Einstein would have smiled at the first Festival held in his name in Nicaragua. March 14 dawned a typically windy day in San Juan del Sur; making tent assembly especially difficult, but persistance paid off and all was ready in time. The science project turnout was disappointing with only three submitted, but the essays were abundant – 120 in all.
The exposition at the library was a big hit with hundreds of students and adults attending. A short video on Einstein’s life was shown, and cake and sodas were served to celebrate his birthday. The library staff did an amazing job of promoting and executing the event. The high turnout of essays is in no small part their doing. Jane Mirandette fully supported the event and was given a plaque in appreciation of the libraries involvement.
Nica Geeks commissioned a solar oven which was on display at the event. Santiago Matteer built the prototype with Scott Kelly coordinating the project. Scott was on hand explaining the physics behind the oven and cooking beans, and then nachos, in it. The senior physics teacher from Estela Mari School invited Scott to speak to her class on the physics of how it works. Next Monday Nica Geeks will host the class on the local roof deck, where the oven resides.
The vice Mayor of San Juan del Sur, Rosa Adelina Rivas Mayorga, gave a wonderful speech. Her support of education is well know and she and Luis Contreras expect to work closely together on future projects to introduce positive changes to the local educational landscape.
Bancentro generously donated cash prizes, a beautiful banner and expense funds. Their support of the event was important and well received by the winners. Many thanks to Marta Zamora and the Bancentro staff who made this possible. The Eistein Festival hopes to continue working closely with Dona Marta as she is a founder of the Curie School in Managua and a leader in educational initiatives in the country.
Pedro Isidrio Lopez, as Master of Ceremonies, animated the crowd with his jokes and contests. His support of the event was well appreciated and his antics amused us all.
Vince Ventre was the winner of the Einstein look alike contest. His acceptance speech was short and to the point: “It’s all relative” he said.
This large undertaking would not have been possible without the help and support of many people. To mention just a few: Efrain and Pallas Diaz From the Global Help Foundation and crew (Michael, Katie, and Nathan) that flew in from Naples, Florida for the event. Their assistance and support of the event made the idea a reality. Efrain worked closely with Luis Contreras of Nica Geeks from the beginning to plan and execute the event. The foundation has plans in the works to create educational and environmental objectives in Nicaragua.
A special thanks to Thomas Dempsey who coordinated logistics and Engel Luna who coordinated the judges. Thanks to all the volunteers, photographers and judges who selflessly worked on the festival including Dan, Cesar (view photos at http://www.pbase.com/danpolley/einstein) , Fabiola, Yajaira, Manuel, Jennifer, Maureen, Michael, Sergio, Daniel, Sandy and John. Their hard work made the vision a reality, their fun disposition made the journey a joy.
Congratulations to Luis and all his team on a great initiative. Luis had this to say: “We learned much this year and hope to make a better event next year. Congratulations to all the winners!”
