Pulsera Project raises over $2,000 for Nicaraguan youth

Hannah Ziomek
Colorful, handmade bracelets from Nicaragua were sold by students at the high school during all three lunches at the end of last year. Over $2,000 was made through the high school’s involvement in this nationwide effort known as the Pulsera Project. Pulsera means “bracelet” in Spanish. The money raised by the sale of the $5 bracelet was sent back to support the Nicaraguan artisans who made them.

The money will be used to build schools, homeless shelters for teens, and will support about thirty families of the artisans making the bracelets.

The Pulsera Project came to the high school particularly because of Spanish teacher Paula Lonergan. “I heard about about the project a couple of years ago when a friend had seen it done at a school,” said Lonergan. “I thought it sounded so cool but I had no idea how to get it going or how to access it.”

In October of last year, Lonergan went to the MaFLA conference (a foreign language conference) and found out how to bring the Pulsera Project to the high school.

“I ended up having a conversation with a woman who teaches in Roxbury,” said Lonergan. “She gave me the name of the people to contact to get it going.”  

With help from Spanish teachers Tiesa Graf and Ann Pancione, Lonergan encouraged students to get involved. The Spanish teachers had pulseras on display in their classes and urged students to buy and participate in the selling of the bracelets.

Students and teachers bought pulseras for themselves, their friends, and families. Lonergan said that many people bought multiple pulseras at once, planning to give them as gifts during the holiday season. “Students and teachers have been going crazy for this,” said Lonergan.