Back Post-STEAM Fest 2025

 Now that our blog has been reinstated, we would like to take a moment to travel back to February when we celebrated STEAM Fest 2025.

This celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths was a huge success once again.  

We were honoured to share the celebration with many other internal as well as external members of the community, some of who joined us from Highlands, Maquilishuat, and AmunShea schools in addition to special guests from Game Changer and Creativo 3d. We also had quite a few judges join us on the day; some were ABC teachers, and others were external professionals working in the area of STEAM.

67 school teams of up to 6 students each took part on the day but also spent several months in advance researching and developing their projects. Of those teams, 112 ABC secondary school students took part.

Mateo Guzman, from 10th grade, designed a fantastic. official logo for this year's STEAM Fest and was honoured during the event for his work as a graphic artist. 

1st place for the best STEAM Fest project overall was awarded to Julián Betancourt Rivas and Juan Ángel Valiente Castillo for their Landslide Susceptibility project, in which they developed an AI system to analyze different sets of data which could be visualized as a map presenting the susceptibility of land in El Salvador to landslides.

During STEAM Fest 2025, we had the opportunity to run another exciting hackathon in which the Maquilisuat, Highlands and ABC took place. 

The Hackathon was won by ABC Students: Arthur Falkenstein, Howard Tianji, Fabioloa Echeverria and Javier Huezo. They were followed closely by the Maquilisuat in 2nd place and Highlands in 3rd place.  A big well done to all the teams that worked so arduously to solve the problem that was presented in the given time. 

While all the thank yous went out in February when the event took place, the STEAM Team would again like to thank all involved, including the LRC, Design, Science and Maintenance teams for all the hard work they put in, in making this event a huge success once again.

Thank You!

The Blog is Back-ABC Book Week Edition!

The LRC blog is back after a short hiatus, and we want to start off by sharing all the exciting activities that took place during our Whole School Book Week!

by Jennifer Garcia LRC Coordinator

Preparations for Book Week 2025 began in November of 2024. These were led by the whole school Book Week Committee, composed of teachers and librarians from both primary and secondary schools. This committee set out to build on the successes of Book Week 2024 and, in doing so, found ways to increase its reach across the school through a multitude of activities and events. 

Some of the many highlights of this event were the visits by Silvia Pira, the author of Crush, who spoke to the 6th-grade students, and Alberto Pocasangre, the author of Nahual Blanco, who spoke to the 7th-grade students. 

The 11th grade had the opportunity to meet with  Alex Hernandez, a Royal Academia author and Manlio Argueta, author of UN DÍA EN LA VIDA, which the 11s are currently reading in Spanish lessons. This powerful event was followed up by a cocktail for all involved.

The 9th grade students had the opportunity to meet with Roger Lindo, who is the author of  EL PERRO EN LA NIEBLA, and grade 8th got to learn more about theatre in El Salvador through a presentation by Roberto Salomon (Teatro Poma)- "TEATRO EN EL SALVADOR: UNA MIRADA HISTÓRICA".

The ABC Arts Department hosted the PLAY "LA PERRERA" by the Rosa Mosqueta theatre group for the 6th grade students, with a few grade 7 and 8 Arts faculty students mixed in.

This year's Book Fair was a great success, with a record number of vendors, students and parents in attendance in the PAC. 

A great variety of high-quality books were offered by the many different vendors. Even the ABC had a book stand, which focused on selling the anthologies of short stories written by our wonderful ABC Students.  

• Tales on the Road: Stories that Surprise for 7-10 Year Olds. 
• Paper Chrysalides: Stories that Soar for 11-14 Year Olds.

Do please contact Mario Villalobos in the primary library or Judith Mendez in the LRC if you are interested in purchasing a copy.

A special thanks goes out to the wonderful book vendors who spent most of the week at the ABC: The LRC and Jubilee Libraries, Steps, Grelisal and AEIOU, Frikiland, Lovaimex, Clasicos Roxsil, Liliana Marti, Expresso Bibliografiico, Editorial El Salvador, Chicos y Imagen, Distribuidora Educativa Yanira Sounds, Tia Li, Internacional Libros y Regalos, La Ceiba.

The LRC ran two competitions during the week: the LRC Digital Book Competition and the Guess What the Teachers Are Reading Competition.

A special shout-out goes to Isabel Urias for winning the Book Week 2025 Logo competition for her creative vision in producing a logo that really encapsulated this year's Motto, From Reader to Character, Read your Way.

On Friday, we saw the return of the Dress Up as Your Favourite Character day, with a special spin on Heroes! 

We would like to take this opportunity to say a special thanks to everyone involved in making this year's Book Week a great success.  This would not have been possible without the hard work in preparing and running the event by the school libraries, maintenance teams and teaching staff.  

While everyone's efforts are greatly appreciated, a special thanks goes out to Mrs. Judith de Mendez (LRC Head Librarian), Mr, Mario Villalobos (Jubilee Librarian), Mrs, Monica Urbina (Sec. Head of Spanish) and Mrs. Edda Padilla (Primary Language Coordinator) for the many extra hours put in on planning for success and achieving with magnificence. 

WRO El Salvador 2024!

Last Saturday the  2024 Salvadoran National Robotics Olympiad, part of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO), took place at the Academia Británica Cuscatleca. The theme for this year was Earth Allies.

Video Source: World Robotic Olympiad

This event was the largest WRO competition El Salvador has seen, featuring over 100 teams of students from various schools nationwide. Events like WRO empower students to showcase their creativity, innovation, teamwork, and technical skills.  Students who took part showcased their solutions to local and global issues through robot construction, programming design, and scientific proposals, demonstrating the potential of Salvadoran youth in STEM fields.

The competition was divided into three main categories: Robo Mission, Future Innovators, and Future Engineers and further subcategories based on age. 

Seven teams emerge victorious, earning the right to represent El Salvador in the WRO international finals in Turkey. Of these two are ABC Robotics teams. Please refer to the images below. 

Image Source:https://www.facebook.com/wroelsalvador/?locale=es_LA

Please go to our Flickr Album to view more images of the day.

 

Video Game Development for Learning-6th grade to Prepa

This was the final activity for our 2nd Design unit, in which the 6th-grade students were paired up with a Prepa student who they interviewed about their learning and likes. 

They then went on to research, plan and develop a digital learning game for their Prepa clients. 

This week the 6th-grade students have been hosting the prepa students who are beta-testing the games that were developed specifically for each of them. 

DESIGN 2024 by Hilda Gómez

Celebrating Creativity: The Success of the Annual ABC Digital Video Awards

Last evening the ABC hosted its 14th annual Digital Video Awards. The DVA is a celebration showcase of  the exceptional talents and creativity of our student community. From second to twelfth grade, students demonstrated their creativity, skills and knowledge of digital video production,  through classroom assignments and independent projects. This is an annual whole-school event, in which the ABC Students and staff contribute in determining the winning teams through community voting.

This year's event was a true testament to the artistic spirit and talent of our young filmmakers and celebrated the hard work and engagement of our students and underscored the importance of the role of digital media in the world around us. Through video production, the DVA nominees demonstrated their ability to tell stories, convey messages, and engage audiences through the power of digital video through a broad array of videos, reflecting a diverse range of themes, genres, and techniques. From thought-provoking documentaries to imaginative animations and compelling narratives, the quality of the submissions was impressive. 

We are immensely proud of our students' achievements and the dedication they have shown throughout the school year. Their work not only reflects their individual talents but also the support and guidance provided by our dedicated teachers and staff. The awards ceremony was a celebration of this collective effort, showcasing the best videos our student community has produced. 

This post wouldn't be complete if it didn't include recognition of the amazing Design/LRC team, and the maintenance team who helped to transform a stark examination hall into a vibrant immersive theatre experience over two afternoons and return it to examination hall status right after the event. A big thank you is due Mr. Pike our wonderful MC for the evening and Javier our sound and lighting expert for is expertise and dedication and in running the AV for the event.

 Event photos and highlights from the event can be found on our Flickr account. We invite you to explore  the photos from the event which can be found on our Flickr album for the event and join us in celebrating the artistic achievements of our students. The success of this year’s ABC Digital Video Awards reaffirms the ABC's commitment to fostering creativity and innovation, and we look forward to seeing even more exceptional work in the years to come.

Book Week 2024

 

¡La magia de la lectura se apoderó de nuestra escuela! 

(scroll down for the English version)

Un torbellino de actividades literarias para celebrar el Día Internacional del Libro

En nuestra escuela, el Día Internacional del Libro no se trata de una simple fecha en el calendario, sino de una explosión de creatividad, imaginación y amor por la lectura. Este año, celebramos una semana entera dedicada a la literatura, llenando cada rincón de nuestro colegio con el aroma a tinta fresca, el susurro de historias cautivadoras y la emoción de conocer a autores de renombre.

Un encuentro con grandes plumas

Tuvimos el privilegio de recibir a escritores nacionales e internacionales que compartieron su talento y pasión con nuestros estudiantes. Javier Zamora, autor del aclamado libro "Solito", cautivó a los jóvenes con su historia de resiliencia y esperanza. Bruno Panzacchi, con su obra "Monstruos de mi tierra", despertó la imaginación de los niños a través de personajes fantásticos y mensajes profundos. Jorge Galán, quien con el

telón de fondo de su libro "La ruta de las abejas", parte de la trilogía "El País de la Niebla" tuvo un interesante conversatorio con los alumnos del 7o. grado.  Patricia Lovos, con sus libros "Actos fallidos" y "Aliento de cachorro", invitó a los adolescentes a reflexionar sobre la complejidad de las emociones humanas.

Un taller de ilustración de cómics que despertó la creatividad

Los estudiantes se convirtieron en artistas gráficos durante nuestro taller de ilustración de cómics, impartido por Víctor Noyola, fundador de Vintage Comics, donde aprendieron las técnicas, el colorido, el diseño, las viñetas y el storytelling para crear sus propias historias ilustradas, un espacio para dar rienda suelta a la imaginación y plasmar ideas en papel.

El ingenio y la creatividad brillaron con la actividad del Quijote

Frases célebres del Quijote se transformaron en obras de arte gracias a la creatividad de nuestros estudiantes. Cada frase fue interpretada de forma única y original a través de dibujos, collages y otras expresiones artísticas, un homenaje a la obra cumbre de la literatura española y una muestra del talento de nuestros jóvenes artistas.

Una feria de libros para todos los gustos

Nuestro auditorio se convirtió en una librería gigante durante la feria del libro, donde 12 editoriales invitadas ofrecieron una amplia variedad de libros para todos los gustos y edades. Desde novelas clásicas hasta bestsellers actuales, pasando por libros infantiles, de ciencia ficción, poesía y mucho más, un paraíso para los amantes de la lectura donde podían encontrar su próxima aventura literaria.

La firma de libros: un encuentro inolvidable con los autores

Para culminar la semana de manera especial, los autores invitados firmaron libros a los estudiantes que los compraron, creando un momento único e irrepetible, un intercambio de palabras, emociones y el recuerdo imborrable de haber conocido a los creadores de las historias que tanto les apasionan.

Un éxito rotundo que nos llena de alegría

La semana del libro ha sido una experiencia maravillosa que ha superado todas nuestras expectativas. Hemos visto a nuestros estudiantes disfrutar de la lectura, descubrir nuevos autores, desarrollar su creatividad y, sobre todo, fortalecer su amor por los libros. Sin duda, una experiencia que repetiremos cada año con aún más entusiasmo y actividades innovadoras.

Más allá de las palabras

La semana del libro no solo ha sido una celebración de la literatura, sino también un recordatorio de la importancia de la lectura en nuestras vidas. Los libros nos transportan a otros mundos, nos enseñan sobre diferentes culturas, nos ayudan a comprender nuestras emociones y nos inspiran a ser mejores personas.

Invitamos a toda la comunidad educativa a seguir fomentando la lectura en nuestros niños y jóvenes. ¡Que los libros sean siempre nuestros compañeros de viaje en la aventura de la vida!

Esperamos que disfrutan de nuestra colección de medios de los eventos alojados en Flickr.

Team LRC

English Version

The Magic of Reading Takes Over Our School!

A Whirlwind of Literary Activities to Celebrate International Book Day

At our school, International Book Day is not just a date on the calendar, but an explosion of creativity, imagination, and love for reading. This year, we celebrated a whole week dedicated to literature, filling every corner of our school with the scent of fresh ink, the whisper of captivating stories, and the excitement of meeting renowned authors.

An Encounter with Great Writers

We had the privilege of hosting national and international writers who shared their talent and passion with our students. Javier Zamora, author of the acclaimed book "Solito," captivated young people with his story of resilience and hope. Bruno Panzacchi, with his work "Monsters of My Land," awakened the imagination of children through fantastic characters and deep messages. Jorge Galán, who with the backdrop of his book "The Route of the Bees," part of the trilogy "The Land of Fog" had an interesting conversation with the students of the 7th grade. Patricia Lovos, with her books "Failed Acts" and "Puppy Breath," invited teenagers to reflect on the complexity of human emotions.

A Comic Book Illustration Workshop That Awakened Creativity

Students became graphic artists during our comic book illustration workshop, taught by Victor Noyola, founder of Vintage Comics, where they learned about the techniques, colours, design panels, and storytelling to create their own illustrated stories. This was definitely a space in which they felt empowered to unleash their imagination and put their ideas on paper.

Wit and Creativity Shone with the Don Quixote Activity

Famous phrases from Don Quixote were transformed into works of art thanks to the creativity of our students. Each phrase was interpreted in a unique and original way through drawings, collages, and other artistic expressions. This was a tribute to the masterpiece of Spanish literature and a sample of the talent of our young artists.

A Book Fair for All Tastes

Our auditorium became a giant bookstore during the book fair, where 12 bookstores offered a wide variety of books for all tastes and ages, from classic novels to current bestsellers, through children's books, science fiction, poetry, and much more. This was a paradise for book lovers where they could find their next literary adventure.

The Book Signing: An Unforgettable Encounter with the Authors

To culminate the week in a special way, the guest authors signed books for the students who bought them, creating a unique experience for participants, an exchange of words, emotions, and the indelible memory of having met the creators of the stories that they are so passionate about.

A Resounding Success That Fills Us with Joy

Book week has been a wonderful experience that has exceeded all our expectations. We have seen our students enjoy reading, discover new authors, develop their creativity, and, above all, strengthen their love for books. Without a doubt, an experience that we will repeat each year with even more enthusiasm and innovative activities.

Beyond Words

Book week has not only been a celebration of literature but also a reminder of the importance of reading in our lives. Books transport us to other worlds, teach us about different cultures, help us understand our emotions, and inspire us to be better people.

We invite the entire educational community to continue promoting reading among our children and young people. May books always be our companions on the journey of life!

We hope you will enjoy browsing our collection of media from the events which is hosted on Flickr.

Team LRC