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There is something awesome going on in Mexico and its not just the year-round warm water and perfect waves……Whatever doubt there may be in your jaded soul when first you hear about some expat parents opening a green school in the travel hot spot community of Sayulita Mexico, they are dashed away after a few moments of chatting with one of the school’s founders, renowned photographer and commercial director Anne Menke. As you listen to Menke describe the arduous process of finding money to fund an institution in a community that has more of a reputation for horseback gallops along white sand beaches than progressive pedagogy, you begin to understand how complicated life in paradise can be if you intend to raise your children there.  In fact, be warned, a mere 40 minutes of conversation with Menke  and her enthusiasm and passion causes one to seriously consider chucking it all, heading south, and offering one’s own services to help the Costa Verde International School in whatever way you can. A vision of education that matters is in the story of the ninety-three children from all over the world including Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, the United States, France, Germany, and England, who are the school’s current enrollment.

Sayulita is not a new travel destination. Since the late 60’s, insiders have known about this ridiculously cool surfing site where the local fishing people were real and you could essentially hang a hammock on the beach and chill indefinitely. About 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta and just south of little San Francisco (popularly known as San Pancho) Sayulita is tucked between the flawless Pacific shoreline and the dark green foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains at 20 degrees latitude, giving it a sub-tropical climate, the same as the Hawaiian Islands. The region took a major leap forward in popularity after Mexican tourist officials tacked "Riviera" to the state name of Nayarit. As part of the new Riviera Nayarit, which USA TODAY proclaimed in March as “Mexico’s Next Great Place”, Sayulita has been featured in “Havens” in The New York Times Travel section, and SmarterTravel.com stated unequivocally that it is one of the world’s five top destinations to watch in 2009 (12/2008).

Anne Menke is not new to being a team player when outcomes matter. In the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy in New York City, Menke, in conjunction with Tommy Hilfiger, collaborated on "Our New York", a limited-edition book featuring photographs of the American flag.  Proceeds from its sale went to the Twin Towers Fund, which supported victims' families. Although hailing from Germany, Menke poured out her heart and her talents on behalf of a city in which she often worked.  “We have collectively created a book of images that reminds us of the inspiring moments that we have all experienced, in spite of the horrible tragedy in our city,” she later commented.  

In the same way that Menke embraced the city of New York, she now spearheads fundraising for the CVIS project in Sayulita, her energies fueled by her vision of a better world and her upbringing in Europe where education was highly valued and respect for nature, recycling and thinking green was a way of life.  When Menke first came to Sayulita over a decade ago, she was herself a surfing aficionado. With her husband, businessman Johann Ackerman, they bought a residence and enjoyed time on the beach and lying low between their busy traveling schedules.  It wasn’t until they started a family and had to think about schooling for their children that they found themselves taking a closer look at the sleepy little town they were now going to call home.

Proof of citizenship is required to attend public school in Mexico, but that wasn’t the problem as much as the fact that teachers barely earn $300 a month in a small village like Sayulita. And although it is compulsory upon the states to provide free education for children over the age of six, school attendance is not mandatory.  So on any given day, there may or may not be a teacher or students in a public school. In addition, life in Mexico is built around the afternoon siesta and therefore school lasts only four hours, barely enough learning time for anyone but pre-schoolers. It was not surprising to find out that government statistics indicate that 9% of young people over the age of 15 who live in the region had never been to school at all, and another 17% never completed elementary school. It was clear to Menke that the state-run educational system was not going to provide what they were looking for in a school. 

But rather than walking away and looking for an alternative private educational facility in a nearby community, it was decided that something new should be created in Sayulita.  Menke, together with her husband and fellow residents Tamra and Theo Koch, drafted a vision for a school that would not only serve their children but the achingly underserved Mexican children as well, and more than that, the community at large.  It was a three tier plan that included building a totally green school complex which would also house a sustainable resource center and a cultural institute. Costa Verde International School was born in August 2008.

Temporarily housed in a former car dealership space under a two-year rental agreement CVIS has made it through its first year. Menke is quick to acknowledge that the lion’s share of running the school is left to Director General, Adriana Giselle Martin del Campo Jensen, who is the daughter of Melody Martín del Campo, who along with Mariano Ricci founded the Instituto Thomas Jefferson (ITJ ) in Guadalajara. Costa Verde, under the guidance of Director General Del Campo maintains a rigorous academic environment, embracing the standards of seven subjects that form the core curriculum for grades K-6: Spanish, mathematics, history, geography, civic education, health, and environmental education. Additionally the children at CVIS receive instruction in English language as well as ecology, multiculturalism, technology and creative arts. They are also provided the opportunity to study second languages that might be spoken in their homes.  

CVIS advocates an education that enhances every human being’s ability to understand and transform the world of which he or she is a part. At CVIS, teachers strive to address the whole child with the goal of inspiring healthy, happy and well adjusted life-long learners. Rather than seeing education through the “banking” model where teachers deposit truth in the appropriate amounts into the minds of students, the focus at CVIS is on developing each child’s personal talents. Instead of relying on testing for assessment, core criteria and performance based tasks are used with the focus on thinking and problem solving rather than the acquisition of a set of abilities. A range of challenges exist in each activity so that all level ability students can be engaged. Open ended formats encourage more creative ways of thinking and the liberal use of teaching aids (everything from live plants to building blocks) especially helps the at-risk students process their learning.  Where most private institutions screen for academic proficiency as an admissions criteria, CVIS welcomes all children and uses their entrance exams as a way to determine individualized needs. 

At CVIS there is a strong focus on the importance and responsibility of embracing and practicing sustainable methods of living. Much of the instruction occurs outdoors in the gardens and open air verandas that exist around the property. Lunch is eaten under the outdoor pavilion. Teachers are culled from the community at large – there is a robust array of individuals with incredible life experiences in addition to more traditionally trained teachers who make up the staff.  A visitor might find a health practitioner visiting a class for a talk about nutrition followed by a tour of the vegetable garden. In another part of the school math is taught by a certified teacher who is helping the students determine the number of trees saved by the school using recycled paper. A local artist teaches mural making and the children create original pottery painted with dyes made from local plants to be sold at a school fundraiser.

CVIS has stayed true to its original vision of being a resource for the community by opening its doors daily to the children who attend other local schools and get out at noon. They use CVIS’s computers and take part in the English as Second Language classes. National studies report that the lack of computer experience in the local community means that as new industries move into the area, individuals are recruited from other states or countries to fill most of the well paid jobs. It is critical to the future of the young people of Sayulita that they acquire skills that will ensure their ability to participate in their local economies.

Menke feels that it is the unique relationship that CVIS has developed with the locals that brought the school’s enrollment to capacity in such a short time.  Despite the $5,000 a year tuition, surfer fundraising events, photographer friend’s silent auctions and the generosity of the founding families have made it possible for the school to offer scholarships to an astounding 35%  of the student body, which means that there is tremendous diversity in the classes and that no child that applied was turned away.

Through the CVIS Cultural Center, international Spanish immersion programs are offered for adults who travel to Sayulita, with all proceeds going to support the institution at large. These programs are extremely affordable and popular. They provide unparalleled opportunities to learn Spanish through participation in numerous cultural activities provided by CVIS including dance lessons, nature walks, cooking classes, history and field trips, photography, yoga and marital arts.

In the Sustainable Resource Center, educators and specialists from around the world are brought together to address, discuss and solve various community and regional environmental issues. Classes in building, landscaping and agriculture are offered, a library of development materials is maintained and, the center reaches out to public and private school teachers within Mexico, providing them with teacher training so that they might incorporate environmental education into their own curricula. These programs are provided free of charge or for a nominal barter based exchange of goods or services.

Despite these remarkable accomplishments, the real work has just begun. Because in addition to the ongoing fundraising efforts to support the current programming and next year’s scholarships, there is the challenge of raising the millions of dollars it is going to take to build the new school complex. A breathtakingly beautiful 3 hectares of jungle clearing has already been donated as the site. The ecologically sound architectural plans are finished and there is tremendous excitement from builders and suppliers who will be involved in creating the completely solar powered environment. But that does not necessarily translate into dollars especially in the current economic climate.

Simultaneously it becomes apparent that there needs to be a secondary program of study developed and immediately implemented for this year’s graduating class of 6th graders to begin in the fall. With every blessing come more obstacles to be met and the next set of goals to be realized.

Right now, volunteers are busy building an auxiliary bamboo classroom near the temporary campus because more teaching space is needed. Have you been thinking about what you can do to help? Are you tempted to chuck it all and head south, yet? Wondering if you might donate some of your vacation time to making the world a better place? Don’t say you weren’t warned. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of history in the making? And of course, there are those waves!

For more information or to donate go to www.colegiocostaverde.com.

Written by Rebecca Kreinen

Photography courtesy of Anne Menke