As every year, in the European Marist community we prepare a new slogan that defines and reinforces our values, and accompanies us throughout the course. Today we present the educational slogan proposed for the academic year 2022-2023 “Smile from the heart”. This slogan arises from the simplicity and openness that defines us, smiling, even in stressful situations or when we do not feel so good, produces a biological effect that encourages us to see things from a positive and productive point of view towards ourselves. To continue to show transparency and Marist affection, we unite the smile, a physical reflection of our emotions, with our deepest interior, the heart.
The smile is universal, it is the language that unites us everywhere and something that accompanies us throughout life. If we accompany the smile with the heart, (which represents truth, goodness and emotions) we are inviting to joy as the Gospel does.
In the Marist project we are called to encounter, “to look not only with our eyes, but also with our mind and above all with our heart”; that is why in our daily life we see that with the heart we think, meditate and reflect, we find motivation and we break down walls.
For all these reasons, the Marist provinces of the European region agree in smiling from the heart and we are proud to present our slogan for the whole of this course which we are beginning with excitement in these first weeks of September.
We would like to tell you that throughout the course we will be developing our slogan in order to improve little by little our environment, our community and our society. Each month we will be promoting a different aspect:
September: “with our best smile”, smiling at what is new, at our classmates, our educators.
October: “spread your smile”, to spread and be spread with the diversity that everyone can contribute.
November: “let’s paint smiles”, paint smiles to all children, work on children’s rights.
December: “smile at life”, smile at the arrival of Jesus, welcome Jesus who is for everyone.
January: “smile from the heart”, meet the other, be authentic, smile with the eyes.
February: “And you, why are you smiling?”, stop for a moment, become aware, smile from within.
March: “a new heart”, what do you need to change, heart of stone – heart of flesh, sharing.
April: “remain joyful”, contemplate life, resurrection of Jesus from the heart, Holy Week.
May: “what do you keep in your heart”, month of Mary. , month of Mary, what makes Mary smile?
June: “Look how they smile”, our testimony is the smile of the heart, what we have lived, end of the course.
In addition, we accompany the whole proposal with the design that completes our motto. A poster composed of different parts that create a whole figure next to a desk, putting together different pieces of games, school supplies and learning sheets, each element seeks to show us how diverse but equal we are.
We also find two hearts in the image and a big smile on the person representing boys and girls, which includes three different skin tones. Also school elements that refer to three different cycles of education, it is a logo that seeks to be inclusive and accessible.
In this new school year we want “smile from the heart” to be an invitation to be honest and kind.