14.06.2023

Arraial 2023 has the theme “Amazon – a forest of traditions.”

Beacon’s June festival is an event organized by the community for the community. With the commitment to being a school that values Brazilian identity and popular culture, students, families, staff, and teachers have come together to prepare a special celebration in the second edition after the pandemic.

This year, we sought a broad proposal that would be both current and shed light on our rich culture. That’s how we arrived at the theme “Amazon – a forest of traditions.” We understood that beneath this forest, we could explore different sub-themes that connect with various areas of knowledge, concepts, and our Investigative Units. We addressed traditional practices of indigenous and riverside cultures, as well as nature and ecology, and delved into the issues surrounding preservation and sustainable development.

Rhythms and Cultures

The Visual Arts, Music, and Physical Education (P.E.) disciplines worked together from G1 to Y7, creating intersections between their languages.

From G1 to G4, the children participated in musical and artistic experiences that brought them closer to the June festival and its festivities through traditional Brazilian songs and games. Although these were rehearsed beforehand, they were not meant to be strict performances, but rather aimed to provide pleasure and a sense of participation in this grand celebration.

From G5 to Y5, each grade level explored different rhythms, ensuring that students became familiar with and experienced various cultures throughout their academic journey. Visual Arts approached the theme by creating adornments related to dances, while P.E. focused on teaching the necessary body movements for the dances, such as laterality, impulse, spatial displacement, and other ways to organize and systematize movements.

For Y6, the main project was the development of patterns. One of the key references was the indigenous patterning used for body painting and objects, as observed in the Asurini people. The results of this production will be showcased in the next edition of the Beacon Visual Art Show.

Y7 focused on the diverse rhythms of Brazil. Students chose a culture of interest, conducted research, and selected a song that represents that cultural manifestation. They learned to play and sing the chosen song and concluded their project on the day of the festival by opening the dances of each grade level.

Charitable Raffle and Jatobá Project

This year, the Charitable Raffle aimed to raise funds for the Beacon Institute. The proceeds supported the Field Study trips of scholarship students from the Jatobá Project, which identifies talented young individuals from public schools and enhances their academic knowledge.

The Charitable Raffle received contributions from over 5,300 people and, together with the “Who Donates More” Challenge, raised over R$70,000, which was fully donated to the Institute. The involvement of everyone in these actions certainly contributed to enriching and developing the Beacon community and our society.

For more information about the Beacon Institute and the Jatobá Project, click here.