Justice in Bloom



I flew into Mexico City on Wednesday, March 20, knowing nothing about the jacaranda. “A genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Mexico, Central America, South America, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and the Bahamas;” it is a gorgeous purple, and this deep hue colored my view through the airplane window as we made our descent. It seemed that the beautiful trees were everywhere throughout my 6-day sojourn in this vibrant city.

The city reminded me constantly of CSW: an obvious sense of community, a love of the arts, a deep-seated belief in justice, and people who cared profoundly about the world around them.

Community: the small districts of CDMX (Ciudad de México), like Condesa and Roma are built around collaboration and pride, with beautiful parks and foodstands everywhere, within a dog-friendly setting.

The arts: well let’s begin with the three great muralists — Rivera, Siqueiros, and Orozco — and end for brevity’s sake with the great Frida Kahlo. On the way, let’s recognize Jorge Marín and his incredible community sculptures, including my favorite, El Vigilante.

Justice & the environment: demonstrations and activism are integral to life in CDMX, where vertical “green” walls are common.

My few days in this stunning part of the world ended with a visit to Teotihuacan, once a flourishing pre-Columbian city, and possibly the sixth largest city in the world at that time. As I flew back over the blooming jacarandas, I knew I had learned a great deal about the people of this city, and I was equally reminded of the seeds we plant in our small part of the world here at CSW.
 

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.