Limitless Horizons Ixil

10/15/2026

Today, on the International Day of Rural Women, we're celebrating the skills, creativity, and voices of young Indigenous women in Chajul! 💻💜

As part of their final exams this week, Colegio Horizontes high school seniors presented their year-end technology class projects, showcasing websites they built using WordPress. Their websites featured projects and activities from other classes in three languages: Ixil, Spanish, and English. Students presented their websites to their families in both Ixil and Spanish to make their work accessible to their local audience.

For young women in rural communities like Chajul, access to technology and quality education opens doors to new opportunities. These projects show how students can develop digital skills while celebrating their Indigenous languages and cultural identities.

10/07/2026

20 Colegio Horizontes students from 7th–10th grades recently gathered for the first visit from our school’s mentor through Guatemala’s national Science Clubs initiative. Their lesson? Forest mapping with drones!

Students watched a drone take flight—many for the first time—and got hands-on experience with GIS mapping tools and data analysis. They also explored how this technology is used in the real world for reforestation, fire and water detection, erosion monitoring, transportation planning, and more, connecting science and engineering to challenges affecting their own communities and environment.

This experience is part of a much bigger opportunity for our students. Earlier this year, Colegio Horizontes joined Quiché’s new School Science Club Network, which gives young people opportunities for hands-on experimentation and learning in biology, chemistry, mathematics, environmental science, and technology. Colegio Horizontes is one of just three rural schools represented among more than 15 clubs across the department of Quiché.

For students growing up in Chajul, where opportunities to engage with STEM beyond the classroom are limited, being part of this network opens the door to new experiences, connections, and possibilities. And alongside the hands-on learning already happening in Colegio Horizontes’ science lab, our students are getting even more opportunities to see just how far their curiosity can take them. 🔬🌱

10/01/2026

This International Children’s Day, we’re celebrating a new space created for our students to learn, explore, and grow. 📚

On September 17th, we opened our new on-site school library! The space is currently stocked with over 300 books, with offerings including Ixil and Mayan culture, fictional novels, science, sports, and technology. With their very own library card, students will be able to spend time in the library, borrow books for free reading time, and even check out books to take home with them.

Johana Asicona, our 2026 Teaching Fellow, will serve as the school librarian. To prepare for the opening, she worked closely with our Community Library team in central Chajul to set up the new library’s systems and bring their experience and best practices into the school. In the weeks before officially opening, students and educators were able to explore the space, walking through hands-on practice with checking out books, learning the Dewey Decimal System, and understanding the norms of using the library.

In Chajul, Guatemala, where access to books is limited and reading for pleasure is not yet a common part of everyday life, having a library right on campus opens up a whole new world for students. Whether they pick up a novel, explore a new interest, or bring a book home to share with their family, our hope is that this space gives students more opportunities to make reading a part of their lives.

09/24/2026

Learning Ixil, one hour at a time! 🕰️

Our ninth-grade students created clocks featuring the fractions of the day in Ixil. Lessons like these are a great example of how learning at Colegio Horizontes is hands-on, creative, and specific to students’ language and culture.

09/15/2026

Happy Guatemalan Independence Day!

At Colegio Horizontes, middle and high school students celebrated Guatemala’s 205th anniversary beginning with a talent show honoring Maya Ixil culture through paintings, poetry, song, and dance.

At seven stations, students were then encouraged to think critically and hone their analysis skills through lessons on Guatemalan cultural identity and diversity. Then, they watched short educational films and translated the main themes and their own reflections into educational murals. To close out the event, students wrote out personal commitments based on what they learned about Guatemalan history outlining how they plan to shape its future.

Extracurricular activities like these are a chance to bring our commitment to culturally grounded education to life—strengthening students’ critical thinking, pride in their identities, and confidence to contribute to their communities.

09/10/2026

Celebrating how our students think, create, and grow, each quarter!

At the end of each school quarter, Colegio Horizontes holds a Celebration of Achievements to celebrate students' academic achievements, critical thinking, and innovation. This quarter's celebratory assembly kicked off with a game of hot potato, where students answered questions like "What is innovation?" and "What is critical thinking?", turning reflection into something playful and interactive.

Next, students were recognized for things like active class participation, consistently completing assignments, approaching problems with creativity, and demonstrating strong analysis and critical thinking, the building blocks of academic growth. Two students from each grade were recognized with a prize: a mug featuring a personal photo alongside a phrase tied to this quarter’s competencies, such as "A good question can change everything" or "Critical thinking guides us; innovation drives us forward."

As 11th grade mentor Olga Caba shared, the day was a chance to look back not just at grades, but at real growth. School events like this are important reminders that success isn't just about the destination, it's about recognizing the mindset and effort that gets our students there.

09/08/2026

📚 Happy World Literacy Day!

Today and every day we celebrate the power of reading to open doors. Since 2004, Limitless Horizons Ixil has been committed to promoting literacy in Chajul, Guatemala, where bookshelves in homes are uncommon and ~50% of adults did not have the opportunity to learn to read.

At our Limitless Knowledge Community Library, Chajul’s first and only public library, bilingual Ixil/Spanish story hours, books, and homework support help children build literacy skills and discover the joy of reading while celebrating their language and culture.

And at our middle and high school, Colegio Horizontes, our locally adapted curriculum strengthens students’ reading, writing, and critical thinking while honoring their Maya Ixil identity. Together, these programs nurture confident readers and lifelong learners, from childhood through high school and beyond.

Do you remember which book/s sparked your love of reading? Share them in the comments! 💬

09/05/2026

"When you invest in an Indigenous girl, you are planting a seed of possibility for a family, a community, and an entire generation."

Today, marks the first-ever United Nations International Day of the World's Indigenous Women and Girls, in recognition of Indigenous women as leaders, knowledge keepers, and agents of change. In celebration of this day, we published an interview on our blog with one of our own students-turned-cultural ambassadors: https://limitlesshorizonsixil.org/notes-from-the-horizon/from-student-to-cultural-ambassador/

High school senior Karelyn recently represented Chajul on two national cultural stages: At Guatemala's premier national festival of Maya culture, where she placed third of 142 contestants, and at the state-wide Ixkik Uk’u’x, where she placed first. As this year's Ixkik Uk’u’x, Karelyn will serve as the cultural ambassador and spokesperson for the state of Quiché, home to more than one million people and dozens of Indigenous communities, including her hometown of Chajul.

Karelyn didn't step onto these stages just to compete, she stepped up to be heard: "I wanted to show that Chajul and the Ixil region are home to talent, ability, and great dreams. To me, speaking also means opening doors and reminding other girls and young women that our identity does not limit us; our roots give us strength."

Karelyn hopes her story is only the beginning, opening the door for many more girls from Chajul and the Ixil region to follow in her footsteps.

Read the full Q&A on our blog for Karelyn’s reflections on her journey as a student at Colegio Horizontes and now as the elected representative of the Indigenous communities of Quiché!

United Nations Development Programme - UNDP UN Women

Join us in honoring Indigenous women and girls worldwide through the story of Karelyn, a leader and advocate for her community.

09/01/2026

What does it take to nourish 115 growing minds? Healthy, balanced meals that give students the energy to learn and thrive.

For six years, Colegio Horizontes has partnered with Proyecto CAN to strengthen our nutrition program. In July, nutritionist Marta Romero Nitsch and Cofounder Penny Rambacher visited our school, where our chefs prepare 230 meals each day—more than 47,000 per school year!

During their visit, Penny and Marta met with our mentorship and operations teams, toured the kitchen with Head Chef Ofelia, and explored how healthy choices are woven into school life.

In a community where more than 75% of people experience food insecurity, we are grateful for Proyecto CAN’s partnership in nourishing our students’ health, learning, and futures.

08/31/2026

Talk about the fruits of your labor! 🌽

Corn grown on our land became cornbread shared with our team, reflecting the same care our staff bring to LHI every day: seeing potential, nurturing growth, and going above and beyond to help it flourish and transform. 💛