How can we brighten someone’s day? One powerful way is by recognizing what they do for us. That is exactly what the K5 students at The Columbus School did when they traveled across Medellín to spread gratitude and strengthen their sense of belonging within the community. Their mission was to identify the city’s public servants and personally thank them with a certificate created by the students themselves, designed through their own learning and creativity.

This project is rooted in the Primary Years Programme (PYP) methodology, which promotes the inquiry cycle and culminates in real-world action. During this unit, students explored the Central Idea: “Community helpers keep our community safe and functioning.” Through this exploration, they visited garbage collectors, security guards, nurses, firefighters, cleaning staff, construction workers, and many other everyday heroes who make community life possible.

By taking their learning beyond the classroom, our students develop open-mindedness, understanding and valuing the many roles within society. This experience also strengthens the Character Counts values, demonstrating gratitude, respect, caring, responsibility, and citizenship by recognizing that every job has dignity and deserves appreciation.