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ENGLISH 
ESPAÑOL
In the past few years, the value
placed on an education here in Tortuguero has been increasing, and
as a result the student population in all institutions of learning
is really booming. We are proud of our education, and we are
working hard to sustain it and to obtain the resources we need to
better ourselves.
Many tourists see the needs we
still have and want to help; they just don’t know where to start.
The following briefly describes our current situation and some ideas
of how you could help. Cash, checks, or in-kind donations can be
made directly with the institution you wish to assist. For more
information, feel free to visit any of these organizations you wish
(see map below). You can also speak with any of the contact
people listed below for the individual institutions
Thank you for your interest!
Preschool (CEN-CINAI)
(Colorful building located behind the health clinic and in front of Hardware Store El Gavilan)
- 2 teachers, hours 6:50 am to 3:00 pm and from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Each teacher works with a group of between 13 and 16 children between the ages of 2 up to 7 years.
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Program also provides nutritious
meals and milk for children from low-income families, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Current Needs: Teaching materials such as games, toys, paper, glue, puppets, old clothing (for playing dress-up), science activities (for young children), story books, audio-visual materials, a tape recorder, television, DVD, chairs, tables, small cushions, classroom furniture, etc. Also needed: construction materials for repairs on the existing classroom as well as for a new classroom (e.g. cement, tin roofing, concrete blocks, paint)
Contact person: Rosibel Alfaro Gomez (506-2709-8130 or roelalfgomez@hotmail.com
  
 
Click on a photo to see it larger
Elementary School
(located just east of the dock with the big birds behind the pink
souvenir shop)
- 9 teachers
with one serving as director for more than 240 children in 8 classes from
kindergarten to sixth grade.
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Due to lack of teachers,
classroom space and desks, younger children attend school during
the morning and older children during the afternoon, and vice
versa depending on the week. Teachers each teach 2 classes.
Current Needs: A level of didactic materials we can mention among other things: notebooks colored pencils, Pencils, Posterboard, Glue, Construction paper, Typewriters, Erasers for pencils, Erasers for blackboards and whiteboards, Whiteboard markers, Folders, Scissors, Educational posters or laminates, Sports equipment, soccer balls, volleyballs, volleyball net, Didactic games in Spanish, Table games, Chess, memory games, puzzles, Ping Pong, Games that entertain while facilitate cognative development.
Contact: Administrative office of the school # (506) 2709-8103, 8915-4273
First grade class; Elementary school
students in uniform
 
| Elementary classroom in disrepair (before) |
Repaired elementary classroom (after) |
Classroom repaired, thanks to the donations made by Rotary International |
High
School
(Located a 10-15 minute walk across town, see map)
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5 teachers, 68 students in
grades 7-11. In December of 2006 Tortuguero High School proudly awarded
diplomas to the first 3 high school graduates in the history of
the village.
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Thanks to the amazing generosity
of local organizations, tourists like yourself, and foreign
organizations, we have built a high
school to accommodate our students' needs and the expected growth in
matriculation over the next few years. There are 5 classrooms,
an office, a library, a computer lab, dining area, kitchen, food storage room, and a small
soccer/beach volleyball field.
Current Needs: Books
to fill the library (e.g. reference books in Spanish, literature,
children’s books (in Spanish and/or English), etc.), computer
programs (e.g. educational and/or games), new computers to replace the old ones that no longer function due to their age, usage and the salty humid climate.
Contact person: Eduin Arrones or Roberto Delgado, professors and co-directors #8338-5495
8th grade class in the
new library; Graduating class of 2007 getting a lesson in field
biology
Map
(Click on the map to see a larger version)
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