Picture by Juan José Marmolejo
Some of the most precious moments in life happen at school.
Since 2011, students from Gimnasio Vermont have been participating in an event that simulates the model of the United Nations. The idea of this model is to raise awareness and to inform the students about what is happening around the world and teach them how to manage a conflict using dialogue and argumentative skills.
Ever since third grade, I have been a part of this tradition in my school. Which is normally 2 days long depending on what grade you are. If you are in primary school it's only a day long, and if you are in middle or high school you have the full experience. Even though it is only a couple days long, the school assigns a few teachers to help the heads of the executive committee since they are students. Then they proceed to do some interviews to build their team, which is divided into different categories like logistics, press, academic, and in some models they include external This group of students is called the organization committee The purpose of this activity is that VMUN is an event made by students for students
To know the real impact that VMUN has on the students, I interviewed two different perspectives on the same topic. One of them is the head of the social studies department, Catalina Garzon; the other one is Valeria Velasquez, a student that has already finished her last ever VMUN just a few months ago. What Catalina said is what the school expected to happen to every student, and Valeria gives us a more realistic opinion Catalina explains that the impact that's supposed to happen is to reinforce their critical thinking, at the moment of debating and defending themselves and also when writing their work papers. On the other hand we got Valeria, who thinks that VMUN is important because it maintains us informed of what is going on in the world, but is not well liked by the students because the school needs to introduce it in a better way when we are younger and open to it
Personally, I think that VMUN really does help us be more critical and gives us abilities to defend ourselves upon a situation without getting aggressive or whatsoever It also helps shy students to get social skills, but for every student is one more piece of work they have to do. I think the school should give more time and spend more energy in this event so that the students don't feel overwhelmed
Throughout students’ scholar life, they have experienced once a year the school retreats, which are one-day field trips focused on strengthening abilities related with a specific topic among classmates as well as the entire grade This strengthening process is done with recreational activities related to the grade’s necessities, which is chosen by academic coordination based on the homeroom teachers’ suggestions As a student who has been to various activities of this kind, I can say that school retreats are useful as long as the topics and activities are honestly chosen based on our needs
Digging deeper on the topic’s decision-making process, it is a task led by elementary, middle and high school coordination with the orientation from CPA and Homeroom teachers, which together establish the socioaffective aspects that need to be improved through these activities Even though there are many students who don’t enjoy or see the benefit of the school retreats, coordination designs activities that are both individual for reflection processes and group work tasks in order to give each student an opportunity to appreciate a small part of the day Since Homeroom teachers are involved during the decision-making process, they are required during the development of the activities throughout the school retreat day, to look out for the students in case something wrong happens.
However, during these recreational spaces, they have noticed mostly improvement and happiness rather than students feeling uncomfortable and unwilling to participate. It is also remarkable to see the impact of these in the students, since many of them allow their “inner child” side to come to life when doing something outside the academic routine.
Speaking of the students’ attitude in the time of school retreats, most of us think of these spaces as a great opportunity to get to know people of the prom as well as reinforcing friendship relationships. In fact, many of us would like school retreats to be longer and with more activities related to teamwork and getting dirty, since, as I mentioned before, we let ourselves be free from the academic routine and are open to trying new things with the people we basically live with.
However, it is true that there have been cases in which students don’t feel comfortable with the topic chosen by coordination, because they don’t attend the needs of the prom even though it was thoroughly discussed. Thanks to this, students would like to suggest new topics regarding the conflicts seen nowadays in their generation; an example of it is the importance of mental health and emotional intelligence among teenagers, considering topics like this can improve furthermore students’ experiences during school retreats.
To summarize, school retreats are a great opportunity to relate with other people in a recreational environment, in which we can learn about each other without the constant pressure of academic responsibilities. However, these spaces are enhancing for students as long as the activities and topics are chosen to contribute to the strengthening of our individual and group abilities.
By María José Arias
The Halloween celebration at the Gimnasio Vermont school is a highly valued experience among students and teachers, thanks to the tireless effort and dedication of the English department, who work vigorously to create an unforgettable experience for all students. However, it is important to note that the success of Halloween is also a result of the active participation and collaboration of all teachers and students, who contribute their own unique ideas and talents to make the event truly special.
GV Halloween celebration is renowned for its remarkable and engaging experience, thanks to the unflagging effort and dedication of the English department. They meticulously plan the activity for students of all ages, taking into account their preferences and the limitations of the school's facilities. Additionally, the department consistently seeks feedback from students to continuously improve the event. The leadership of Nancy Parrado, head boss of the English department, and the organizational skills of Laura Malagón greatly contribute to the success of the celebration. However, it is important to note that the celebration's triumph is also attributed to the participation and creativity of the students with their costumes, as well as the efforts of other departments to create a festive atmosphere that deviates from the academic setting.
Gimnasio Vermont, as a bilingual school, aims to immerse students in American culture. The English department carefully plans this event, keeping in mind the bilingual approach of the school and providing students with the opportunity to practice their English language skills in a fun and engaging way. GV principal, Raquel Lucia Rojas, also plays a crucial role in overseeing the activities and ensuring that the school facilities provide a safe and suitable environment for the celebration, including activities such as trick-or-treating, costumes, and dancing.
The scheduling of Halloween 2022 on a Monday during exam week was met with some criticism from students, particularly tenth graders who had to forego leisure time to fulfill academic obligations and participate in parades. However, the outstanding performances by both teachers and students made the event worth it.
The exceptional efforts of the English teachers were evident once again in the successful execution of the Halloween event The decision to hold the event on a Monday, while seemingly unusual, proved to be a wise choice as it allowed students who were on a field trip to Villa de Leyva and teachers who had other commitments on Friday, to participate. The event was carefully planned to provide students with a break from their academic routine and offer a unique and enjoyable experience for all.
Celebrating Halloween at school provides an exceptional chance for learners to craft enduring memories during their educational journey. Retrospectively, they reminisce and relate tales such as "do you recall that Halloween occasion ? " These reminiscences will endure even into maturity, as events like this are a vital aspect of self-evolution and maturation. Consequently, one will always have a narrative about their tenure at Vermont. This is due to the diligent efforts of the English department and other educators, who guarantee that students consistently have exhilarating life stories.
By Juan José Marmolejo R
2024 promotion started studying at Gimnasio Vermont in 2010, and a lot of things have changed here since the first time we arrived, including the field trips Many of the trips mentioned before didn’t exist at the time we were at those grades, so we were not able to experience them, but we had the opportunity to go to Villa de Leyva, Santander and Canada.
Throughout the lives of students at Gimnasio Vermont there are several educational fieldtrips that take place in Bogotá, other regions from Colombia and even outside the country. Every single one of them has a different purpose which changes according to the student’s grade and capabilities, so even if you do multiple trips to the same place, there will be a different focus depending on the subjects that you study at each grade and your age.
The trips originated with a project by the department of investigation and professional development, led by our current vice chancellor, Esteban Perez Rojas The project was called “educational outings as the axis of curricular articulation” and it started with 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th grade as pioneers
Before there were trips, the department implemented activities that simply tried to enhance the students' ability to connect different subjects to a single case with concepts and abilities The first step in the change of these activities was thanks to 10th grade teachers who helped expand it with Theory of Knowledge questions and with the idea of making these questions into trips.
Nowadays the main trips are to a farm in 1st grade, to Guatavita in 2nd grade, to the Botanic Garden in 3rd grade, to Villa de Leyva in 4th grade, to Tolima and Canada in 5th grade, CAS moving activities in 6th grade, to Santander and China in 7th grade, to a market place in 8th grade, and the hope to do international trips with 9th, 10th and 11th grade
Each of these trips has had a different focus. At Villa de Leyva, we were mainly focusing on history and social studies because the topics on that grade were related to the history of Colombia On our trip to Santander the main topic was conscience, and we were being introduced to more geography related topics We had the option to be pioneers of the school’s trip to Canada, in which the central topic was STEM, and we passed the most part of the trip at the University of Waterloo, where we learned math and programming through different activities.
Even though these trips have a focus on studies, and they have most certainly been a great resource in terms of learning new things and applying them to your own life, they have also made a huge contribution to the connection between students because these type of activities are able to create situations in which everyone has to interact with new people and be exposed to unique experiences that may create bonds with others.
We consider that that this type of educational fieldtrips is one of the best ideas Gimnasio Vermont has implemented and that they are great in every aspect they have, since they can give a different scenario to study and also allow the students to comprehend the world around them through subjects at school while having fun and creating valuable moments with they’re friends.
AFTER 3 YEARS OF WAITING, AFTER 3 YEARS OF WAITING, AFTER 3 YEARS OF WAITING, IT'S BACK! IT'S BACK! IT'S BACK!
ON APRIL 27th & 28th, ON APRIL 27th & 28th, ON APRIL 27th & 28th, LET'S CELEBRATE OUR FIRST LET'S CELEBRATE OUR FIRST LET'S CELEBRATE OUR FIRST ARTS FESTIVAL AFTER THE PANDEMIC ARTS FESTIVAL AFTER THE PANDEMIC ARTS FESTIVAL AFTER THE PANDEMIC
