Sr. Margie Navarro, co-founder of the Center, believed that honoring nature goes hand-in-hand with transforming people. “Sr. Margie always wanted the Center to be clean, and she taught us to be conscious of our actions toward the Earth,” said Sonia Olivares, coordinator of skills and training.“Sr. Margie picked up any piece of trash she saw and deposited it in a trash can. We learned from her example.”

At the beginning of this past school year, the Center implemented some exciting new "green" changes at the Center and incorporated environmental education into existing classes…all with the intent of being more intentional about their care for the environment. Staff members now bring their own plates and cups to meetings, instead of using disposables. Boxes for collecting used office paper are springing up around the Center.

Teachers are using recycled materials for craft and art projects. Painting teacher, Gerardo Hernández has students using newspapers and magazines for making collages. His students also paint on used Styrofoam plates, teaching two lessons at once: the value of supposed “trash” and how to cut art supply costs.

Center Librarian, Marianela Doña, is always looking for new craft ideas for the children who come to Story Hour. She wants them to get excited about recycling and about reading. Recently, her enthusiastic “green” students used toilet paper rolls to make butterflies and plastic bottles to make turtles!

On June 29, the Center held a cultural celebration to showcase the many ways students

have creatively engaged in the environmental theme. The theater class presented a play written and directed by teacher Ivonne Garcí, called The Little Snake, Pio. Its dual message was the importance of protecting nature and preventing animal abuse. Adolescents in the class took on roles as snakes, iguanas, parakeets, and armadillos. (“Violence passes from parents to

children and then often from children to animals. Education is key to stopping the cycle,” said Gerardo.) The students’ costumes were made from recycled bottles, cardboard, egg cartons and bottle caps. Prior to the play, Friends of Batahola volunteer, Andrea Kraybill, took the theater students on a field trip to the highly polluted Tiscapa lagoon in Managua and showed them educational films about the environment.

Respecting the EnvironmentCenter Renews Commitment to Going Green

Cultural Center of Batahola Norte Newsletter Summer 2013

(Continued on last page)

Summertime is a time for most students

to be at rest but not at the Cultural Center of Batahola Norte. The Center’s school year runs from February to November, and the educational and life lessons the students learn are gifts that sustain them year round! Exciting things continue to happen at the Center with the continuation of the violence prevention program, the scholarship programs, and the “going green” initiatives. (See front page story.) The staff and students continue reaching out to less fortunate individuals and communities who need their services, whether it’s giving free haircuts, planning art projects, or offering workshops.

The Friends of Batahola board members also continue to work throughout the summer developing fundraising strategies, seeking new board members, and supporting in solidarity with the staff all of the wonderful work happening at the Center. Our common denominator is the care, love, and support of our beloved friends at the Center, along with all of you, our beloved donors, who help make dreams come true by giving a hand up and out of poverty to those in need.

Peace,Terri Holman

President’s Column

Armando José Lopez García is four years old and is taking the Music for Children class. He is learning to play the recorder and draw notes. He lives with his mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, uncle, and five-year-old sister. The two people he respects most are his mom and big sister because “they take care of me and give me food and love.” Leaning forward and in a whisper voice, he adds, “I have a secret…I love my papa!” At the Center, he likes his teacher, the murals, and all

the plants. When he grows up, Armando wants to play piano and be a doctor, policeman, nurse, and professor! The Center is a good place to get started on such big dreams.

Génesis Abril Mercada Benavidez is five years old and is also taking the Music for Children class. She is learning to play the recorder and sing. She lives with her mom, dad, grandparents and five older siblings. She plays ball with them together “a lot.” The person she respects most is her mom because “she’s beautiful, and I love her a lot.” Her favorite hobbies are playing the recorder, going to the park, painting, and playing with dolls. Her favorite book is

about a dragon. What Génesis likes most about the Center are the people. When she grows up she wants to be a doctor and would like to play the drums and guitar. Perhaps she’ll be a music scholarship student one day.

STUDENT PROFILESOur youngest students...

Music scholarship students "pay it Forward" through service hours.

Ana Sánchez, 20, has been a member of the Center’s renowned Ángel Torrellas Choir

since she was 11. She also plays violin in the Margarita Navarro Orchestra. (Fr. Ángel Torrellas and Sr. Margarita Navarro were co-founders of the Center.) Ana also receives a scholarship from the Center to study violin at Nicaragua’s Polytechnic University Music Conservatory (UPOLI), as do five other members of the Center’s choir and orchestra. These students study voice, cello, and opera.

Ana said what she most appreciates about the Center is that “here they believe that anyone can study music, no matter what your family’s economic situation is.” For her service to the Center, Ana is giving violin lessons to two students. “I try to teach my students what I’m learning at the conservatory so that if they continue studying, they will be well-prepared. I’m strict because

learning the violin requires discipline, but at the same time, I try to be playful so they feel relaxed.”

Jhonny Alonso, 20, is a scholarship student at the

National School of Music and is currently in his fourth year of an eight-year clarinet program. “I’ve advanced and improved my technique, especially the movement of my fingers and performance as a musician. I’ve also learned a lot from other musicians that I’ve met at school,” said Jhonny. For his service to the Center, Jhonny works with music students who play in the Center’s orchestra.

Juan Guido, 29, who directs both the Center’s Ángel Torrellas Choir and the recently formed Children’s Choir, is also a scholarship student. He is in his last year of a four-year opera vocal

program at UPOLI. Juan gives back to the Center by giving flute lessons to younger students, but he also says that his opera training has helped him become a better choral director. He is incorporating both vocal development and new vocal techniques into his choral rehearsals.

Like Juan, Ana and Jhonny desire to support themselves as musicians. Ana said, “Thanks to the scholarship, I have become a much better violinist. I get many offers to play in orchestras now. My dream is to study abroad. I’d like to study music theory and then return to Nicaragua to share what I’ve learned. I want to teach to improve the quality of music and musicians in Nicaragua and improve music education, especially for children.” Jhonny’s goal is to play in orchestras and also to teach music.

Receive help. Give help. The concept of “paying it forward” has been a successful

formula for scholarship students and for the Center.

The Center has a long-standing tradition among its scholarship students: In return for much-needed financial assistance from sponsors, they give back to other students at the Center in the form of service hours. The music scholarship students are good examples of how students who are excelling in their studies are also improving the quality of education for other students at the Center through service.

Friends of BataholaFor donations to the work of the Center:

friendsofbatahola.orgFriends of Batahola

P.O. Box 36159Cincinnati, OH 45236-0159

To contact us: president@friendsofbatahola.org secretary@friendsofbatahola.org treasurer@friendsofbatahola.org info@friendsofbatahola.org

For information in Nicaragua:Jennifer Marshall

General Coordinatorjennifer@centrobatahola.org

011-505-2266-7737

Newsletter VolunteersEditor: Mary Pommertmwpommert@aol.comLayout: Judy Aufdemkampe

We’re on the Web... friendsofbatahola.org bataholavolunteers.wordpress.com Facebook: Friends of Batahola (English) Facebook: Centro Cultural Batahola Norte (Spanish)

PRESORT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDCINCINNATI OH

PERMIT NO 1294

From:2364 Heather Hill Blvd., N.Cincinnati, OH 45244

Board of directors

President: Terri HolmanHonorary President:

Sr. Helen Prejean CSJVice President: Mark OverlyHonorary Vice President:

Sr. Sandra Blanchard, CSJSecretary: Jeannine BlattCorresponding Secretary: Sue KeefeTreasurer: Andi Sebastian

Board MeMBers

Mary Ann AntrobusPat BerningRichard GruberMichael KeefeDotty McCreaMary O’TooleLaVette UlichnieRoberta Veletta

Mission Statement: Friends of Batahola supports, sustains, and promotes the Cultural Center of Batahola Norte in Managua, Nicaragua, through prayer, financial assistance, solidarity, and building community, thereby responding to the call of the Gospel.

Respecting the Environment(Continued from front page)

Translation:"The rocky heights, the soft meadows, the burning body of the foal and the man, all belong to the same family."

Years ago, Nineth Larios, a guitar teacher and artist at the Center, painted quotes attributed to Chief Seattle, a prominent Native American who spoke out about ecological responsibility. The quotes are placed among the plants that beautify and bring nature into the Center. The words take on new meaning today as the Center works toward putting them into action.