Each year the judiciary system of Guatemala gets together with the Ministry of Education and invites the public and private schools to participate in a contest called “One Day of Justice.”  The purpose of the contest is to evaluate the knowledge of the judiciary system in the new and coming generations.  For this day, the “Justice of Peace” from each municipality hands out documents and information and visits the various schools in his municipality to prepare the students participating in the contest. We also had our kids study beforehand and held our own eliminatory rounds at the school to determine which two students from each of the grades 4  – 1 Basicos (Grade 7) would represent our school during this upcoming “Day of Justice.”

On the 19th of August we met in the municipal meeting room with our students who were all ready for the contest. There were a number of schools and institutions participating, and the top 5 winners for each of the two categories, the Primary category and the Basicos category, would take home a prize.

We were the first ones to arrive, on time, Colegio Cristiano Avivando el Fuego (CCAF), and its students. We sat on the sidewalk waiting for them to open the doors. The other schools began to arrive, late, and the doors were finally opened. Our students, in absolute form, reminded each other to greet their authorities, to say good morning, etc.

Inside, the people in charge put on loud music and the students from the other schools began to run around, some of them even dancing. Our students sat on the floor and studied their notes. When everything began, and they began to order the students in their places, our kids looked out for each other, making sure the others were okay, and knew where they were supposed to be, etc. During the activity they applied their classroom rules, for example, if they had a question, wanted to speak, or needed to hand in their exam, they raised their hands and waited to be acknowledged.

After the testing period, someone in charge of the Department of Education for the judiciary system gave a talk and our students were so respectful and attentive. When the moment came to announce the winners, we saw the hand of God and the effort that our kids had put out for this activity was definitely rewarded. Out of the 8 kids that participated from our school, 6 of them placed! In the Basicos category, we got 2nd and 3rd place. In the Primary category, we took home 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th place! They congratulated our school for the excellent participation of our students.

Everyone was so proud of our kids, their behaviour, their testimony and it was wonderful to see the fruit of the labour that goes on in the school each day: how every morning the kids say to one another, to themselves, are told by their teachers, that they are CHAMPIONS! And this is the case, spiritually and academically. God gives them the victory.

(pictured: winners from the Basicos category with 2nd and 3rd place winners from CCAF on the far right of the photo)

~Karina Castañeda, Principal of CCAF (translated by Julianna Konrad)