As an attempt to create social awareness, TCS 5th graders hosted students from sister school Maria Jesus Mejia Friday, March 9.

The students spent the day with their fellow 4th and 5th graders, sharing snacks and playing games. The students bonded and made friends.

“The children are going to share with a public school, here in Itagui, called Maria Jesus Mejia; the idea is to spend time with the students coming from Maria Jesus Mejia,” said Vanessa Martinez, upper elementary secretary, prior to the event.

All staff members involved though this was a great opportunity for the students to see beyond their social bubble.

“Not only can the other students get to know the school, but a connection will be created between the students from both schools, as they play games and spend time together,” said Martinez.

This was an opportunity for the fifth graders  to have a different experience learning more about society and the world that surrounds them.

Kimberly Strassburger, 5A teacher, said, “It was a really important experience for the children, I feel like they can only acquire social awareness through activities like these. The children really formed meaningful bonds with these less fortunate children, even though they were together just for a few hours.”

The fifth graders spent most of the day with the Maria Jesus Mejia children, in which they did multiple activities. These included playing around in the playground and sports, most notably football. The activities were only interrupted by snack and lunch time, spaces in which the children talked and got to know each other better over snacks.

“Not only could the kids get to know other people, but this pedagogical event of sorts also promotes important values; character counts values, among with other ones, such as generosity and empathy,” said Strassburger.

This experience was one that highlighted the pillars of character counts. These important values were the structure of the event. The most important values that the students saw were respect for their peers, and citizenship, as they learned to be a part of the community that is Medellin.

“It is only through events like these that students can learn important values. You cannot tell them the meaning an expect them to understand, no; they have to come to these conclusion themselves, even if they might need some guidance at first,” said Strassburger.

The day was a success for the school. Students from both schools learned, and most importantly, had fun and made new friends. It goes without saying that these kinds of activities will keep happenning.