Samaritan El Conchi
Projectors & Laptops
December 18, 2022
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Because of Covid we were unable to schedule our Santa Shopping Spree for the Ninos at El Conchi primary school. The Children are back in school, after a two year Covid absence. However, the facility is very restricted and the consideration of having the children come to the Inn for their Shopping Spree was not an option open to us.
We did learn of some pressing problems at the School upon their return to the Classroom, where they needed our help.
The School had one inoperative projector that had beeb shared between 10 Teachers making classroom Power Point presentations. This usage is a paramount as, just like in the US, Mazatlan has a generation of students who have lost two years of classroom education.
We had funds reserved for the School and immediately purchased a new projector we presented to the new Director, (Principal)
Pictured above from the right are Rich Williams, Patty Lizarraga, and the Director of the School, Bruno Ibera.
Our timing was fantastic as the School was celebrating "Dia de Los Muertos" (The Day o the Dead, honoring their ansesstors.) Rich and I were their honored Guests for the School presentation. I'm sharing a few photos of the classroom presentations. 
A teacher explaining who Rich and I were, and all the contributions the Owners at the Inn have made to the school over the last 12 years.
This program of dancing the students were preforming was halted when Pedro the school dog joined in the festivities. Poor Pedro lost and was quarantined.
There were three different classrooms preforming, and of course Boys will be Boys. But, Happy Faces.
Only after the Los Muertos presentation did we discovered some of the major obstacles challenging the Teachers who are attempting to accelerate their students learning making up for the lost two years .
10 Teachers are sharing one projector, and between all 10 only 3 have personal computers. This is only the morning shift with some 350 students, and we are assuming the same on the afternoon session of another 350 students with 10 other Teachers.
The one projector we brought was not about to solve the problem. So Rich and I went back to the drawing board and concluded that we had the necessary funds in our Samaritan account needed to assist the educational process of these children.
We purchased (2) HP 13" laptops and another projector, which will shared with the both school sessions.
Norm Ribble, Patty Lizarraga, Bruno Ibera and Rich Williams came back two days later with the Computers and the second projector. We arranged for each set of equipment to have a rolling Travel Case complete with projector, computer, electrical cords, power strips and HDMI connection cable. With this package everything is stored in one case, and it is complete ready to be taken to the classroom.
The cost of all these items was about $2,250.00, and we have the reserves to cover these expenses
Than it came to light that there were other problems in the infrastructure at the School.
1) One of our AC units, we furnished a few years ago, had been stolen
2) Another one was out of commission
3) The School has added another classroom, and this room does not have Air Conditioning.
We are getting estimates on these three items, and it appears the cost will be in the range of $1,500.00 ~ $1,700.00. We have funds in the Schools reserved account from 2017 to cover this expense and have auhorized the Director to proceed on all three items.
As a side note it was interesting to see the changes that the Mazatlan School Board has incorporated into the safety at the School.
The wire fence along the school yard has been replaced by a block wall with security wiring on top.
Access to the students is through a locked gate, and then the students are only released to their Parents or other authorized adults. Child kidnapping in Mazatlan is the same if not a greater threat than that which exists in the US and Canada. We observed the parents picking up their children, but we efrained from photographing in respect to their privacy.
This communication is not an appeal for funding of these projects
You, the Owners and Guests have already contributed the necessar funds!
BUT, their is a way for you to assist these Teachers and their students. Only 6 of the 20 teachers have a Laptop.
Their teaching skills would be greatly enhanced if each had a personal laptop computer. They would accept anything but what the preference would be is a 13" ~ 14" computer with 8 RAM and a HD of 515 GB. The MSN Windows operational system is preferred as they are trained on Windows.
The reasoning behind the light 13" laptops is that most of these teacher walk several blocks to catch a City bus in coming to the school and then a few more blocks from the bus stop to the facility. A light laptop would be a blessing. So, please search your old stored computers and see if you might have a laptop you don't use.
There are two ways to get the units to the Teachers. If you are coming this year bring your computer to the Inn and give it to Elias Lizarraga. Or ship them to me, as Dottie and I are coming back in March and again next Christmas and we'll carry them down for you.
New Address!
Norman Ribble
5201 Roma Ave NE, Apt 438
Albuquerque, NM 87108
Thank you the Owners and Guest at the Inn or making this possible
Norm
the ole webmaster.