooms, we will capture rain water for that purpose.

Once in place, these water-saving components will become an integral part of our Sustainability curriculum. Our high school students who are collaborating on this project will also learn how to: draft a proposal, measure and calculate the materials necessary to build the water run-off system, and communicate their findings to the school community as well as to the wider Monteverde community.

The Bosqueterno, or Eternal Rainforest, is the original watershed reserve in

Monteverde. It is run by a volunteer Board of Directors based in Monteverde and offers small grants to those Monteverde entities demonstrating an interest in protecting our local water resources. The School received $526.33 to purchase equipment for stream water sampling and tree growth research; and our 1st-4th graders and 10th and 11th graders are now busily engaged in gathering and analyzing data, learning about the importance of conserving our water resources, and sharing their new-found knowledge with peers.

The School was also awarded a $1,498.85 grant by the Melinda Gray Ardia Environ-mental Foundation to empower and encourage students’ involvement in solving environmental problems related to refores-tation and water monitoring. Both primary and secondary students are learning about the regeneration of deforested areas in riparian zones and how that reforestation may affect the quality of adjacent water resources. One of the biggest environmental concerns in the Monteverde community is the unsustainable supply and demand of water resources.

Currently, the Cloud Forest School uses potable fresh water for all of our water con-sumption; and the national water company (AYA) has tanks on school property which contribute to the water supply for all of Cerro Plano. Recognizing the critical dependence of both CFS and the wider community on our water supply, we asked the Monteverde Institute’s Sustainable Futures Group to design a plan on how best to manage our water run-off. A $4,300 grant from the Monteverde Community Fund now enables us to complete (over 18 months) the first of

GrantsReportBy Sarah Burbank, Development Officer

2nd grade class participating in stream sampling.

Luis Antonio Santamaria Abarca and Roxana Santamaria Abarca surveying rain gutters

CFS Water Resource GrantsJuly 2014 BESA $526.33

September 2014 MGAEF $1,498.85

November 2014 MCF $4,300.00

TOTAL GRANT FUNDS $6,325.18

11th graders Ashley Naomi Blanco Jimenez and Andrea Suarez Castro taking field notes.

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Ihave had the enormous privilege of taking on the role of Music teacher at the Cloud

Forest School for the 2014-15 school year. This came after holding a position with the school as an intern from Swarthmore College for six months in early 2014, during which time I had the opportunity to work with and observe Dario Villalobos in the position. This gave me the time to begin developing my plans for how to build on what was already in motion within the school.

What I saw was a massive amount of groundwork laid in the lower grades to approach music in a meaningful way. Students had been exposed to written music, and had opportunities to read simple music using plastic flutes. When I took the position, there was an excitement for music

From Intern to Teacher:My Cloud Forest School StoryBy Dan Eisler

Photographs, pages 4-5:

An assortment of photos from the year Margot Page spent with her family at the Cloud Forest School

among the younger children that I was fortunate to have working in my favor.

That excitement was less apparent in the middle and high school students. Their music classes were geared towards music appreciation and analysis. Because of the lack of a consistent music program from the beginning, many students were not equipped with the technical musical resources necessary to appreciate the complexities of classical music, or discern much meaning from analysis of music theory.

For the younger students, I have tried to maintain their enthusiasm by emphasizing hands on activities and encourage music making in a variety of forms including singing, dancing and playing instruments of different kinds. During my time here that plan has gone through several variations, but the roots remain the same. I have time with each grade, once a week, where we explore a variety of musical modes. We sing

“Music is a world

within itself, with

a language we all

understand.”

— Stevie Wonder

Above: Dan playing guitar at Friday’s Sing with the elementary school students

Left: Dan outside his music classroom with one of his ukuleles donated by Swarthmore College

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songs in English and Spanish that are accompanied with full body movements, we practice reading rhythmic and musical notation using body percussion and hand bells, and in the spirit of free exploration, occasional time is granted to allow free play using ukuleles and pianos.

With middle and high school classes, the structure is more defined. I have developed a system of centers in which the students develop skills in reading sheet music, reading rhythmic notation, and learn to play the ukulele. I have one middle school class and one high school class at a time for a four week cycle. During that time, students are divided into 3 teams, which compete to earn points. Teams earn points by meeting posted goals in the respective centers. In the Ukulele center students have the choice of demonstrating a mastery of new chords, or playing one of the numerous songs provided. These range from “Mary Had a Little Lamb” to “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. In the Piano center, students must correctly label a piece of sheet music with the correct note names, then successfully play the song on either a piano or set of hand bells. Finally, in the rhythm center, students must read a succession of rhythm patterns and play it accurately in unison as a group using body percussion.

The response to this centers approach has been incredibly encouraging. Skills develop quickly and visibly, even in those students who are initially resistant or self-deprecating in their proficiency. Several students have even gone so far as to buy their own ukuleles so they can practice at home. Students are consistently engaged, and seem to genuinely enjoy all of the activities, which is, in my mind, the most important component in setting a student on a successful trajectory in any subject, but especially in music. It is a joy and a passion, and from what I have seen, one that each of my students is fostering into something beautiful.

Kelly (10th grade) and Yoshi (8th grade) practicing a song by Adele

Justin, Gabriel and Javier (8th grade) playing the ukulele

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In March, the members of the Cloud Forest School Foundation held their

annual meeting in Monteverde. As a couple of us were driving up the mountain, I realized that the road to Monteverde serves as the perfect metaphor for the history of the Cloud Forest School over the past twenty-five years. In our journey to the school, we are excited as we start up the mountain where the road is paved and smooth. We think that we know where we are heading. While there are many twists and turns in the road, we are able to continue towards our destination. After about thirty minutes, the smooth road becomes dirt with rocks and bumps and we must make detours and stop often for the construction crews. While we are still sure of our destination, the going is quite difficult requiring focused concentration. Finally, we arrive in Monteverde where the road is, once again, paved and smooth. Of particular note in our journey up the mountain are the many Ticos along the way who are happy to provide us with guidance and help should we need it.

The parallels of the road to Monteverde with the history of the Cloud Forest School were not lost on us. The school started with founding visionaries who were excited and determined to create a school where local children would have a bilingual, environ-mentally sensitive education. While their initial road might not have been completely smooth and paved, there was a lot of excitement and determination to get to their destination. Along the way, the road turned rocky forcing several detours and stops. It was during this part of their journey that the Cloud Forest School Foundation helped

The Road To MonteverdeBy Mark Lauria, CFSF President

to provide critical funding so that the founders and the parents could continue along their educational path. After consid-erable work achieved locally and abroad, the road at the Cloud Forest School has, once again, become smooth and paved.

The smooth road did not happen by accident. Rather, it was, and is, the result of the hard work of the founders, the local board, the Cloud Forest School community, and the administration and staff, along with the Foundation. Along the Cloud Forest School’s road, always wanting to help extend the vision of Meg, were people such as Yvonn and William, Elizabeth, Norman, Laura, Doug, and Diego, just to name a few. Committed to the school’s mission, each person along the road has contributed to

the Cloud Forest School in their own way. In our recent meetings with the local board, it was exciting to see the level of thoughtful-ness and sense of purpose that each member of the current local board brought to the meetings. They have worked hard with the Head of School and the staff to continue to honor the history of the school while

The Cloud Forest School Foundation

and local Board of Trustees pictured

above during the joint meeting in

Monteverde. From left to right: (First

Row) Margy Ayres, Leandro Castillo,

Laura Grenholm, (Second Row)

Scott Shannon, Jesús Camacho,

Doug Cameron, Norman Santamaría,

Luis Alonzo Cruz, Mary Bruce Alford,

Dagoberto Arce, Elizabeth Lowell,

Mark Lauria, (Third Row) Doug Caves,

Stephen Watters, Danilo Brenes,

Mark Hatch

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Become a Member of1% for the Planet!

The Cloud Forest School is an approved non-profit parti ci pant of the organization 1% for the Planet. 1% for the Planet was founded in 2002 with the mission to “build and support an alliance of businesses financially committed to creating a healthy planet.” The organization is a global network with over 1,100 members to date representing 37 countries.

By becoming a member of 1% for the Planet, not only are you making a commitment to the planet, but also with that membership you are effectively adding your voice to the movement, believing that all businesses should give back. Members establish relationships directly with the approved non-profits of their choice, providing the opportunity to donate throughout the year. Please consider a membership with 1% for the Planet and a chance to support the Cloud Forest School.

www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/

KEEP E ARTHIN BUSINESS

Support the Cloud Forest School Foundationdonation levels

$1,000 $500 $250 $100 $50 $25 other

Name

Address

Phone

E-mail

tax-deductible donations to the Cloud Forest school Foundation can be made online through the network For Good at www.cloudforestschool.org(Click on the “DonaTE now” button)

alternatively, checks made payable to “Cloud Forest school Foundation” can be mailed to:

Cloud Forest School FoundationP.o. Box 3223Sewanee, Tn 37375-3223

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continuously improving it. This is definitely not easy work and they understand the daunting nature of their responsibilities!

There continues to be much to do as the school goes through a leadership transition. Thanks to the hard work of the local board, as well as the school’s search committee, it appears that they have found a worthy successor to Laura. What was very clear throughout our stay in Monteverde was the earnestness and gratefulness of the local board for the work that the Foundation does on their behalf. What was also very

clear is that the school is in good hands during this time of transition. Like the road to Monteverde, our work at the Cloud Forest School is ongoing. For me, and the other members of the Foundation, this made our travel along the road to Monte-verde well worth it. Thank you to everyone who has helped the Cloud Forest School and our Foundation over the past twenty-five years!

Mark W. Lauria, Ph.D.Cloud Forest School Foundation

CCW may seem like just letters to you, but to our high school

students these letter are symbols for a safe space to grow, to feel supported, and to have fun! The CCW, Collaborative Community Wellness organization, was created by four high school students looking to spark change in their high school environment. These students were asked to identify a series of concerns in their school. Afterwards, they were asked to focus their efforts on one of these concerns in order to make the most impact. Andrea Suarez Castro, Ariel Poltronieri Jimenez, Maricel Santamaria Abarca, and Hillary Cruz Barrantes created a plan to organize a support group that seeks to improve the high school community by caring for the whole student. Each member feels valued and appreciated. These student leaders have taken time out of their weeks to plan, organize, and implement a supportive and interactive curriculum for their peers.

✔ Create a safe environment

where students feel comfortable being themselves.

✔ Create a sense of belonging between the students and the school community.

✔ Empower students to be an active part of the high school community.

“CCW is a unique group that focuses on trust, group work, personal things, but also with the main goal to share as a community and become as close as we can. My group is the red group and we have been working a lot on trust. I want all of the students in the high school to feel as comfortable as possible. Many students don’t feel this sense of trust with others. My experience as a leader has been very enjoyable and I have learned a lot.”

— Maricel Santamaria Abarca

Altogether there are four CCW groups in the high school that are made up of students, teachers, and administrators. This is a special time when teachers and administrators are able to interact with students on an equal level, human to human. The student leader is in charge of the curriculum and classroom management. The teacher is free to interact with the students, share with them, and play with them through the assigned activities. This interaction between teachers and students has helped improve relationships and bridge the divide between students and teachers.

(Four Students + One High School = Collaborative Community Wellness)

By: Alicia Rolf (School Counselor)

Roy (9th grade) and Mitzi (8th grade) smiling for the camera

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“I have seen the progress of many values being developed in my group. One of them is trust. I see more trust in the students that I have in my group because they share more things about themselves, which demonstrates the higher level of confidence and comfort within the group. They have more respect for each other. I notice that they listen to the others more and feel more engaged for deeper relation-ships when they share things and partici-pate in the activities. The best satisfaction of planning and making the activities is seeing how much they enjoy it, their laughs when playing the games, and the compliments. I am excited and anxious to see my peers progress on applying this leadership knowledge and values in their daily lives.”

— Hillary Cruz Barrantes

The CCW is looking forward to what the future holds for this organization and the high school community. As the community works toward our three main goals we are enjoying all of the tears, smiles, and laughs that are shared along this journey.

Students from across the “colegio” (high school) coming together to share their smile and participate in activities

Carlos Andres (8th grade) and Pam Holschuh (English teacher)

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Dear Students, Teachers, and Host Families,

Eight years ago Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA, formed a life changing partnership with the Cloud Forest School. Serving as classroom interns and living with local host families during the month of January has allowed our graduates to share their love of Costa Rica, and the students, teachers, and host families of the Cloud Forest School with hundreds of their own students throughout the United States. In looking back on her 2010 Creativa

A Love Letter from Washington & Jefferson College to The Cloud Forest SchoolBy: Dr. Jim Longo

A big thank you to 2015 Washington & Jefferson Students: Alexandra Torres, Daniel Kross, Autumn Trenbow, Ezequiel Stroupe, Gina Taglieri, Hannah Baldwin and Keyla Gre

experience a W&J graduate wrote, “The trip really helped me to realize what is really important not only in school, but life as well.” Another alum wrote, “The most significant thing I learned is that in an environment where there is freedom, love, trust, laughter, all accompanied by various learning strategies, children want to learn and love to be in school.”

An alumna of the 2014 experience wrote of the Creativa faculty, “It was an inspiration to see these teachers in action.” Another wrote, “The best experience from this whole trip was being able to spend time at the school. The structure of the school itself, along with the attitudes and beliefs of the teachers there fostered student centered and focused learning.” A third wrote, “I felt so inspired by the beauty of the school and I enjoyed being able to teach with such creativity and spontaneity.”

Once again this past year our W&J students were positively impacted by the Creativa learning community. One of them wrote, “My surroundings were different, the culture was different, but the companion-ship and love that I felt from my host family was the same companionship and love that I feel from those closest to me.” Another seemed to sum up eight wonderful years of our partnership with the school itself and the school’s host families, “A family is something to cherish. We were lucky enough to gain a second family. Even if our time together was short, the bonds we made will

never be broken. For a short time we had the care of two families when some will never know the love of one. That is an amaz-ing thing.” Thank you for touching the hearts and minds of our students for eight wonderful years.

2015 W&J College group zip-lining at Selvatura (above), with their homestay families (left), and at the hollow-tree near campus (below)

Dr. Longo with Autumn and Zeke in San Gerardo

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Healthy & Happy: Welcome Back to Eduardo Alfaro! By: Whitney Hall, External Relations Manager

Eduardo Alfaro began working at the Cloud Forest School 11 years ago as the school guard. After battling kidney failure for a

year and eight months, he has returned to school. It was while he was at school one day that Eduardo began to lose

feeling in his legs. Although he couldn’t have known it at the time, this was one of the first signs of his kidneys beginning to decline. For five months, Eduardo was unable to sleep lying down due to additional complications with his lungs. As an additional challenge, Eduardo’s mother had passed away right before he entered the hospital. Eduardo’s kidney illness was so advanced that he was home-bound, with constant visits to the hospital before being treated in intensive care. He spent 44 days in intensive care before receiving a kidney transplant from his twin brother.

Eduardo grew up in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui and came to Monteverde for the first time when he was 16 years old to visit family. He returned to Monteverde 12 years ago and has lived here ever since. Before joining the Cloud Forest School, Eduardo worked in construction and painted houses. Later, he worked for five years as a guide and trainer for the zip lining company SkyTrek, along with Monteverde’s Serpentario. He is one of 15 siblings.

He credits his recovery to his faith in God, and the support he received from his wife, family, friends and the CFS community. While in the hospital, he constantly re-read the cards he received from students from school, and he described the students as his motivation to get well. As Eduardo tells it, “I have so much to be thankful for. When I come to school, I feel proud; work is a blessing. One never knows what they have until they’ve almost lost it. My life

The Cloud Forest School Foundation now has a direct link to Amazon.com. Why? To provide us with much-needed funds. Tuition and donations do not a balanced budget make; and we need further resources.

By going to www.cloudforestschool.org, you will see the Amazon.com banner. Simply go to Amazon through our website. The Foundation will receive 4% of your total order, at no additional cost to you or to Amazon. It will all go to our students’ financial aid.

Shop at Amazon.com; Benefit the School

Here’s what it looks like

"My life has changed for the better because of my renewed perspective of people and appreciation of the world.”

has changed for the better because of my renewed perspective of people and appreciation of the world.”

Eduardo would like to thank the students, teachers, staff and members of the Monteverde community who supported him in his recovery, as well as the medical team that facilitated his treatment. While he feels that there are too many people to thank here, he is especially grateful for people who visited him while he was in the hospital, including Milton and Gabriel from the CFS, and Trini Hoffman and Jeff Cohen from Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania.

One of the biggest lessons he’s learned is “to treat people well and always be an example.” Eduardo feels the Cloud Forest School is his second home and his second family, and he’s happy and grateful to be back at school.

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Cloud Forest sChool FouNdAtIoNP.o. Box 3223sewANee, tN 37375

ChANge servICe requested

NoNProFItus PostAge

PAIdsewANee tNPermIt No 63

In an effort to save paper we would like to provide you with the option to receive a PDF copy of the Rainbow by e-mail. If you would like to be added to the distribution list, please e-mail or call Mary Bruce Alford at cfsfoundation@gmail.com, 601-715-6873.

12 www.cloudforestschool.org

Published by:The Cloud Forest School Foundation P.O. Box 3223Sewanee, TN 37375

Phone: 601-715-6873E-mail: cfsfoundation@gmail.com Web: www.cloudforestschool.org

Editors: Mary Bruce Alford, Elizabeth Lowell, and Mary Priestley

Designer: Dan Reiff

Printed on recycled paper. Please recycle.

Cloud Forest School Gets New Director

At the end of the 2014-2015 school year, Laura Grenholm will be stepping down as Director of CFS. Laura provided strong leadership at the CFS during a very uncertain time in the school’s history; we are all grateful for the work she accomplished during her tenure and wish her the best as she begins a new chapter in her hometown of Chicago, IL.

On the heels of Laura’s announcement, the local Board of Trustees conducted an international search to uncover the right candidate for the job. Over the winter, Amos Kornfeld was selected as the next Director of The Cloud Forest School. Amos accepted and will begin this summer. Amos will be moving to Monteverde from Norwhich, VT, where he currently serves as the Principal of Ottauquechee School. He has over 20 years of experience leading schools and organizations, some of which include Turnbridge Central School in Turnbridge, VT, and Piermont Village School in Piermont, NH. Amos received his Ed. D. in Leadership and Policy Studies from University of Vermont and holds an M.A. from Dartmouth College. We look forward to welcoming you into the CFS community, Amos!

Amos and his daughter in Yosemite National Park before starting to hike the John Muir Trail this past summer.