On the afternoon of Wednesday, March 31st, “Las Gaviotas” Experimental Provincial School was officially inaugurated. The school was conceived, built and donated to the educational community by our London Supply Group Foundation in collaboration with the Government of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands.
The groundbreaking ceremony, previously deferred due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, was held before the new school building in compliance with the protocols established by the relevant health authorities. Several prominent officials from Tierra del Fuego province were in attendance, among them Vice-Governor Mónica Urquiza, as well as officials from the Municipality of Ushuaia, members of the educational community and representatives from the Foundation.
Established in the year 2003 in the city of Ushuaia, “Las Gaviotas” School has operated without a permanent building, instead moving to different borrowed locations throughout the years. The construction of this new building has realized the dreams of teachers, parents and students of being able to finally settle into their own space. This was made possible thanks to the funds donated by the Foundation, which were raised with the 14th edition of the “London Supply Cup” charity golf tournament. The provincial government, for its part, accompanied the process through the Ministry of Public Works and Services of the province.
The building, with an area of almost 6460 square feet (600 m2), is located on land ceded by the Municipality of Ushuaia in Alakalufes II neighborhood and was specifically designed to meet the particular requirements of the school’s teaching system, which follows the guidelines proposed by the “Roberto Themis Speroni” Institute of Higher Education and places special emphasis on artistic work and active, collaborative learning. A variety of rooms, conceived as visual arts, music and library spaces, are connected to a main hall that can be used both for everyday educational activities with students and for occasional meetings with parents and members of the community at large, because of its scale and operating flexibility. The facilities also include a plant nursery, an expansive space for games, landscaped areas and parking.
In the words of María Taratuty, Director of the Foundation: “Contributing to quality education is one of the key pillars of our organization, so we are immensely pleased to be able to finally inaugurate this site. Not only has “Las Gaviotas” School found a permanent home, but its one hundred and thirty students will find, in this new building, a space specifically designed to support and promote their growth.”
Our most sincere thanks to everyone who collaborated with us to make this dream a reality. Thanks to your support, today “Las Gaviotas” has a permanent home.