Mission Statement
Our mission is to educate the culturally diverse youth of Guanacaste through bilingual experiential learning and enrichment that integrates the local community and environment, while preparing students to become thoughtful, contributing citizens in the global community.
Objectives
- To form an educational cooperative that integrates the members of a community in creating a collective, bilingual learning environment.
- To implement meaningful service learning that empowers students to become stewards of their communities.
- To develop skills and nurture values that cultivate the well-being of self, family, community, and world.
- To emphasize place-based, experiential learning and discovery.
- To uphold high academic standards through authentic assessment and grade level benchmarks.
- To educate the whole child by incorporating the outdoors, the arts, and physical education.
History/Rationale
The past 10 years have seen enormous development in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, many times at the expense of the local culture and ecology. Community members have expressed concern about the disconnection between Costa Ricans and foreign residents, and its impact on the social, political, and ecological structure of the region. It is with these concerns that La Paz Community School was created. Focusing on high academic expectations while emphasizing the importance of dual language education, La Paz Community School integrates the children of local families from Costa Rica and abroad into the school community at a young age.
With a dedicated group of teachers, students, parents, and community members, La Paz Community School acts as a model for the multinational Guanacaste region. Our cooperative school works with the surrounding communities to proactively create strategies that encourage sustainable development and conservation. Together, the knowledge of the past, vision of the future, and awareness of the present, foster a responsible community of life-long learners.
The Future
The ideology put forth by the La Paz Community School staff and board has resonated with members of the local community. As a result, La Paz is growing rapidly in its third year of existence with 110 students in grades k-9. Each new school year, a grade will be added to the classroom instruction with the ultimate goal of offering a complete secondary school program by 2012. The facilities so generously offered by Jungle Gym owner Don Reutz will reach their maximum capacity by 2009-2010 at which point the school will be forced to expand. Plans have been drawn out for expansion on the gym property, however, the board is also actively searching for buildable land donations in the central coastal Guanacaste Region.
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