Montessori Community School Puerto Rico 2026
February 28, 2026
Today we went to historic Old San Juan and went on a tour of the city from a decolonial perspective. On the tour we learned about the underlying colonial histories of the city, as well as many concepts that tie in to what we’ve been studying in humanities, such as the independence movement and disaster capitalism. We ate lunch at an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant where we enjoyed traditional foods. After lunch we went to El Morro, a heavily fortified Spanish fortress that protected the city of Old San Juan, where we broke up into small groups and explored the deep history. After that we went to Calle de la Fortaleza for souvenir shopping. We enjoyed a sweet treat of tropical popsicles before heading back to the Big Yellow House and spending some time at the beach! After that, we enjoyed a Puerto Rican community dinner before sharing an insightful conversation on the events of the day. Hasta Mañana!
First draft written by Bea, Alexis, Leanne, Rhys, and Max
Final draft revised by Max
March 1, 2026
We had a good nights rest, and everyone was ready to go in the morning. Today we drove to Villa Del Rio to meet people in the local community including our construction site leaders, William and Angel. We also met other community members including Eggie, Angel’s son, who made it super fun. At the worksite we roatated between jobs including: shovelling gravel and sand into buckets to be placed into the cement mixer, run by Eggie. After the cement was mixed, it was shoveled into other buckets. We made an assembly line and passed the buckets down the assembly line to be poured into the foundation. After a long morning of work, we walked up the road to Angel’s house. His wife Maria served us a delectable meal. We headed back to the Big Yellow House to get ready for some afternoon beach time and volleyball. After our dinner we watched a documentary about the Puerto Rican perspective of their government. Then we settled in for the night.🇵🇷
Written by: Elodie, Asa, and Becca
March 2, 2026
Today we woke up around 7:30 am to get ready for our second day doing service work. We got to the site in the early morning and started work immediately, finishing the cement base for the house. We had lunch at Maria’s house and then packed up and went back to the Yellow House. We got ready for the beach and spent about 2 hours there. While we were there, we met and played volleyball with a group of local kids. We eventually came back and showered and played basketball. Then we had dinner, reflected on the day and went to bed.
Written by: Sebas, Maeve, Charlotte, & Julian
March 3, 2026
This morning we had a long and winding drive through the mountains to Hacienda La Tradicion, a local coffee farm in Utuado. First, we went on a tour of the farm and learned how the beans were harvested, dried, and roasted. Carlos told us many important things, such as to never let someone tell you how to drink your coffee. After the tour we went to the structure where they are building a coffee stand overlooking the gorgeous view of the mountains. At the coffee stand we got to try their freshly brewed coffee and enjoy lunch, which was Pasteles made by Jesica, a co-owner of the farm.
After lunch we split into two groups, fertilizers and pruners. The pruners cut the lower branches on the coffee plants so bugs couldn’t climb up and eat the coffee cherries, while the fertilizers gave the plants the healthy nutrients they need. After a break for free time and dinner, we had a salsa lesson. We had an amazing teacher, Yara, who taught us so much, and we all enjoyed dancing together to salsa, and later, reggaeton. Hasta Luego!
By: Alexis, Bea, Leann, Max, and Rhys
March 4, 2026
We started the day by removing wood and nails from the concrete poured by another group, and organizing all of the materials that were used for the project. We then moved to a second site to complete the construction of a sewer. We shared lunch at Maria and Angel’s house. When we returned back to the Big Yellow House, we cleaned up before heading to the beach for the final time. We ended our day with a lovely and heartfelt celebration of our time together with members of the community. We shared dinner, exchanged graditudes and gifts along with a Q&A answered by Angel, the project manager. The evening ended by saying our final goodbyes to the people of the community we worked along side.
By: Becca, Asa, Elodie, Charles, & Cambridge.
March 5, 2026
Today we had an early morning and had our last breakfast at the big yellow house. We arrived at El Yunque National Rainforest after an hour and a half drive, and took a small walk around part of the rain forest. At the rainforest center we learned about how there are almost 20 different types of fish in the river, 13 different types of coquí (Puerto Rican frog) and a type of lizard that you find in the trees and can only live in foresty areas. Fun fact – there are more varieties of trees in El Yunque than in the entire US mainland national parks combined! Then we drove to our lunch with a beach side view, and went souvenir shopping. After that we arrived to our new housing and had an early pizza dinner. Then we arrived at bio bay and went kayaking.
By: Sebas, Maeve, Charlotte, Julian
