School Spirit

Nido’s The Nest - A Multidisciplinary, Outdoor Space

By: Ameer Najarali (11)

Nido de Aguilas is a living and breathing campus. Founded in 1934, this school has been under constant construction for almost a century. In my time studying here, I have witnessed a few major developments in the school grounds, some of which include the creation of the Aquatics Center, the long-awaited Fine Arts building, and now “The Nest”. Located between the Blue Courts and said Fine Arts building, this quaint and cozy space is intended for outdoor learning and interdisciplinary activities.

To clarify, the magazine you are currently reading is called The NEST: Nido for Excellence in Speech and Thought, whereas this new exterior expansion is called “The Nest”. Our school’s naming convention of relating everything to eagles has finally stabbed us in the back.

Our current junior class is somewhat responsible for the original idea and inspiration for this project. Back in 2018, when the Class of 2023 was in seventh grade, they participated in a science project led by the middleschool teachers Ms. Napier and Mr. Graether, intended to teach about sustainable development at school. Out of this activity stemmed creative diagrams and scale models proposing the design and purpose of what would become The Nest, which was finally inaugurated on 11 November 2021. As a junior myself, I distinctly remember this project as nothing other than busywork, but I am equally prideful and surprised that the Nido community can now reap the benefits of this middle school project.

seeds of this idea, we should be thankful for the planning and organizing done by Mr. Juan E. Vidal, Ms. Javiera Cubillos, and their team of hardworking individuals. Despite the pandemic, the inauguration of this space was very successful and timely.

Nido has made several attempts to introduce outdoor learning to its students. Usually, this happens through field trips such as the Week Without Walls, but here is a place for daily use by all students to partake in alfresco learning or performing. The design of The Nest also reflects this idea, featuring an ample stage, benches, an art gallery filled with student-made sculptures and paintings, and tables with parasols. The rustic ornamentation juxtaposes with the sleek architecture of the building next to it; the addition of this space fits comfortably with our school’s friendly-but-modern design language.

To promote and encourage the use of this new space, Mr. Vidal and Ms. Cubillos hosted an inauguration event last November. The food, beverages, live theater, and music made this special occasion feel like a fair. Four high school clubs were invited to conduct bake sales and the spacious terrain allowed for each one to have a separate stand. As we ate gooey brownies and drank refreshing lemonade under the scorching sun, we enjoyed musical theater performances by a varying cast of middle and high school students. The communal spirit of the gathering reminded me of Nido’s currently-suspended Kermess.

During the inauguration, Martín Zúñiga, a fellow magazine editor, and I conducted several interviews to better understand the public’s opinion about this space. I spoke to Thomas Nichol, a high school senior and member of the HS Musical Theater Club, about his opinion regarding this new addition to our campus. We chatted about the significance of the Nest to the ever-growing drama scene in Nido. He said “I think that with the performing arts, we are going to see a lot of implementation of this space. Especially

because we are in Chile and usually the outside conditions are really good.” He also hopes that it will be used and appreciated by all, saying “we already have the hills, but it’s great that we also have a place where we can sit down and enjoy nature.”

I approached Mr. Zach Beaty, professional outdoorsman, to converse about his view on the expansion. “Obviously, we know that our lives are inside buildings and walls for certain reasons—and that’s understandable. But if we have the opportunity to create spaces where we come out to feel the breeze and the sunshine, and hear the bird, while we are reading, writing, practicing drama lines, drawing, journaling, listening to music, hanging out, or eating lunch— just being outside, we will greatly benefit and better our mental and pysical health. Being outside and with nature can help in many ways, in your head, and in your heart.”

As I interviewed these two, Martin spoke to the Reforestemos Club in their little stand across the field. Taeho Kim and Kalei Miranda, both 12th graders and co-presidents of the activist club, share their thoughts with us. “We think The Nest space is a really great place for our campus. We were thinking of doing something with it for a while. Also, it’s a really good space to show off our art and for people to get together. We do hope for it to get shadier up here,” Kalei says on behalf of her club.

It is clear that The Nest will be successful in its goal of cementing outdoor learning as a staple in our education. As of right now, this place is an empty canvas, but it is up to the students to give it personality and function. I am personally most excited for the possibilities of having a functioning outdoor stage for music. It is our school’s very-own micro amphitheater and I am excited to see student and teachers’ creative implementation of the space. After being stuck at home for almost two years, it is about time to implement outdoor learning into our daily life, and The Nest is the first step in the right direction.