• Two students from the school were awarded in the explora contest who stood out for their work that valued the stories and customs of Huatacondo, a town that belongs to the Province of Tamarugal.
With a total of 124 stories created by students from the entire Tarapacá region, the call for intercultural stories from Explora culminated, where 12 intercultural stories were awarded in a ceremony held at the Regional Museum of Iquique.
These distinctions recognized the creative process of students from the educational establishments Kronos School, Hispano Británico, Liceo Bicentenario Nirvana, Colegio Diocesano Obispo Labbé and Colegio Bajo Molle; in addition to the Huatacondo Basic School, a campus that has the support and advice of the Collahuasi Educational Foundation.
One of the highlights was seventh grade student Leonardo Zabala (13) with the story “El Compadre”. The text is inspired by an old northern tradition that refers to when a person went to slaughter a llama, he kept one of its legs to later use it as a seasoning for broths. And when someone needed the bone from that extracted leg, he would go to her neighbor and tell her: “The compadre will lend me.” Laughter arose immediately, as it was thought that what was being borrowed was her husband.
Meanwhile, Melanie Sardán (12) from seventh grade, stood out with the story of “Crucecitas de Mayo”, which depicts her first impressions after arriving in Huatacondo to settle with her family seven years ago, from Bolivia. “One of the first things I saw when I arrived were the little crosses on the hills, dressed in fabrics and flowers. Over time, I learned about the belief of the people, where the cross protects the ravine, ”she commented.
María Fernanda Swenson, teacher and advisor of the Collahuasi Educational Foundation for the Huatacondo Basic School, explained that this award for the literary contest was also a special opportunity for all the students of the school and their families to travel to Iquique to accompany to these two award-winning minors.
EMERALD CORVETTE MUSEUM
During their visit to the regional capital, the student delegation -made up of 35 children and parents- toured the Corvette Esmeralda Museum. “It was a great opportunity for them, since they do not know the reality of other schools or relevant heritage such as the Emerald Corvette. Since 2020, the relationship between the Huatacondo community and the Collahuasi Educational Foundation has allowed for an important bond with children and their parents, which has given way to the execution of projects, educational outings, contests, among other instances. In this sense, the visit to the Corbeta Esmeralda Museum was her first experience this year of returning to school attendance”, specified María Fernanda Swenson.
