Pedro Ascencio Elementary Multi-grade School
The location of Pedro Ascencio school and community are only a few hundred meters beside the main front entrance of the "Sierra Chincua" Sanctuary.

This is a school, where Journey North has now visited several times over the year. We still feel it's necessary to keep on teaching children in these locations. Because it is so near to the core of the Sanctuary, we want the students and teachers to realize the importance of the preservation of monarch ecosystems. Recently there have been many improvements in the school. The government is making facility improvements in many schools in the region. Although many are still far from getting internet possibilities, Pedro Ascencio might be one of the first schools near this Sanctuary to get this chance.  Being a multi-grade school teacher is difficult, although teachers at such schools get continuous training from the state.  Children and their families in this Ejido do not directly have any rights on the Sanctuary. The rights are exclusively for Ejidatarios of “Los Remedios” and “Cerro Prieto” Ejidos. This was a political decision coming from a Presidential Decree many decades ago, somewhat complex to understand.

Children studying the life-cycles of monarch butterflies. Estela surprised the children with the story about the long and complex migration of the monarchs that overwinter just here in the mountains.

The children were so excited to write their response letters. They loved showing off their work for the children in Canada and the United States to see.

The students proudly show Estela their library at the school. After visiting more than 30 school in the region, this may have been the only school preserving its library space.

In addition to the library, the school is planning to have a computer salon. Here a couple of girls showed Estela their future computer classroom.  The state government here is improving on education notably. The progress in the state of Michoacán is much slower.

Butterflies Received
This school received Ambassador Butterflies from the following U.S. and Canadian Schools:

Waterloo Elementary, Atwater, OH
La Vernia Intermediate, La Vernia, TX
Fairless Elementary, Navarre, OH
Fairless Elementary, Navarre, OH
Fairless Elementary, Navarre, OH
James R. Watson Elementary, Auburn, IN
Mountain View Elementary, Purcellville, VA
Mayes School, Washoe Valley, NV
Flint Hill School, Oakton, VA
E. L. Bouie Theme School, Lithonia, GA
Hall Fletcher Elementary, Asheville, NC
Twin Rivers Primary School, McKeesport, PA
Century Elementary, Park Rapids, MN
Southern Elementary, Lexington, KY
Hawthorne School, Madison, WI
Wilson School, Rockville Centre, NY
La Vernia Intermediate, La Vernia, TX
La Vernia Intermediate, La Vernia, TX
James R. Watson Elementary, Auburn, IN
James R. Watson Elementary, Auburn, IN
Twin Rivers Primary School, McKeesport, PA