Last December the authors of the books To the Stars: Costa Rica in NASA and The Intrepids in Science and Technology gave workshops to Cabécar students with their books at the Uluk Kicha high school. Elementary and high school students from surrounding communities participated in the workshops. The Cabécar are an indigenous group of the remote Talamanca region of eastern Costa Rica. The Uluk Kicha high school was built in 2018 by the Cabécar community with the support of NGO Raleigh International. The high school still lacks regular electrical service and internet. A successful campaign to collect donations was undertaken before the visit to deliver needed educational materials to the school. You can see the video about the campaign and the location of the high school below.
The visit was conceived and organized by the extraordinarily talented and inspiring English teacher Pedro Morales, who the authors had the privilege of meeting two years before at a National English Teachers conference that took place at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology.
Funds are currently being raised to purchase a new solar panel for the high school. Please get in touch if you would like to make a contribution.
The title of the song at the beginning of the video is Moonlight. It was composed and sung by grade 4 four Cabécar student Sheila Denisse Barquero Sanabria. Her lyrics are below in Cabécar and English.
“Moonlight” by Sheila Denisse Barquero Sanabria
On the top of the mountain there is a light arising.
It will create shadows on everything and shines on whatever is in the way.
That is the moon.
The moonlight that gives me light while I sleep or wake up.
Its light brightens my path.
The moonlight, light that shines on the top of the mountain.
katsä kashaasiska ijuërdaksa, ka oloitaki jete swäñinewemar. Jile oloi rä imeirä yörma tülü oloiñirmarte iwañir tülü oloi wañinó iwañir wañinó ka wätkërta,wañir tülü oloi, tülü oloi, bä oloite yis ñalei wañinewemi, bä oloite yis käpäirä yis shkirmi da suemi, iwäñir tülü oloi wäñinó, wäñir iwäñinó ka watkërta wäñir katsä kabatakiká, wáñir tülü oloi tülü oloi.
Many thanks to the following people and institutions for their kind donations:
Editorial Tecnológica de Costa Rica, Familia Lozano Vargas, Maria Amalia, Zamora,Gail Nystrom,Daniel Rodriguez,UNED,Banco Nacional,Karla Sanabriam,Maureen Alina Chavarria Monge,Andrea Jimenez,Jennifer Claudio,Julio Cesar Calvo,Melinda Benson,Juan Evelio Monge Naranjo,
English Christian Fellowship, Pablo Luna, Magda Sanchez,Neil Seigel,Eduardo Monge Gutierrez, R.M.A
Bruce Callow: Canadian space educator and co-author of the books To the Stars: Costa Rica in NASA, To the Stars: Guatemala in Space and The Intrepids.
