GRADUATION IN CANAAN

Friday night was the Canaan High School’s graduation ceremony. Carlos and I attended because Daniela Martinez Chavez was a member of the graduating class. Daniela is the oldest daughter for Cecilia and Cristobal, our housekeeping manager and landscaping/maintenance manger. The ceremony took place in the community center in Canaan. And like most Costa Rican events, it started late. The event was scheduled to start at 5 PM. Carlos and I arrived at 5:20 PM knowing that is would not start on time. At 5:45 PM the person with the audio equipment arrived and the event began a bit after 6 PM.

The ceremony was a bit different than that in the USA. The cap and gown formality was non-existent. Instead, it was a much more relaxed and spirited event. Students, teachers and parents were cheering for everyone. Perhaps this is possible because of the small numbers. There were only 36 graduates: 24 girls and 12 boys. The girls far outnumber the boys because this area remains a rural community and many boys still leave school to work on the family farm raising coffee or cattle.

In my opinion, the academic program in Costa Rica is much more demanding than in the USA. American students would probably have a very hard time. High school begins at 7^th grade and lasts for 5 years. The students go to class 5 days per week from 7 AM to 4:30 PM. They take 9 to 11 classes per term. Classes are very small and individual attention is highly prized. Perhaps this is the reason that a small country like Costa Rica has a higher literacy rate than the USA.

There is also much less competition. Everyone will succeed. The awards were not so much for highest grade point average or athlete of the year but “friendliest, most responsible, highest integrity, most creative, and fewest absences” were a few of the awards presented.

We are very happy for Daniela and her Class of 2010. Daniela is planning on attending University in 2011 to study pharmacology. Good luck to Daniela and her classmates. Here are a few photos of the event. In the photo of Daniela and her friends, she is 2^nd from the left.