Students happily engage with Matrix, their newfound friend. Tori Repole Photo
The students at Pioneer Park Elementary School will never forget the day they saw Matrix. Not The Matrix, as in the 1999 sci-fi movie, but Maria Newman’s gorgeous gray gelding who paid them a visit on March 4 thanks to a collaboration by JustWorld International, Rodriguez Equestrian, StoryBook Treasures, and Belle Herbe Farm.
It’s not every day that the kids get to interact with a horse on the field of their Belle Glade, Florida, campus. For many, the interaction marked their first time seeing a horse in person, and Matrix brought their imaginations to life.
Volunteers and JWI Ambassadors at Pioneer Park Elementary School. Mike Souza/So Chill Media Photo
“It was a joy to see how excited the students were to see Matrix and how brave they were to approach him,” said Tori Repole, JustWorld’s Community Engagement Associate. “Matrix transformed the horse from a mythical creature into a living and breathing animal the students could approach, pat, and talk to. It was sweet hearing them comment about how soft he is. Or how loudly he sneezes, just like them. This trip was incredibly meaningful, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to witness the indescribable allure of horses time and time again.”
Pioneer Park Elementary is one of two Title 1 schools in JustWorld’s U.S.-based work, in partnership with StoryBook Treasures. The collaboration provides five literacy kits a year to children in pre-K through third grades, including lesson plans, books the children can take home, and small treasures designed to build a love of reading in all students.
We kicked off the day with a 45-minute commute from JustWorld’s Wellington headquarters to the Pioneer Park campus. Matrix traveled in a truck and trailer donated for the day by Olympian and JustWorld Ambassador Juan Andres Rodriguez, who owns and operates the Wellington-based Rodriguez Equestrian. As a treat to the Pioneer Park students and faculty, Juan Andres conducted four mounted sessions to showcase the horse and rider connection.
“We’re thrilled as Rodriguez Equestrian to [partner with JustWorld] at Pioneer Park Elementary School, bringing some happiness to these wonderful kids,” Juan Andres said. “We’re happy to share the passion we have for our sport and our horses.”
Juan Andres represented Guatemala at the 2008 Olympic Games with the Dutch Warmblood stallion Orestus VDL. At Pioneer Park, his twin daughters, Ana Sofia and Ana Cristina Rodriguez, took the initiative as JustWorld Ambassadors to warmly welcome each group of students, introducing them to Matrix and their father before narrating each mounted session to explain the horse gaits and rider aids. The children also had a chance to ask questions, and Juan Andres explained things such as how long it takes a horse to eat a carrot and demonstrated, at the children’s request, how fast Matrix could go.
Read on . . .
Students quickly make friends and gain confidence with Matrix. Tori Repole Photo