Between history, faith, and identity: Albertian students discover the legacy of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

In the framework of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the coronation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as Queen and Mother of Chile, students from all levels of our school participated in a meaningful educational experience in their History classes. The objective was to learn about and appreciate the importance of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, recognized as the Patroness of Chile and a figure deeply connected to our country's history.

Over the course of two classes, the activities were adapted for each grade level, allowing children and young people to deepen their understanding of the historical, cultural, and spiritual significance of this important Marian devotion through active, collaborative, and contextualized learning experiences.

Students from Pre-K to 4th grade carried out the activity "A Garden for Our Lady." Following a guided conversation about her history and meaning, each student created a paper flower inscribed with values such as love, friendship, joy, respect, and hope. Later, the flowers were decorated with color and gathered into a beautiful collective garden, representing the care and values that our educational community wishes to cultivate.

In the middle school cycle (5th to 8th grade), students took part in the activity "100 Years Accompanying Chile," where they learned about the main historical milestones related to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. After reading a bibliographic source, they organized into teams to create an illustrated timeline.

9th and 10th-grade students (I° and II° Medio) completed the activity "The Army and Our Lady of Mount Carmel," focusing on researching the close historical link between the Chilean Army and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Using various sources of information, the students conducted research that they subsequently transformed into informative posters, highlighting Our Lady's role as a symbol of protection and her relevance in shaping national identity.

For their part, 11th and 12th-grade students (III° and IV° Medio) engaged in a guided reading and a space for reflection on the socio-historical importance of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for the Chilean people.

Although this educational experience was led by the History department, it allowed for the integration of content from History, Civics, Language, Visual Arts, and, naturally, Religion. Likewise, it fostered the development of research skills, collaborative work, artistic expression, reading comprehension, and critical thinking.

As an educational community, we value these opportunities that allow us to know and understand the events that have shaped our country's history, strengthening a sense of belonging, respect for our traditions, the comprehensive development of our students, and our Catholic identity.