Under the title "Travels through the islands of the world", Arenas Internacional School celebrated, this Saturday, March 30, the inauguration of the twenty-fourth edition of its Olympiad, inspired by the dreams of Aurelio, an islander from Lanzarote and his desires to leave the island to discover the magic that the different islands of the world could offer him, through dance, for which he took command of the first submarine built, the Nautilus.
Photos: Sergio Betancort
The Arenas Internacional School Olympiad is one of the most anticipated annual events in which the entire educational community of the Center is involved (families, teachers, students), from the preparation of the costumes to participation in the various sports and cultural activities organized for the Olympic week, which will take place until April 7, 2019.
The presentation of the event was once again in charge of the Director of Arenas Internacional School, Delfina Rodríguez, who reviewed the new features that have taken place this year at the installation level, such as the nursery classroom, new bathrooms in the sports facilities, the Learning Resources Center or the future Children's School in Playa Blanca that will open its doors from September 2019, among others. In her speech, she once again highlighted the values that the Olympiad entails. Thus, she highlighted that "through this journey through the islands of the world, students demonstrate that the islands, so often forgotten on the continents, have been and continue to be a manifestation of cultural wealth, a bridge between civilizations and the greatest exponent of openness to the world".
Next, María del Pilar Gómez, mother of students from the Center, took the floor and offered the Inaugural Proclamation in which she appealed to the collaboration of families, teachers and the School in the arduous but beautiful task of educating children and making them people with great values capable not only of having academic successes but also of helping to change the World. Thus, she highlighted the values offered by the Center and that will fill each student's backpack to face their future. "Our objectives as parents and that of this School is to train people without fear of making mistakes, of falling to get up again, of managing their frustrations and above all of pursuing their dreams and helping others to pursue them too", she said.
After her words, the inaugural gala took place with the participation of all the students of the Center, from 1 Year old Infants to Baccalaureate, in which the performance of the Center's Batucada was also enjoyed. It also featured a representation from the Arenas Atlántico School that offered jumping exercises, and the German students who are on the Island participating in the Exchange Program offered by the Arenas Internacional School; and with a wardrobe that once again caused a sensation among the numerous audience designed by the artist Manuel Camejo and made with recycled materials together with the families of the Educational Center.
The show also featured large puppets with representative figures from four of the cultures represented in the paintings (Japan, New Zealand, Jamaica and Sri Lanka) the result of the imagination of the artists Jesse Wright and Connor Quill, who once again captivated the attendees.
Through gymnastics, dance, the dramatization and the choreographies, it was possible to enjoy a special "Journey through the islands of the world", a story told by Aurelio's grandchildren who, playing in their grandfather's submarine, found a travel notebook in which the different adventures lived throughout his travels through islands such as Japan, Hawaii, Madagascar or New Zealand, among others, were narrated, discovering incredible places and cultures. A journey that ended on the island of his roots, Lanzarote, discovering that it was the island of his dreams, of his memories, of his roots... and so he set course for the island of volcanoes where the adventure concluded.
The final painting was in charge of a group of mothers, teachers and students who offered a joint choreography for the first time that caused great expectation among the public. The entrance of the Olympic Torch, and the subsequent lighting of the cauldron whose honor fell this year on the student of 2nd year of ESO, Sergio Gómez Torres, constituted the final touch of an inauguration full of color, creativity and collaborative work.
