Feliz Cumpleaños Colegio San Andres!
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| Some of the men who were celebrating 50 years since graduating from San Andres |
On the 13th June 1917 the Anglo-Peruano was founded by a Scottish missionary called John Alexander Mackay, under the guidance of the Free Church of Scotland, to provide an education for the elite of Lima. Many of the first students were sons of generals and politicians. The Anglo-Peruano was founded upon Biblical teaching and continues to teach its student based on the Bible. The school's motto became "El principio de la sabiduria es el temor a Jehova" or "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord". The school began as a boys primary school but grew steadily over the years. In 1919 the school grew to include a secondary department with a total of 70 staff and 270 pupils.
In 1930 the school moved to its current location in the heart of the city of Lima (Avenida Petits Tours) although at that time the school was on the outskirts of the town It was recognised by the president of Peru as one of the best academic institutions in Lima and the school continued to grow.
In 1942, the Anglo-Peruano changed its name to what it is now known as: Colegio San Andres. This was an order from the government because at that time, Europe was in the middle of the Second World War and although Peru was neutral and took nothing to do with it, there were fears that businesses with strong links to Britian could encourage problems. San Andres has kept its name ever since. This is very apt since the school has very strong links to Scotland and San Andres or Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.
In 1994 the school underwent more big changes with the introductions of mixed education. The school grew quickly as a result and new buildings were added to cope with the increase in pupils. A kindergarten section was added to the school meaning that San Andres now takes pupils from the age of 2 years to 16 years.
95 years after it all began and having faced financial problems that threatened to close the school, survived a World War, years of military dictatorship and many different headmasters, San Andres now has over 100 staff and 750 pupils from all areas of the city of Lima and from all backgrounds. It still holds firmly to its Christian founding principles and is a steady shining light in a city with much poverty and corruption. Today we celebrated all the blessings God has bestowed on this school and gave thanks for the blessing it has been to generations of young Peruvians.
Today the children had a day off school although the teachers still came in. This morning we had a formal celebration ceremony with those who graduated 50 years ago and 25 years ago to the day from San Andres. The school's history was recounted and we all looked at photos together of the school as it has changed over the years. I couldn't help but think as we looked at the old photos of what John Mackay, the school's founder, would have thought if he'd be there. I'm sure he'd be very happy to see how the school has grown and how much of a blessing it has been to the community it serves but most importantly that it has stuck by its principles when sometimes that has not been easy.
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| 3 cakes!!! |
This afternoon was great! We all headed to a fancy restaurant in Miraflores for a lovely lunch Peruvian style! By the end of it all we could hardly move but unfortunately Megan had a plane to catch so off we went to the airport. I waved Megan off tonight and couldn't help thinking how fast time has gone by since I arrived in Peru in January. I only have 1 month left before I too will be making my own jounrey to the airport for the last time and saying goodbye to all the wonderful friends I've made here. Better make the most of it!
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| A beautiful boquet sent by a nearby school |
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