February 14, 2023

February 2023: Palapa Society News

12th Annual Todos Santos Open Studio Tour

The 2023 Todos Santos Open Studio Tour welcomed 508 guests to the weekend tour. This was the largest tour in its 12-year history with 58 artists and 38 locations. The Palapa Society raised just under $20,000 USD. It was an incredible weekend filled with amazing art and lots of fun.


Thank you to all artists, guests, volunteers, and sponsors. It wouldn't have happened without you. Save the Date: February 2 - 4, 2024, for next year's event.

Thank You to The Artists, Sponsors and Attendees

 
 

The Palapa School

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.

The After School Art Program is Back

After an over 2-year hiatus, we are excited to announce the return of the After School Art Program. Palapa School Art teacher RocĂ­o Altamirano has developed a curriculum that includes Rhythmic Painting, Artistic Drawing, Art Therapy, Sensory Art, Body Art, and Sculpture.


The Palapa Society's President, Erick Ochoa, who founded the Art Program over ten years ago, is thrilled we are able to provide this opportunity to teens in the community.

Global Gateway Visiting Teacher Program

By Ardice Farrow



Thanks to the partnership of The Stewart Family and Laura Stachowski of the Global Gateway Program at the University of Indiana, there are two potential Global Gateway teachers interested in teaching English at The Palapa School - one for Fall 2023 and one for Spring 2024. 

We look forward to sharing the progress of this new program in the upcoming school year.

Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska

By Paty Baum, Director 


The Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska (BEP) is anxious to reconnect with the children of Todos Santos and Pescadero through reading and art projects. Every third Saturday, an interactive literacy and art project for ages 5-12 will be offered. The sessions will include sea turtles (January 21), whales (February 18), and fish and marine flora (March 18). The children’s library has a good selection of books about the environment as well as age-appropriate guides to flora and fauna. All are invited to join us for an exciting session about regional biodiversity, of which there is an abundance in Baja California Sur.


The BEP is happy to announce we are offering use of the Palapa Society’s digital pianos on Mondays from 11:00-12:30. Library members can sign up for 30-minute sessions to play our fantastic digital pianos. Headphones with a ¼” jack are required. Beginning level piano books are available for use during the sessions, as well as a selection of sheet music from rock to jazz. We want our community library to be more than just books.


The BEP would like to thank various anonymous members of our community for the generous donations of books in January. We are always looking for donations, particularly new works of fiction and non-fiction. 


Correction from December’s newsletter: The library has never had fines for overdue materials. We will continue with this policy. Returned overdue library materials are welcomed with a smile. Please try our new book drop to the left of the entrance gate with 24/7 access.


BEP hours M,W, F 10:00am -1:00pm

Todos Santos Writers Workshop

The Palapa Society would like to thank Todos Santos Writers Workshop for including us in their retreat. On February 1st they held a special event with Comedy Writer Andrew Nichols.

Participants in the event donated to our organization. $307 USD was raised and the Todos Santos Writers Workshop will match! 

Puente al Inglés (Niños)

by Jacki Gillespie, Director 


Classes are back in session. We are working on some projects for the students in the upcoming months, which will involve doing group activities to further the learning experience for all students. 


This month our student assistant, Fernanda, has started teaching for the first time. A former student, she jumped in to help when we had a teacher out. She is doing an amazing job and will be featured in next month's newsletter. 


If you are looking for ways to help our program, please consider volunteering. If you don’t have time, or are not currently in Todos Santos, we can always use donations of supplies. 

Puente al Inglés (Adultos)

By Kate Lewis, Director


Our first term of 2023, got off to a great start with some new teachers working alongside teachers who have been involved with the program for several years. We have over 50 students this term, many of whom are coming to us as beginners as well as a large group of returning students eager to continue their language journey. 


With each new term, there are more and more people interested in learning or improving their English skills. In the 15 years since the Adult English Program began, we have seen firsthand the opportunities opened up that may have otherwise not been available to our students.  


Our last class of this term will be Thursday, March 30th. We plan to hold one of our always-popular Intercambios that evening. More info as the date approaches.


We always welcome new teachers and assistants to join us. As Todos Santos continues to grow, you would be making a huge contribution to our community.


Contact adultenglish@palapasociety.org with any questions. 

The Palapa Society's Community Event Calendar
 

March 5, 2023

Historic Home Tour of Todos Santos - Cancelled for 2023


April 1, 2023

1st Annual Masquerade Party

Siempre Viva, Pescadero

Fundraiser for The Palapa Society


April 29, 2023

Donor Appreciation Party

Special Thank Yous

Thank you to Todos Santos visitor Hallie Krinski for her very thoughtful donation of about a dozen new adult and children’s books for the Biblioteca Elena Poniatowska, as well as a bag full of art supplies. We’ll be sure to use these at the monthly Children’s reading and craft hour. 

Todos Santos Open Studio Tour Artists

Thank you!

Anne Hebebrand

Annebet Muceus

AR Galeria - Arturo Elfeo

Archie Gomez

Ardis Young

Barro Sur - Steve Jacobi 

Benito Ortega

Buena Vista Studio - Dennis Canty

Cesar Perales

Chris Wyrick

Christa Assad & Kevin Wickham

Coral Lucero Cortés

Denise Dowd

Elena Vazquez

Emanuela Gardner

Erick Ochoa

Ezra Katz

Galeria La Rosa by Nicole Matta Santos

Gerardo Rendon

Gina Cerda

India Maya

Jan Marie Sessler

Jana Soper

Jason Durland

Jenelle Aubade-Caracas

Jill Logan

Jill Mollenhauer

Jill Valliere

Jimena Garcia

José Miguel Blanco

Kate Turning

Kenny Viese

Kimberly Norberg

Maxine Jacobson

Laura Zick

Lee Mothes

Linda Corbet

Magik Vortex - Charlotte Hacker Mullen

Marc Bjorklund

Margarita Nuñez

Mari José Coppel

Mark Gabriel

Marsha Dahlquist

Mayra Castillo

Mia Von Loga

Migrante Galeria

Miguel Guerrero

N.E. HAYLES Studio

Napoleon Dominguez

Oliver Martinez

Pablo Marquez

Sarah Givens

Sofia Ramos

Todos Artes - Donna Billick

Tori Sepulveda

Wendy Seskind

January Donors

Andrea Park

Andy Boretto

Anne Patterson

Bonnie Gould

Bryan & Sergio Jauergui

Charleen Hird

Cheri Serna

Cynthia Klein

Dany Lamote

Elsa Corrigan

Holly & Larry Blumenstyk

Jennifer Nichols

John Denning

Karen Hannan

Kerry Ritchie

Laura & James Herrick

LaVenda Lee

Lisa Niehaus

Margaret Kaplan

Maria Jose Coppel

Mia Von Loga

Jamie Sechrist

Denisse Tavizon

Patricia Deuster

Patricia Kilpatrick

Paul David Mena

Rebekah Champagne

Sandra Langley

Susan & Ken Churchill

Teri Clark

Tom & Chris Hamer

Vickie Butler

Virginia Spencer

Our Family of Monthly Donors

Connie & Andy Mical

Angelica Velez Mendez

Anthony & Lee Irons

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Brian and Lynn Kuske

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Sydney & Greg Schweitzer

Teresa Laird

Tori Sepulveda

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Virginia Gollery

William & Cathleen Small

 

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MISSION
The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C. exists to make a positive difference in people’s lives through inspirational quality education and timely support through community service and programs.

VISION
It is the vision of The Palapa Society of Todos Santos, A.C. to be a sustainable, accessible community focused organization in which quality educational programs empower choice filled lives and create positive transformational change.
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