The American School of Puerto Vallarta has been transforming itself into a community of compassionate and responsible systemic thinkers for 5 years now. Following the guidance of the Brújula de sostenibilidad, our students are learning how to think holistically about school subjects as well as everyday decision-making. Kindergartens and Seniors alike are using systems thinking tools in the classroom, on the playground and at home with their families. We have a lot of work yet to do, but we set a goal for ourselves to build continuity from the youngest of students in kindergarten up through the primary, elementary, middle and high school.
Our staff is currently being trained through a series of workshops on how to incorporate the habits of a systems thinker into our everyday lives, as well as how to fold the systems thinking tools into our classrooms and utilize them to best prepare our students to be holistic thinkers for a brighter future.
The Compass Mural project was an initiative originally proposed by the Sustainability Committee as part of a much larger cafeteria project. The Cafe project was composed of the art classes designing and painting large sustainability messages all throughout the cafeteria, on columns and the ceiling. We wanted to add the Brújula de sostenibilidad somewhere but felt it needed to really stand out as it does guide us in our everyday practice. Our parents are always wanting to get involved in our community projects, so we gathered a group of moms and had them trained in how to create mosaic murals. They came back to the school and worked around the clock for two weeks creating a beautiful final product. The mural is one of the first things everyone sees as they walk onto our campus. It is a shining reminder to keep all aspects of the bigger picture in mind.
Caitlin Barnum
Cait Barnum, originaria de la costa de cristal de Carolina del Norte, ahora llama hogar al hermoso Puerto Vallarta, México. Se mudó a México hace 7 años con el Cuerpo de Paz, y encontró su camino hacia la enseñanza de Ciencias en Escuelas Medias y Secundarias, además de ser nuestra Coordinadora de Sustentabilidad y Sistemas por un tiempo, pero ahora dirige el Departamento STEM+. Incorporar herramientas y hábitos de pensamiento sistémico a toda la comunidad escolar es una pasión y una meta para ella.
