The Little School That Could

The picture above was taken today after a visit to a local school.  He holds a picture of himself that was taken on our first trip here in February.  As he saw the picture and recognized himself, he giggled with a happy nervousness that made everyone who saw it smile.  But when he learned that the picture was a gift and he should go home to show his mom and dad, he glowed with an exuberant pride and skipped away to show off his prize.

Amun Shea (land of seads) is a small school in Perquin, built and run by a  international aid worker from the U.S., and staffed by a handful of dedicated teachers.  It is a ray of hope in a region of the world that needs just that.

We visited the school today to say hello, see how the school has progressed and maybe help teach a class or two (more about that later this week).  The school teaches 52 students from pre-K to third grade.  Unlike the public schools in El Salvador, Amun Shea teaches a full-day curriculum.  The school was created by our  new friend Ron Brennenman.  He was in the country to help build shelters for those displaced by the war and he never left.  Now with a family and strong roots in this community he built a school to fill the need a solid education for his children and those of the surrounding villages.  

The first semester started just this winter and has already received recognition for academic achievement. After only one semester it is amazing how well the school runs, how successful the program is and how happy and eager all the children are.  The school itself is a humble but well built structure at the end of a dirt road.  It has all the facilities that a school requires but not much  more.  As with many of the schools that we have seen and heard about, they need more materials, more rooms and more teachers.  

As we have mentioned, the school only reaches the 3rd grade.  As their current students get older, they will need help building more buildings to expand.   

Stay tuned for more details of the school, but for now check out this video of Amun Shea.  http://www.youtube.com/watch\?v=ahYRUDt0y68