Instituto Regional Federico Errázuriz

Federico Errázuriz Regional Institute
Instituto Regional Federico Errázuriz (IRFE)
IRFE in March 2007.
Location
Avenida Errázuriz 670, Santa Cruz, Chile
Santa Cruz
Chile
Coordinates 34°38′11.84″S 71°21′30.66″W / 34.6366222°S 71.3585167°W / -34.6366222; -71.3585167Coordinates: 34°38′11.84″S 71°21′30.66″W / 34.6366222°S 71.3585167°W / -34.6366222; -71.3585167
Information
Type Primary and secondary
Motto "Dios y Patria" (English: God and Motherland)
Established 1940 (78 years ago)
Principal Cristián Molina Mera
Number of students 1,744
Color(s)               
Website www.irfe.cl (in Spanish)

Instituto Regional Federico Errázuriz (Federico Errázuriz Regional Institute, in Spanish), also known as President Errázuriz Regional Institute or I.R.F.E., is a primary and secondary school in Santa Cruz, O'Higgins Region, Chile.

It was founded in 1940 by Carlos Errázuriz Mena, member of the Chilean Christian Board.[1] It is named after the former Presidents of Chile Federico Errázuriz Zañartu, and Federico Errázuriz Echaurren.[1] The current Principal of IRFE is Cristián Molina, who was preceded by Oscar Patricio Reyes González (2006-2017).[2]

Federico Errázuriz Regional Institute was ranked as the sixteenth "best school in O'Higgins Region" by Federico Santa María Technical University, in 2009.[3] It is only surpassed in Santa Cruz by Colegio Santa Cruz de Unco, which is ranked sixth.[3]

History

Façade of the Instituto Regional Federico Errázuriz in the 1940s.

The Instituto Regional Federico Errázuriz was founded in 1940 by Carlos Errázuriz Mena, a member of the Chilean Christian Center Foundation (Spanish: Fundación Centro Cristiano),[1] as Instituto Regional Presidente Errázuriz (Spanish: President Errázuriz Regional Institute).[4] Its foundation is often attributed only to the Foundation.[5] The institute's first Principal was Father José Kuhl, a Pallottine priest from Limburg, Germany, who also wrote the institute's anthem.[1][5][6]

The Pallotines left Chile in 1968, and control of the institute was given back to the Christian Center Foundation.[5] The Bishop of Talca appointed Presbyter Octavio Godoy Reyes as Principal in 1968. He held the job until 1980, when he died.[1] Monsignor Luis Daza Osorio then became Principal, succeeded in 2006 by Oscar Patricio Reyes González,[2][1] who held the position until 2017. The current principal is Cristian Molina Mera.

Controversies

A student being bullied at IRFE pictured. Bullying has been a constant, unresolved problem in this school.[2]

Bullying has been a constant, unresolved problem at Instituto Regional Federico Errázuriz. In June 2010, the mother of a fifth grade (quinto básico) student denounced he was beaten by classmates in their classroom, as they closed the door to impede intervention from their peers, in May of that year. The school's principal Óscar Reyes told local media he was "profoundly sorry" about the situation, but stated that it was not a "big deal", as the aggressors were temporally expelled from the school. The school had no counter-bullying unit, which Reyes stated was to be created as he contracted psychologists and other personnel.[2]

IRFE students protesting outside their school, in November 2013.

In late 2013, the school's directive board, presided by Principal Óscar Patricio Reyes González, denied the right of 117 students from twelfth grade (cuarto medio) to have a high school graduation, after expelling them from the school, on 19 November. Other ceremonies, including one known as the Faith Promise (Promesa de Fe), were also cancelled.[7] A student told El Cóndor such a measure was taken because of an inflammatory speech given in a previous ceremony by a student. The student who gave the speech, Thomás Valdés, denounced "power abuse of Valentín Zúñiga (the school's priest) and 'low quality' of some school teachers." Students' parents were invited to a meeting by the Principal Reyes, to inform them of the final, unappealable decision. As a consequence, students were protesting outside of the school.[8] Local press, looking for input from Principal Óscar Patricio Reyes, were denied any response and instead, Reyes called them "buzzards".[9]

Notable alumni

  • Jorge Vargas González — Politician, mayor of Pichilemu from 1997 to 2007.[10]
  • Wladimir Román Miquel — Lawyer and politician, intendant of the O'Higgins Region from November 2012 to March 2014.
  • Francisco Acuña — Comedian, known for playing "Toto" at "Morandé con Compañía" TV show.
  • Juan Pablo González — Gymnast, specialized in vault and floor exercises.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Conociendo IRFE". IRFE (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 José Pinto (June 2, 2010). "Dos Casos de Bullyng en la Región" (in Spanish). Rengo Al Día. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  3. 1 2 "CONOZCA LOS 25 MEJORES COLEGIOS DE LA REGIÓN" (in Spanish). O'Higgins Region, Chile: Diario Última Hora. January 19, 2009. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  4. ↑ Unknown (1944*). Instituto regional "Presidente Errazuriz", Santa Cruz, Chile: el centro cristiano en sus bodas de oro, 1894–1944 (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Imp. Delta. p. 70. Retrieved 25 October 2010. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. 1 2 3 "Historia - Himno". IRFE. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Historia del Santuario de Santa Cruz". Pioneros de Campanario: Juventud Masculina de Schoenstatt (in Spanish). September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  7. ↑ "En veremos realización de Licenciaturas en el IRFE" (YouTube video) (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Telecanal. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  8. ↑ Cubillo Ávila, Raúl (20 November 2013). "117 alumnos de cuarto medio del IRFE fueron desalojados ayer". El Cóndor (in Spanish). Santa Cruz, Chile. p. 3. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  9. ↑ ""Dirección del IRFE"..." El Cóndor (in Spanish). Santa Cruz, Chile. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013. Dirección del IRFE, habría tratado de "buitres" a los medios de comunicación, tras solicitar su versión, respecto al conflicto de que les afecta. (on Facebook)
  10. ↑ Filippi, Emilio (2006). La clase política chilena. Pehuén Editores Limitada. p. 202. ISBN 978-956-16-0411-7. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "JUAN PABLO GONZALEZ ANUNCIÓ SU RETIRO DE LA GIMNASIA | teamchile". www.teamchile.org. Retrieved 2016-10-18.

Further reading

  • Unknown, ed. (1944). Cinco Años: Instituto Regional Federico Errazuriz, 1940–1944 (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Imprenta y Litografía Universo.
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