Palapa Society, Todos Santos

Blog del Estudiante

The Palapa School, Clubs

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On January 18, The Palapa School went into action to make club presentations at The Palapa Wrapped event. Here, each of the 10 clubs set up a stand or made a presentation where they shared some of the activities and learning from the last semester.

The participating clubs were: Crafts, Table Games, Photography, Weaving, Electricity, Art, First Aid, Robotics, Leadership and Music. This event definitely helped consolidate the knowledge and skills of the young students, but also added a touch of fun and joy to the closing of a semester of clubs.

Student Blog: Trip to Denver Baja Under The Stars

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By F. Menendez

The Palapa Society recently allowed me a wonderful experience with a trip to Denver. The goal was to be a featured speaker at Baja Under the Stars.

While in Denver, we also visited the Museum of Science and Nature with four floors full of fascinating and interesting information.

What I liked the most was that at the top of the museum we were allowed to see towards the sun, of course with the necessary protection, which in this case was a telescope with a filter so as not to damage your eyesight.

In my opinion, it was incredible to be able to observe the largest star in our solar system, and it was great to see how small gas emissions came out.

I was also able to see the moon and all its craters. And the best thing is that it had a part dedicated only to space and all its mysteries. It was a great day!

 

The Survivor / Perseverance

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by Anna Castillo
“Fernando Lopez Nieto”, said our 11th grade guidance counselor to the parents’ meeting.  “Be careful with that teacher! We’ve had many complaints about him.” We were 15 years old and nervous. When he entered the classroom, he made us stand up.  He was a 60 year old man, not too tall, a little chubby, balding snow-white hair that contrasted with a tiny little black mustache and a nose that seemed too big.  He always wore a suit. The first thing he told us is that in his class, everybody dances; those who don’t, leave. He taught us to dance to a song that said “When I die I want to be buried with a pennant from my University”, and at the end of every class we would finish with a University cheer (Goya!). The class itself was Logic. He would put forth a topic and the homework was always research. Class would begin with him asking each student to say something about the topic.  If you didn’t bring anything, you were out. Because he didn’t tolerate “people who come to steal knowledge.”
Ana Castillo
The third test (after collaboration and dancing) was memorizing Jaime Sabines’ poem “The Lovers” and reciting it in unison with the group.  If you didn’t know it, guess what…? You’re out! After three months, there were about ten students left out of 50.  He would call us “the survivors”. Additionally to all this, active participation in class was required.  We all had to back up our arguments and positions. We had to think about each word we were going to use. Many didn’t like that he would call us oxen or cows, but I laughed about it… and appreciated that he included cows!
After the 5th month I stopped going to his class.  I would see him in the hallways and he’d say hello.  I was embarrassed, but he would say that they missed me in class, and were wondering when I’d return (of course, in order to return I would have to catch up on ALL the late work). After two months, I was caught up and returned to “the survivors». After that I was consistent. He didn’t even look at my final paper, and the exam were questions about my learning experience, my perspective on his class and my expectations as a person.  Seven of us saw the class all the way through. To this day I thank him for pushing my boundaries, for being so rigorous and demanding, and for showing me the power of the collective. Years later I still enjoyed reading his Monday column in the newspaper.

Honoring Donna Shultz’s Decade of Volunteer Service

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“When world-renowned writer Elena Poniatowska arrived at the library for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, there were hundreds of people in attendance. Elena quietly lamented to me that she had left her copy of Joan Didion’s ThDonna Schultz Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska The Palapa Societye Year of Magical Thinking on the airplane. Imagine her surprise when I told her we have that book, and I proudly gave it to her!”

A decade’s worth of memories came pouring out of Donna Shultz, after we received her letter of resignation as Director of the Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska, the largest bi-lingual library in Baja California Sur.Donna started volunteering when the library was just a little room on Calle Obregon. This was shortly after building a home in the area with her husband Walt. She had just wrapped her role as the Wicked Witch in Teatro Luna Azul’s production of The Wizard of Todos Santos and wanted to immerse herself into the community that had embraced her from the beginning. When Library Director John Warner left, Mary took over, and together, they relocated the library into the Casa Verde house provided by Peter Buck, in the San Vicente neighborhood. Mary left, EJ took over, and three years later Donna followed as the Director. Donna spearheaded the move to The Palapa Learning Center, which took two weeks with the help of dedicated volunteers in the October heat.

Donna Schultz Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska The Palapa Society“I always say that Palapa Volunteers are unpaid not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless. The library wouldn’t be possible without them. For me, my payment was the joy we brought and contribution we made to the community. It’s been so rewarding – I see the impact the library has had on the entire community every day.”

CONTINUED FROM NEWSLETTER: This thought led to another memory of when Roberta Jackson, the US Ambassador to Mexico under the Obama administration, visited The Palapa Learning Center. She was impressed by what was created by donations and volunteers. The Ambassador stated, “This library exemplifies what can be accomplished when the foreign community works with the local community to build something positive for everyone.”

Donna Schultz Happy Days The Palapa Society of Todos Santos Donna’s passion for books and for connecting with her team and the community was evident, even when planning fundraisers to purchase new books. Her Happy Days – Dinner and ‘50s Dance Party at restaurant Gallo Azul was a huge hit and included a dance contest, awards for best costume, and a raffle for a Cate Thomassen mosaic table. On Valentine’s Day, we could count on Donna and her team when they hand-made thousands of chocolate truffles to sell at the library. Since COVID-19 these sales have moved to pre-orders and remain popular.

Closing the library doors during the first few months of COVID was heartbreaking, but for Donna, it was another opportunity to show her commitment. Every week during quarantine, Donna would email her team of volunteers to stay in touch, as they had become family to her. Together, they donned their masks to clean and maintain the library regularly, so that the books were in good shape for when it was time to re-open. This period also gave life to one of the most important programs under Donna’s direction.

Volunteer Melody Condon had the idea to create Little Free Libraries, which are neighborhood book exchanges in the form of a public bookcase, thus creating another option for the closed library. Donna ran with it. It took six weeks to get permission from Delegado Tito Palacios to place the libraries at Pinos Park in the center of town, in front of The Padrino Children’s Foundation in the San Vicente neighborhood, and near La Esquina Café in the San Ignacio neighborhood. She recruited her husband Walt to build the library structures and pay for the materials. Then she found a volunteer to set them up at each location. Evie, a student from The Palapa School who loves reading, went with Donna to fill the boxes for the first time. At the park, they saw a mom and daughter who walked up to see what was inside the bookcase, and the daughter took a book. Evie and Donna’s eyes welled with tears of excitement.

“This is why we do it,” says Donna.

The Palapa Society’s Little Free Libraries of Todos Santos are officially registered with the international non-profit Little Free Libraries, which has over 100,000 libraries worldwide. You can view the plaque at the library kiosk in Pinos Park.

When asked what she’ll miss the most about being Director, Donna effused with gratitude for her team, especially her right-hand Maryann Douglas, who has been a library volunteer and patron since the beginning, over 18 years ago. Not only is Maryann a sounding board and confidante for Donna, she has also kept the library open through the summer months year after year. Donna enjoyed getting to know the likes and dislikes of the regular visitors like cardholder Johnny Walker, who can’t get enough of a certain genre of books, which may or may not be trashy romance novels.

Donna Schultz Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska The Palapa Society“There isn’t a day that I’m not in wonder of what we have accomplished here. And I want it to keep going. I’m surprised at the books we have here – all interests including how to play guitar, biographies, classics, best-sellers…”

She asks that everyone continue to support The Palapa Society and the Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska by becoming cardholders, donating during fundraisers, and spreading the word that the library is for everybody.

It’s no surprise when Donna lets us know what she plans to do next. “Oh, I’ll still volunteer here every Wednesday from 10am to 1pm.”

The Palapa Society thanks Donna Shultz for her leadership, her professionalism, her dedication, and for giving her all to the Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska. It wouldn’t be what it is today without her, and she is leaving big shoes to fill.

I am grateful…

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“I am grateful to The Palapa Society for the great impact on my life and professional training. I depended on their support when I was in the third semester at the local High School in Todos Santos.»

“It was a great help for me to have this support since it helped my parents provide me an education and allowed me to finish high school. To my great surprise, I was also selected to continue the scholarship into my university career. Erick Ochoa, President of The Palapa Society and administrator of Beca scholarships, was always present with encouragement and support during my four years of university.»

“Thanks to The Palapa Society for supporting many young people as we finish our studies and fulfill some of our dreams. I graduated this past July with a degree in primary education. With all my heart, I thank all the people who make up The Palapa Society for their dedication, time, love, and resources to help young people improve themselves. I give infinite thanks for helping make this possible.”