05/16/2018 10h32

Marianist Association started the construction works of new school in Bauru

Focused on the education of the individual as a whole, the Chaminade School should be ready to welcome its first students by 2020

Investe São Paulo

The Marianist Association of Education and Culture (Associação Marianista de Educação e Cultura  - AMEC), a Brazilian representative of the Catholic entity Society of Mary, started, in the city of Bauru, the construction works of the first school to be build by the institution in the state of São Paulo. The Chaminade School (Colégio Chaminade), as it will be called, will have a structure with a capacity for than 1,000 students and 100 employees.

The implementation project relies on the support provided by Investe São Paulo, the Investment Promotion Agency of the state government, which has been assisting the Marianists mainly in matters related to the infrastructure of the surrounding area where the school will be built, in Vila Aviação.

“The entity is extremely concerned about meeting all the legal and environmental standards in the construction of this project. Our role has been crucial in reconciling all the structures involved, making the process more agile and secure,” says the Agency’s business director, Sérgio Costa.

The land acquired for the construction of the school covers 47,000 square meters, but approximately 46% of this area (20,000 square meters) will be separated for preservation. “The lower part of the land, which used to have a lagoon that we are going to revitalize, will be an area dedicated to teaching our students to take care of the environment and preserve nature,” explains the director of Chaminade, Édio João Mariani.

Mariani and other members of AMEC have visited several Marianist schools around the world, mainly in Spain and the United States, to structure the Brazilian version with an innovative educational methodology, based on the experience of the 200-year-old network, which is present in more than 35 countries. “We are creating a full-time education institution with Christian values and a philosophy totally focused on the complete development of the human being as a unique individual and integrated into a world in constant transformation,” he says.

The Chaminade School will have a broad and modern structure that meets all needs of full-time education for the 21st century and for a good interaction of all members of the educational community. The school should start operations in 2020, with 40 to 50 employees working with children, teenagers and young people at all levels of basic education.

International focus

One of the advantages offered by the Chaminade School is the focus on providing a good quality education of English and Spanish. For the Marianists, communication in different languages, as well as the access to advanced communication technologies, are essential for the education of children and young people in the 21st century.

Furthermore, the institution will also promote a direct connection between its students and educational institutions of the Marianist network in Spain, where there are 17 schools, and in the United States, where there are three universities and several religious schools. The contact can be made both for the cultural exchange of students and for the training of educators.

Target audience

The Chaminade School seeks to provide quality education at a fair price to all the families of Bauru and region. “We will establish a cost plan that allows us to offer a monthly tuition that is consistent with all the educational aspects that will be provided,” explains Mariani. The idea is that activities that are usually held outside the school, such as language classes, sports, culture and citizenship, are included in the standard curriculum.

About AMEC

AMEC is a civil and philanthropic society based in the city of Bauru, in the state of São Paulo, which integrates people who are directly and indirectly related to the Society of Mary (Marianists).

The entity provides permanent social and educational services, without discrimination of political, religious and social ideologies. It aims at promoting education in accordance with Christian principles and values, developing educational, welfare and cultural activities that collaborate to a society that is more humane, free and supportive, based on the principles and objectives established by the Society of Mary.

About the Marianists

The Marianist Family originates from a lay movement, created by the French priest William Joseph Chaminade in the early nineteenth century and which became two different institutes:  the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (DMI) and the Society of Mary (SM). Throughout history, both have spread and divided into branches across the world with the mission of uniting intellectual and moral education to education within the Catholic faith.

Today, the Marianists are present in 35 countries around the world. Religious and lay share the same mission, encouraging evangelization in schools, universities, parishes, centers of social promotion and  education, houses of prayer, etc. They all live their particular vocation, respecting different professions and occupations, in a mission inspired by Mary who collaborates with the Church in the evangelization and construction of a better world for all.