Miguel Hidalgo Elementary School, Grades 4 - 6
Miguel Hidalgo is located in San Jerónimo Pilitas Community. It is in the first belt back surrounding territory and forests to Sanctuary Sierra Chincua.

It would be so great if our schools took advantage of the richness in flora and fauna here in their still very dense forest areas. Unfortunately there isn't much if any outdoor education in the whole region.

In spite of these forest areas being partially conserved up to now, they have been considerably deforested over the last years. The continuance of such practices, might result seriously threatening for the Monarchs’ habitat conservation in the short-medium term future.

Looking at the maps, the children seem delighted to refresh their minds about Monarchs’ life cycle and the particularities at every stage development. It seems they could not remember that each Monarch lays around 400-600 eggs, and get so disappointed to hear that a minority of the eggs really manage to become Monarchs, while a great number perish on the process…

The fact of them discovering why they are called Monarchs, how the metamorphosis stage takes place, hearing about the cremaster (the hook on the chrysalis that anchors it)… all results are fascinating for them to hear, and they hardly move themselves at their seats while looking at the maps.

Many of them ask whether children in US and Canada know about all this facts, and they get astonished to know that this is subject of classroom study for the children who are sending their Ambassador Monarchs to them at many, many schools in US and Canada. They simply respond:

“Wooowww! how could we learn more about it as they do in our classrooms-- will you come back, teacher Estela?"

The moment I arrived at the school they shouted to each other:

"You see, I told you that it was the white beetle (VW Rocinante) coming to bring us our gifts and paper Monarchs as every year!”…

It was rare to see that in this school every child brought a nutritious lunch from home:  A delicious scrambled-eggs or smashed-beans torta, and a bottle of natural water to have at break time.
There are no games on the playground encouraging children to play, but on the other side, children seem to prefer sitting calmly at the sun to enjoy their lunch while talking to their own classmates, enjoying the beautiful countryside around.

Estela Romero
Angangueo, Michoacán, México.

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

Saint Annes School, Garden City, NY
FernLeaf Community Charter School, Fletcher, NC
Wilmington Friends School, Wilmington, DE
Wilmington Friends School, Wilmington, DE
Cherry Valley Springfield Central School, Cherry Valley, NY
Kumeyaay Elementary, San Diego, CA
Abbotts Creak Elementary, Raleigh, NC
Abbotts Creak Elementary, Raleigh, NC
Forest Lake School, Wantagh, NY
William Hart Elementary, Gretna, LA
Saint Annes School, Garden City, NY
Columbus Academy, Gahanna, OH
Truedell Public, Kingston, ON
Columbus Academy, Gahanna, OH
Columbus Academy, Gahanna, OH