Sunil Almeida teacher in Campion School, India, and María Oliva Casasola a teacher in Colegio San José de Villafranca, Spain celebrate their journey as two Jesuit schools who have developed a special bond through the Global Community of Jesuit schools, Educate Magis.

‘The truth is on the streets. Go there and find it for yourself.’ Sometimes the internet and encyclopedias are not the only powerhouses of knowledge. Experience opens up a whole new horizon of wisdom and truth. In the true spirit of Magis, Campion school embarked on its journey to know more of its Jesuit partner school San José de Villafranca in Spain.

The Educate Magis platform has given us an opportunity to know and appreciate Jesuit schools around the globe and inculcate a spirit of ‘Oneness’ amongst the partnering schools. San Jose de Villafranca and Campion have shared a special bond for the last three years and have successfully partnered in online projects.

To take our partnership a step further, 10 students from Campion school along with their Principal and exchange coordinator visited San José from the 8th to the 13th of May 2019.

The school, along with its management, Principal and Ms. Oliva organised the entire program in a meticulous manner.

The students involved themselves in classroom teaching-learning processes, visited various historical sites and the core of the entire program of knowing and appreciating one another’s culture and celebrating the differences and similarities was successfully accomplished.

Campion school has invited San Jose students along with their Principal and teachers to India in order to build stronger relationship between both the Jesuit institutions and start a new epoch on the Educate Magis platform.

Sunil Almeida

Educate Magis was born and, suddenly, a window was opened to the world through which we could look out and glimpse the enormous spectrum of Jesuit Schools, diverse in their styles and contexts, but united by the shared mission to form men and women for others.

With this spirit that broadened our horizons, we set out to explore this new world, in which each contact was a source of joy and motivation to advance in our vocation as Ignatian educators.

This exchange came to fruit with the first visit of a delegation of Campion School to San José School in Villafranca in 2017 and a second visit accompanied by the Director General and the Coordinator of Exchanges, Mr Sunil, last May 2019; the students of both schools lived together within a program of academic and cultural activities that served to build bridges and, learning from cultural differences and similarities, to establish bonds of friendship that will no doubt stand the test of time.

We thank Ciara and the entire Educate Magis team for their help in making these experiences, that allow us to grow and unite as one universal body, possible.

María Oliva Casasola

If you are interested in an international collaboration like this, check out this invitation by Oliva!