The Don Carlo San Martino Institute throws its doors open to spring.
On Saturday, May 4, students, families, and teachers participated in large numbers in “Rigola in Bloom”, the traditional festival that welcomes the most colorful season of the year. There were five main highlights, made possible thanks to collaboration with several local organizations: Bosc’orto, a motor skills path in nature; Tradition in Motion, featuring games from the past; the Book Fair; A Dive into Virtual Reality; and the Cooking Challenge, a culinary competition featuring sweet, savory, and… floral flavors.
Upon arriving at school, in the atrium that welcomes children and teenagers from Monday to Friday before classes begin, the youngest participants experimented with curiosity and great enthusiasm in the sensory stimulation activities proposed by Manuela Vertemati, educator and pedagogist. Surrounded by the scents of the forest, after a greeting to mom and dad, the children were enchanted by the wonderful essences of aromatic plants and created handmade items with rosemary branches, appreciated cocoa beans, and experienced firsthand the riches of the vegetable garden, provided by Cascina Rampina in Monticello Brianza.
Fun also took center stage in the outdoor garden, where the older children stepped into the shoes of Robin Hood. Under adult supervision, the boys and girls challenged each other in an entertaining archery competition, approaching a sporting discipline that promotes the correct use of the body as a means of expression, communication, and social interaction.
A new feature this year was the activity dedicated to virtual reality. Wearing a specific headset, the young guests took a virtual tour of the Earth’s most evocative locations: from the African savannah to tropical forests, from the depths of the oceans to boreal environments. Among the core objectives of the workshop: learning to manage new technologies functionally and becoming even more aware that, today more than ever, it is fundamental to respect our planet and protect biodiversity.
A lively flight of poetic butterflies created by the first-year classes of the lower secondary school accompanied those present to the Book Fair curated by Maria Teresa Nardi, owner of the “Libri e giochi” bookstore in Besana in Brianza. An interesting moment of sharing for parents and children, and an important opportunity to cultivate the pleasure of reading.
Last but not least, the morning of festivities concluded with the Cooking Challenge, the highly anticipated culinary competition that saw the sweet team and the savory team battle for victory… down to the last rolling pin. Floral-themed cupcakes, heart-shaped cakes embellished with strawberries, daisy-brownies, spring-colored focaccias, and appetizing snacks delighted the eyes and palates of the jury, which at exactly 12:30 PM declared the winning team: with 142 votes, the sweet team beat the savory team this year, which collected 138 votes. The small difference in points testified that the beauty and deliciousness of the gourmet creations made the committee’s decision quite difficult.
At the end of the day, gardening took center stage. Before leaving the festival, the students, thanks to the expert advice of the primary school teachers, transplanted a seedling of basil, marigold, and lettuce (donated by the father of a primary school student), as a memento of the spring event. And at the Don Carlo San Martino Institute, the future is cultivated with passion.
