Historyc tale about the creation of Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra School

Localization: Distrito Occidental. Cantón Central. Cartago's province

Fundation:
Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra School was created in Cartago in 1902, in a beautiful rubblework house at the old Cartago. It was a fancy donation given during the administration of ex-president Mr. Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra; that property belonged to Mr. Ramón Aguilar’s relatives.

In 1934 the south part of the building was opened due to the 1910 earthquake, and on May 6, 1924 the north area was inaugurated, because of Cóbano earthquake in 1990. During that time, 1902, the Board of Education president was Mr. Francisco Jiménez Oreamuno.

First Teachers:

Girls’ School 1928:
Principal Claudia Marín Gutiérrez, four first grades in charge of Mercedes León de Escoto, Ms. Margarita Ulloa, Mrs. Clemencia Vargas de Lizano, Mrs. Dora Vargas de Masís. Three second grades guarded by Raquel de Escalante, Videlia de Vega, Ms. Clemencia Robles; three third grades by Ana Abarca de Jiménez, Andreina Croceri, Carmen Hernández. As special teachers there were Ms. Margarita Roble, sewing teacher; Caridad Suñol, crafts; Josefina Granados, Religión; Elisa G. González, cooking; and Luis Valle of Musical Culture.

Boys’ School:
Principal Benjamín E. Escalante, personnel: Heleolora Ortiz, Lidia Mata, María Luisa Escalante, María Luisa Granados as first grade teachers. There were four second grades in charge of Elena C. de Odio, Emerlinda de Bloise, Margarita Brenes, Erlinda de Torres; third grades, Mrs. María T. de Cubero, Victoria Quesada, Julia de Soto; as special teachers, Religion and Music by Rosa de Piedra and Mr. Luis Valle.
The door of both schools was in charge of Mrs. Carmen Arias.

Whom was this school dedicated to and why?
It was dedicated to a man born in Rivas on May 10, 1884 at Nicaragua. He became Costa Rican through adoption when he was brought to Costa Rica at the age of 5.
He graduated of law at Santo Tomás University in San José on August 27, 1868.
He worked in many public positions, he was the president of Costa Rica twice; he ruled with great judgement, prudence, and energy. By the end of his administration he built the railroad trail from Alajuela to the Pacific line.
He also worked hard with the rest of Central America, he encouraged the public instruction especially stimulating the young intellectual minds of our country. Besides, he helped to the telegraphic thread all around the nation. .
A great and energetic man, with a stable hand and a good powerful national life. He had an outstanding intelligence, a great figure, and his incredible honesty made him the National Gratitude honour. He died in San José on April 15, 1923.

The School’s History:
In a beautiful old house in Cartago, with a solid construction, big rooms, and wide corridors; it was there where the fourth and fifth girls’ grades were located. The first director was Mrs. Francisca Duran V. de Arias who knew how to develop the class activities for teachers. It was known as “Girls Superior School”.
But then the 1910 earthquake happened, destroying the city and crumbling the building’s walls which were later on blown up.

The teachers moved to different places and many children immigrated with their families to other places; but three months later after their recovery from pain and horror, they came back to their home town and on July 18, 1910. The schools were opened again in a big room that it is today located in Jesús Jiménez Zamora School.
After several names and locations, with new teachers and students, the school kept going. Just a little before president Julio Acosta’s administration ended, at nine and in presence of the president and its collaborators, he signed the “Inauguration Act” of the northern part of the building Esquivel Ibarra School.
Since its inauguration there were two areas in the building: boys and girls, both with elementary grades I, II, and III. The construction was not enough for them to be at the same time, they designed an alternative. One part came in the morning and the other after lunch.

The idea was that once the south part was done, they could have both sections at the same time.
As they waited, the southern part was used by teachers and children to grow a harvest.
By the next year, the board of education built an iron model, but they could not continue due to the lack of money, even though there was a great interest by the Gentlemen Board.
In 1931, the board of education established that central schools had to buy the necessary zinc for the roof. It was done, and many proud people from Cartago helped. There were many people and in many different ways, with intelligence, heart, and work or influence that helped to finish the building. It was the labor of León Cortés to give the last push to the construction and finish the elegant building, one of the province’s best.
That is how 24 years after its construction that Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra’s School is born again, honouring the memory of the ex-president Mr. Ascensión Esquivel Ibarra.

On November 10, 1934 the building is inaugurated again, when the principal was Ms. Julia Salazar Madriz in the girls’ area and with a registration number of 700 children of both sexes.



First services
In 1902, when the school was found, one of the services was called “Milk Cup”, which fed 40 students approximately. It had a save box, with a deposit at Banco Crédito Agricola de Cartago, it had home harvests, there was a school doctor (Dr. Guzmán) and a sanitarian assistant Mrs. Angélica Zavaleta.

Building:
As a consequence of the earthquakes, the building was not very stable, so it required an evaluation in order to determine the damage and avoid a tragedy. The structure’s composition was “Mixed concrete, no steal shield. The walls are composed of a wood skeleton and bricks”. In 1990, there was a commission to help the school, along with the Physical and Educational Infrastructure Unit. This entity concluded that the wood part of the school had to be reconstructed. In 1990, that is why seven sections were relocated at Los Angeles Lounge and at the assembly room in the school. They had 1750 students, 49 sections from I and II cycles and 2 special education classrooms.

The new structure has 11 classrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, a school dining room, a teachers’ room, a secretary’s office, 2 yards, a basement, a physical education class and a warehouse.

Localization: Cartago down town, 3 y 5 Avenue, 2 y 4 St.