Escuela Parroquial Santa Rita
Encyclopedia
Escuela Parroquial Santa Rita (Santa Rita Parochial School) is the name of a private, catholic elementary and high school located in the city of San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
, within the province of the same name. It is also referred to as Colegio Santa Rita, since the word colegio is used for private schools in the Dominican Republic.
It was founded in 1961. The school name comes from Saint Rita of Cascia, patron of the lost and impossible causes.
It is administered by the local parish church
, under the direction of the Augustinian Recollects
, a Roman Catholic monastic order. The motto of the school is Science and Love, represented by a heart with a flame above it, and a book, sloped together with what resembles an arrow or a writing plume
. This is precisely the image used by the Augustinian Recollects for themselves.
The school mainly strives for high academic success, discipline, community work and establishing hale and hearty relationships with its students, graduates and the schools parents association.
during the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, and was later donated to the Catholic Church after the end of such period.
There is another building four blocks away heading west, where Maternal Santa Rita was created, for preschoolers. The first four years of elementary school also take place here, although this is very recent.
In the year of its 40th anniversary (2001), a national assessment of schools was done by the State Secretariat of Education, in which Santa Rita achieved 6th place in the nation. Only seven schools nationwide received a score of 900+ in the assessment. The principal in charge of the school during the assessment (and during the previous years) was the then priest Juan Cruz García, who currently directs Sapientia, a school in the City of Santo Domingo
.
The school’s academic quality is often compared with that of Instituto Politécnico Loyola
(Loyola Polytechnic Institute), and even challenged. Such comparison is out of place, since they are different institutions. IPL is a specialized school (with five years of high school and a stricter schedule) which issues technician
and technologist
diplomas; whereas Santa Rita is a regular school.
, charitable fairs, the outdoor movie theater, parties, religious retirements, masses
, etc. A t-shirt was designed with a 40-years anniversary logo, and such logo was in every letter issued by the school that year.
The 40th anniversary ceremony was hosted by Principal Priest Juan, and attended by all teachers, students and important personalities of the city. A speech was also given by the then president and vice-president of the student council, Mary Carmen Storm and Sebastián A. Domínguez-Perozo, respectively. This ceremony and the subsequent School Party were the closure for the 40th anniversary.
. Several interschool tournaments were held during the 80s and early 90s, during which the school created a respectable reputation. Popularity decayed during the mid-90s, but rose again in the late 90s.
A friendly tournament took place in Las Tunas, Cuba on December 1999 between the town of Jesús Menéndez
and Santa Rita. Two categories were created according to age. The younger team won the tournament, while the older team lost.
Other sports are practiced in Santa Rita, such as Volleyball
, Athletics
and Table Tennis
(Ping Pong). There is also a Chess
Team.
San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
San Cristóbal is a municipality and the capital of the San Cristóbal province in the Dominican Republic. Within the municipality there is one municipal district : Hato Damas.-Sectors:*5 de abril*Canastica*El Pomier...
, within the province of the same name. It is also referred to as Colegio Santa Rita, since the word colegio is used for private schools in the Dominican Republic.
It was founded in 1961. The school name comes from Saint Rita of Cascia, patron of the lost and impossible causes.
It is administered by the local parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, under the direction of the Augustinian Recollects
Augustinian Recollects
-History:The Order of Augustinian Recollects or simply the Augustinian Recollects are a Roman Catholic mendicant Catholic religious order of friars and nuns. They are a reformist offshoot from the Augustinian hermit friars and follow the same Rule of St...
, a Roman Catholic monastic order. The motto of the school is Science and Love, represented by a heart with a flame above it, and a book, sloped together with what resembles an arrow or a writing plume
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
. This is precisely the image used by the Augustinian Recollects for themselves.
The school mainly strives for high academic success, discipline, community work and establishing hale and hearty relationships with its students, graduates and the schools parents association.
Location
The Escuela Parroquial Santa Rita is located on Ave. Libertad, right in front of the San Cristóbal city entrance. The building was the San Cristóbal headquarters for the Dominican PartyDominican Party
The Dominican Party was the de-facto only political party in the Dominican Republic during the autocratic rule of Rafael Trujillo, who controlled the country from 1930 to 1961...
during the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, and was later donated to the Catholic Church after the end of such period.
There is another building four blocks away heading west, where Maternal Santa Rita was created, for preschoolers. The first four years of elementary school also take place here, although this is very recent.
Academic Excellence
Santa Rita is recognized as one of the best schools in San Cristóbal, not only for its high average in the National Testing System of the Dominican Republic (first place several times), but for its students excellent performance in college.In the year of its 40th anniversary (2001), a national assessment of schools was done by the State Secretariat of Education, in which Santa Rita achieved 6th place in the nation. Only seven schools nationwide received a score of 900+ in the assessment. The principal in charge of the school during the assessment (and during the previous years) was the then priest Juan Cruz García, who currently directs Sapientia, a school in the City of Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
.
The school’s academic quality is often compared with that of Instituto Politécnico Loyola
Instituto Politécnico Loyola
Instituto Politécnico Loyola is located in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. It is one of the most prominent Dominican technical institutes. It is particularly known for its agronomists. The I.P.L. is the best technical school in D.R. It offers many several technical careers. For example:...
(Loyola Polytechnic Institute), and even challenged. Such comparison is out of place, since they are different institutions. IPL is a specialized school (with five years of high school and a stricter schedule) which issues technician
Technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Experienced technicians in a specific tool domain typically have intermediate understanding of theory and expert...
and technologist
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
diplomas; whereas Santa Rita is a regular school.
40-years anniversary
The year of the 40th anniversary brought many celebrations and activities, such as ralliesDemonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
, charitable fairs, the outdoor movie theater, parties, religious retirements, masses
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, etc. A t-shirt was designed with a 40-years anniversary logo, and such logo was in every letter issued by the school that year.
The 40th anniversary ceremony was hosted by Principal Priest Juan, and attended by all teachers, students and important personalities of the city. A speech was also given by the then president and vice-president of the student council, Mary Carmen Storm and Sebastián A. Domínguez-Perozo, respectively. This ceremony and the subsequent School Party were the closure for the 40th anniversary.
Sports
Santa Rita’s traditional sport is basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Several interschool tournaments were held during the 80s and early 90s, during which the school created a respectable reputation. Popularity decayed during the mid-90s, but rose again in the late 90s.
A friendly tournament took place in Las Tunas, Cuba on December 1999 between the town of Jesús Menéndez
Jesús Menéndez, Cuba
-Demographics:In 2004, the municipality of Jesús Menéndez had a population of 51,002. With a total area of , it has a population density of ....
and Santa Rita. Two categories were created according to age. The younger team won the tournament, while the older team lost.
Other sports are practiced in Santa Rita, such as Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, Athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
and Table Tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
(Ping Pong). There is also a Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Team.