The colors and shapes were different. The whiter the hair, the rounder the shapes. But the sparkle in their eyes was the same and denounced them: those people that were arriving in the city, packed their car and headed towards the old/new (?) Secondary School of Silves belonged to more than seven hundred students, teachers and employees who went remember the old days.
And if there were things to remember: the old installations, the epic train rides and other means of transport used to go to school (at that time, having a car was a mirage), the former classmates and students, the songs, the old photographs that emerged from the pockets of some, all this was paraded throughout the late afternoon/night of Saturday, June 30th.
There was also time to watch the release of the book “Memories of a school” written by Professor Elias Irio, who was massacred by former students to autograph the book, but who even had the right to the traditional “Happy Birthday” sung by everyone in unison, as he did years precisely on this day.
Memories and poems were paraded around the tables where the dinner took place, under the roof of the new facilities and overlooking the old gym, on one side, and the works' containers, on the other, music on stage by former students ( including a "rockada" from the old days), the song "Minha Escola, Meu Amor", composed on purpose for this dinner by Zé da Ponte (lyrics and music), magic by colleague Dagoberto (ie by Professor Herrero), and music of prom at the end. The party was beautiful, man!
The history of the School of Silves
The School of Silves was inaugurated on October 5, 1920 and was a daughter of the ideals of the 1st Republic. It was then called João de Deus Elementary School of Commerce and Industry. It was located in a building on Rua Cândido dos Reis, bordering Rua Latino Coelho, recently demolished and then rebuilt, maintaining the traces of the original façade.
Among the distinguished students of the first years, there was the plastic artist Maria Keil do Amaral, recently deceased at the age of 97, and whose name was Maria da Silva Pires, the daughter of an industrialist from Silva.
Another distinguished student was the opposition politician and trade unionist José Rodrigues Vitoriano.
With the increase in the number of students and the new pedagogical needs, in 1930 the school was transferred to new premises, on Rua João de Deus, and was renamed Escola Industrial and Comercial João de Deus.
At this stage, it had as interim director the painter Samora Barros, who was a teacher there for 36 years.
In 1959, the school, then known as the Technical School, moved to its new premises, where it still stands today.
In 2010, as part of the works of the public company Parque Escolar, the current Secondary School of Silves (name it adopted after the 25th of April, when the name Commercial and Industrial School was no longer used) began to be the target of extensive work. refurbishment and expansion, which should cost more than 11 million euros.
It turns out that, due to Parque Escolar's financial difficulties, the works were stopped. But now, while this intervention is not completed, the school lacks some basic equipment for its normal functioning.
See all photos of the dinner and party at photo gallery highlighted here on the right side.
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