Tomás is talented. This is how the director of the Tomás de Iriarte Compulsory Education Institute, Victoria Díaz, described it on Tuesday, 28th May, during the opening of the new exhibition hall Historiarte. The permanent exhibition is a compilation of the history of the institution and the writer it is named after, open for visits from locals and other educational institutions. The opening coincides with the 55th anniversary of its establishment as an academic space.
The IES is the second oldest in the capital, following Andrés Bello, which has been offering Bachillerato since 1969. The event was attended by the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo; the President of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila, and the Mayor of Santa Cruz, Manuel Bermúdez. The director thanked the authorities for making time in their schedules to attend and gave special mention to the Autonomous Culture Body and the representatives present for funding the exhibition. She also acknowledged the rest of the attendees, many of whom were linked to the institution, such as former students, current and former staff members, and directors from other schools in the district.
As a display of talent, one of the Fourth-year ESO students performed a piano piece that marked the beginning of the presentation before the visit to the exhibition hall. The vice-director, Pilar Longares, was the first to speak. She did not do so in her official capacity, but as a former student, moved and speaking from the heart and the excitement of continuing to be part of the institute that saw her grow. Victoria Díaz, the institute’s director since 2021, then took the floor to highlight the honour she felt to lead one of Santa Cruz’s oldest institutions “on such a memorable and significant day.”
The history of Tomás de Iriarte is closely linked to the adjacent building of the Sagrada Familia, known as Casa Cuna. The institute became associated with teaching after the closure of its activities as a former maternity ward at the mentioned location. The director emphasised that thousands of the municipality’s inhabitants completed their secondary education at the institute. Specifically, according to a study by one of the teachers, four out of ten chicharreros (residents of Santa Cruz) passed through the classrooms of the centre located in Miramar.
The director with the political representatives at the entrance of the Institute / Arturo Jiménez
Enrolment numbers declined due to factors such as birth rates, but when Victoria took on her role, she set herself a challenge: to restore the enthusiasm and bring back the reputation the institution once held. The creation of the exhibition hall and the focus on student committees and social media are some of the new projects encouraging participation and fostering community spirit.
Team and Family, the core of the institution
Teachers Sara and Dácil put together a video highlighting the most representative aspects of the old and current Tomás. Activity, team, family, speciality, and growth were some of the descriptors used by those who are part of its community to describe the Institute.
When talking about talent, it was only fitting to mention the youngest member of the musical group Adexe y Nau. Adexe studied his Bachillerato there and only has good words for those who accompanied him through that period he admitted had been “the most beautiful of his life”. Particularly for the teachers who motivated him to study Teaching at the University of La Laguna. Emotionally and amidst applause, he performed two songs from his repertoire: the first was Solo amigos, as he had recorded it in that building, and the second, Fuente de los deseos, his latest release.
The singer Adexe, from Adexe and Nau / Arturo Jiménez
Visit to the exhibition hall
After the obligatory photo, Díaz, with Clavijo’s assistance, unveiled the commemorative plaque that will adorn the entrance to the hall. The exhibition features current issues of the school’s newspaper and a 1997 edition of the old newspaper Pasillo. Clavijo was surprised to find an interview with former CD Tenerife player Felipe Miñámbres hidden within its pages, which he enthusiastically showed to Bermúdez.
Meanwhile, Dávila read a panel documenting the history of Tomás de Iriarte and Casa Cuna. Official documents, informative QR codes, comics narrating the history of the institution—using teenage-friendly language according to the director—and the image of Tomás de Iriarte adapted to all eras of history using Artificial Intelligence. Characterised as both male and female to promote equality.
Moment in which the room’s plaque was revealed / Arturo Jiménez
After signing the guestbook, the tour concluded on the rooftop, allowing a view of the Sagrada Familia and the coastline. “You can see the sea from all the classrooms,” boasted the director to the political representatives present at the 55th-anniversary celebration.
