Pancho Maya Elementary, Grades 1-6
Pancho Maya Community and Ejido, is located in the dense-beautiful Oyamel forests sheltering Monarchs core of the Colony at Sierra Chincua Sanctuary, State of México. It lies just at the border line to the State of Michoacán.
This community is within the unique forested areas around Sanctuary Sierra Chincua, where perhaps one of the most dense concentration of Oyamel trees can be seen. Little Cedar trees and much fewer Pine trees around. Impressive and magnificent. The sensation of being into these forests makes one feel blessed and very small at the Majestic Green Oyamel forest around. A spiritual experience.
At the school we see a beautiful old classroom right next to the recently constructed modern one.
Estela expresses her wish that the old wooden-built classrooms should be preserved as part of the typical, genuine construction style in our small communities, which comment is very well welcome by teachers and parents!
Just as I arrive the students see the three flags, --Canada, US, and México, and they shout of joy to each other announcing their paper Monarchs have arrived to them!
Children thrilled to see how Monarchs are born in US and Canada and what the current generation has to do in order to come to overwinter in our forests to preserve their species.
“Monarchs, together with our many other animals inhabit in our forests since many years ago, our grandparents and great-grandparents say, teacher Estelita, and they say there were many more than we can see now of every animal, including Monarchs.”
Two o’clock in the afternoon. Time to go back home to have dinner with Mom, Dad and Grandpas, sisters and brothers.
Background of the Area
Most of the young generations who live here, will either leave to work away in the nearest citie.s A few will leave after completing their high-school studies, but many others will do it earlier or much earlier, barely completing their middle school studies.
Many families in these communities,have parents, sons and brothers (mostly men, but in some cases a few women relatives) working in USA or Canada, getting finantial support to help the family survive. Little by little, the latest generations become aware and very enthusiastic about coming back to their homelands to start farming activities and attending government training workshops. They are learning how much they can do from their own local resources, such as processing their own fruits into marmelades, making local plants into ointments, collecting and selling their mushrooms during the raining season, creating crafts, or getting started with cattle and sheep raising. These supporting programs are activated through local governments at least once a year without exception. So, sustainable alternatives to make a living on their own land have become over the last years more and more possible.
Donations: “Abremente” game and “Frida Kahalo” biography donations.
Butterflies Received
This school received Ambassador Butterflies from the following U.S. and Canadian Schools:
Reading Elementary, Centerville, UT
South Elementary, Plymouth, MA
Barnstead Elementary, Center Barnstead, NH
Barnstead Elementary, Center Barnstead, NH
Barnstead Elementary, Center Barnstead, NH
Horne Street School, Dover, NH
Horne Street School, Dover, NH
Thorntons Ferry Elementary, Merrimack, NH
Dean S Luce School, Canton, ME
East Somerville Community School, Somerville, MA
Discovery Charter School, Porter, IN
Discovery Charter School, Porter, IN
Irving Elementary, Oak Park, IL
William McKinley Elementary, East Chicago, IN
South Woods Elementary, Elkton, FL
Highland Forest Elementary, San Antonio, TX
Harmony Elementary, San Antonio, TX
Ringwood School, Ringwood, IL
Ringwood School, Ringwood, IL
Millboro Elementary, Millboro, VA
Mary Star of the Sea School, Honolulu, HI
Hawken School, Lyndhurst, OH
Wright Elementary, Shelbyville, KY
Mount Pleasant School, Hudson, QUE
Mount Pleasant School, Hudson, QUE
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