Report 2 (2010 HSR Comics Delegation to San Ramón)

Here are some more images from Friday´s workshops:

Students drawing and sharing their personal introductions:
These students really enjoyed mixing fiction with autobiography to tell stories about their community:
Our partner teacher Donald passes out booklets of "Historietas San Ramóneñas" at the end of the workshop:
Students eagerly read through this 24-page booklet of comics by their neighbors and peers...

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And now, some notes on our progress thus far in completing the objectives of this year´s Comics Delegation:

1. Deliver letter of introduction from Henniker Community School to teacher(s) in potential partner schools (initiating student-to-student comics exchange program) -- We´ve visited our top candidate school but both the director and the 4th grade teacher were not at school on that day. We met the students and described the project to them; the next step is to sit down and talk with the director, and pending permission, deliver the intro letter to the teacher. That should happen by Tuesday, when we visit the school to do an afterschool program.
   Also, as we develop a more two-sided collaboration with a partner art teacher, we´re planning to rely on his art classes as a focus program for our planned student-to-student exchange.


2. Return to Henniker with response letter from partner teacher -- Pending meeting with partner school.


3. Identify convenient channel of communication between San Ramón and Henniker (for transmission of student artwork) -- One partner teacher has offered a local art school office as a transmission point. (They have a scanner, digital camera, and email connection.)
   
4. Identify potential student translator groups at the high school level -- English instruction seems to be somewhat tenuous at the public high school level, and we anticipate relying on student translators in NH for the bulk of the translation work. This week we plan to speak with the Ministerio de Educacion and explore what might be possible.
   
5. Initiate planning for 2011 NH student delegation to SR -- Our potential partners in this enterprise will return to SR this week from another brigade, and at that time we will arrange a meeting.
   
6. Communicate support plan for Women´s Legal Defense Fund -- still pending arrangement of meeting.

Report 1 from San Ramòn

The 2010 Comics Delegation to San Ramòn is under way! We have scheduled a full slate of Comics Workshops over the next two weeks as we initiate exchange programs between classrooms here in Nicaragua and back home in New Hampshire.

Planning our workshops with our co-teacher Donald...


Our first workshop in comunidad La Reina...


Starting our personal introductions...

Taking suggestions from the group....

Henniker Despedida: 2010 Comics Delegation

HSR held a despedida (going away) party for the 2010 San Ramón Comics Delegation, which will spend the next two weeks in San Ramón, drawing comics with students and organizing exchange programs.


We folded, stapled, and cut lots of mini comics to share with students... Stay tuned for news!

HSR Comics Delegation Video

HSR Comics Exchange Delegation

We're posting notes and photos from our HSR Comics Exchange Delegation to Nicaragua here:

http://www.marekbennett.com/comicsworkshop/category/comics-workshop/henniker-san-ramon/

HSR Hosts "Planting Hope" Teen Delegation from Matagalpa, Nicaragua

Henniker-San Ramon hosted thirteen new friends from San Ramon and other towns surrounding Matagalpa, Nicaragua this weekend.

Here are some photos from our Saturday night Dance Party at Daniel's Restaurant:
In a traditional Nicaraguan "Despedida" party, the entire town turns out to bid farewell to an honored guest. The town of Henniker gave a rockin' "Despedida" for our new friends from Planting Hope!

Thanks to our wonderful DJs, Chris and Ray from Hillsboro!

For more photos, notes, and materials, visit Marek Bennett's Comics Workshop website.

Comics Exchange Exhibit & Reception: Friday, January 30

Come celebrate the the arts in our sister communities!

Comics Exchange Exhibit

&

"Planting Hope" Delegation Reception

Friday, January 30th, 7-9 pm
at the Henniker Community School (Western Ave, Henniker, NH)

• Read (and collect) the comics we've created about Henniker!
• Learn about our ongoing Henniker-San Ramόn Comics Exchange (Winter-Spring 2009)
  

• Meet the "Planting Hope" Teen Delegation from Matagalpa, Nicaragua
• Learn about Henniker's sister community of San Ramόn, Nicaragua

Please join us in this town-wide celebration! If you would like to help prepare and clean up for this event, please email HSR. We are looking for community assistance in preparation, refreshments, and clean-up.

Letter of Thanks from Los Pipitos

In Spring 2008, HSR has directed monetary support (from our local coffee sales) to Los Pipitos childcare center, funding physical therapy for handicapped students in rural areas of San Ramon.
Below is a letter of thanks from Lilliam Selva, the coordinator of Los Pipitos. The green text is Ms. Selva's text, and the italics are our English translation:

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LOS PIPITOS

San Ramon 21 de junio de 2008.

Sister Communities of San Ramon Nicaragua (SCSRN)

En nombre de la asociación de padres con hijos discapacitados queremos dirijirnos a ustedes para hacerles llegar nuestros mas profundos agradecimientos por el aporte que ustedes nos brindan cada año a traves del hermanamiento. Tuvimos noticias por medio del Lic. Oscar González representante del hermanamiento, que Henniker nos ha donado $ 1000.00 para pago de fisioterapia. Estamos muy contentos y los padres de familia ya estan enterados.

In the name of the Association of Parents with Handicapped Children, we want to direct ourselves to you to make you receive our most profound gratitude for the support that you give us each year of our (communities’) sisterhood. We had news via Oscar Gonzalez (representative of the sister community) that Henniker has given us $1,000 to pay for physical therapy. We are very happy and the parents of families are now entered (in the therapy).

Gracias a Henniker por acordarse de nosotros, de este sector tan vulnerable que no tiene ayuda del gobierno nacional ni del gobierno municipal. Si no fuera por su apoyo este centro no contara con la ayuda de profesionales que hasta hoy laboran, somos reconocidos en esta ciudad y a nivel del departamento de Matagalpa por la integración de los niños en las escuelas.

Thanks to Henniker for aligning yourselves with us, in this vulnerable sector that does not have aid from the national government nor from the municipal government. If it weren’t for your support this center would not (be able to) count on the aid of professionals who have worked here until now; we are recognized in this city and at the level of the department (state) of Matagalpa for the integration of the children in the schools.

Gracias Henniker y a Comunidades Hermanas de San Ramón Nicaragua por este apoyo que viene a beneficiar a este sector tan olvidado por la sociedad.

Thanks Henniker, and to the Sister Communities of San Ramon, Nicaragua, for the support that comes to benefit this sector that is (otherwise) forgotten by society.

Aprovecho la oportunidad de saludarles y nuevamente desearles muchos exitos.

I take advantage of the opportunity to salute you all, and once again wish you much success.

Hasta Pronto.
Until soon.

“Una sonrisa vale más que mil palabras”
“A smile is worth more than a thousand words.”

Lilliam Selva
Coordinadora Pipitos
Coordinator of Pipitos
San Ramón.

BELOW: Members of HSR tour Los Pipitos in 2007.

School Visits Continue

Here are more photos from one of a series of school visits by Jason and Lucila:

Lucila and the classroom teacher are applying the literacy techniques taught in last month's Teacher Training workshop.

Literacy Training: Follow Up Visits

Here is a note from Lucila, the lead teacher in the Professional Development Literacy Workshops for teachers in the San Ramon school system:

Hello dear friends from Henniker,

I wanted to let you know that I am very content with the way we are going about this training and I consider this to be the way to work with teachers who don't seem accustomed to having follow up or supervision.

During these last few weeks I have been visiting schools and observing [many different] classes.... Many teachers sought more support from me, asking me about doubts that they had and also asking for my intervention so as to show them how to work a certain area. I feel that this work in the classrooms is very enriching for the teachers because when it comes time to do activities sometimes questions arise and can be resolved with a little help. At the same time many teachers continue giving their classes the same as they have for years (despite having enjoyed the workshop, indicating on their evaluation forms that they believed they could use what they had learned). Doing school visits is a way of ensuring that they begin to put into practice these new ways of teaching.

I have also seen some brilliant classes in which teachers gave a lot of importance to the meaning of texts, using and expanding the activities introduced in the workshop, thus facilitating greater reading comprehension. This, on a personal level, makes me very happy.

Thanks for giving me, and us, your trust and the possibility of doing this work with the teachers of San Ramon. I hope that we continue together on this path of encounters, hope, and solidarity, and that with our shared efforts we help to make things more just. Ok, now I say goodbye hoping to meet you this summer and share more about these interesting experiences lived in San Ramon. Thanks again!

Until soon,
Lucila

Lucila and Jason have been conducting follow up visits to classrooms and schools in the San Ramon's countryside.

Literacy Training for San Ramon Teachers

Here are Jason Paul's photos and notes from last week's Teachers' Professional Development conference in San Ramon, made possible by a grant from HSRSCP. This report demonstrates the importance, excitement, and challenges of presenting such programs:


After having steady [electrical] power almost all week long we awoke this morning to Murphy's Law ["If something CAN go wrong, it WILL."]. After having gotten up at 5:00 to put 5 gallons of water on to boil for coffee for the [program participants], when I got up for a second time at 6:00 and hit the light switch nothing happened. So we hemmed and hawed for a brief spell and then decided to proceed forward. Mercedes lent us her back-up battery and we set out making trips to the school, projector, computer, battery, pastries, and coffee....

Lucila got through most of the first part of her powerpoint presentation and the battery died. She went on for a few more minutes and we stopped for the coffee break. When we returned, the power was back.

• 62 teachers were in attendance, there was good participation, and it seemed that everyone gained a decent to excellent command of the material.
• There was a lot of positive feedback on the evaluation forms. Teachers thought the information would be helpful to them in their work and many expressed a desire for the rest of the teachers in San Ramon to get the same workshop.
• There was also interest in receiving more workshops of this nature in the future.

So ... it is safe to say that stage one has been a success. In the next week [program presenter] Lucila will do follow-up visits to classrooms, and I will join her upon returning from Peru. When we got home at 12:30 and I set the battery to charge it went for about 2 minutes and the power was gone again. So we made it in the nick of time....yay!

-- Jason Paul

BELOW: Program presenter Lucila (right) and participating teachers. BELOW: A sample program feedback form from an enthusiastic participant.