MINERD Launches Duarte in the Arts Project at the Salomé Ureña Center of Excellence

MINERD Launches Duarte in the Arts Project at the Salomé Ureña Center of Excellence
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, January 30, 2013

In the presence of the Minister of Education, Mrs. Josefina Pimentel, the Dirección de la Modalidad de Artes de Educación Media(Directorate of arts major in secondary education) launched the Duarte en el Arte (Duarte in the Arts)project, through which a program of activities to commemorate the Bicentennial Year of Founding Father Juan Pablo Duartewill be implemented.

With the implementation of this project, the Ministry of Education (MINERD) aims to promote the internalization of values through artistic learning, …

With the implementation of this project, the Ministry of Education (MINERD) aims to promote the internalization of values through artistic learning, stimulating creative expression among the students around the iconic figure of the founding father of the Dominican nationality.

At the ceremony, which was held at the Salomé UreñaCenterof Excellence, Minister Josefina Pimenteloffered the keynote speech, which encouraged youth, especially the students, to follow Duarte’s example.

“Congratulations for this initiative. It is an ideal time for reflection, to spark the constructive spirit of a nation and of a generation of young people full of dreams and talents,” the Minister stated.

Among the activities included in the project is the staging of plays, visual arts exhibits, workshops and seminars onartistic expression and appreciation, in the framework of the cultural, historical and philosophical context.

“This year, our Ministry is considering enriching the existing artistic centers, to provide training for their teachers, tools, furniture, materials and artistic resource centers, as well as to update the curriculum and the development of new artistic centers, which will be ready to serve the Dominican society within the next three years,” Ms. Pimentel added.

The Directorate of Arts Majorunderstands that the celebration of the Bicentennial of the founding father, Duarte,offers an opportunity to develop educational values ??that refocus the students, teachers and the entire educational community around learning about the life and work of the founder of the Republic, who was a firm believer in the opportunities that art offers to raise the awareness of the individuals towards the development of a more just and democratic society.

The event closed with the anthem to Duarte, by Ramón Emilio Jiménez, performed by a chorus of third- and fourth-year secondary school students, which was followed by the carabiné dance, by teacher Reyes More, with students from the Center of Excellence República de Argentina.

As part of the Duarte in the Artsproject, the arts centers will focus on the Duarte theme as a source of inspiration for all their artisticproductions, resulting fromthe lessons learned through artistic techniques, in the programming of activities that will wrap upwith the Semana de Expresión Duartiana, duringwhich all the works that have been created by the students during the first two quarters of the current school yearwill beshowcased.

During the event, third- and fourth-yearstudents of secondary school at the Salomé Ureña and the Repúblicade Argentina centers of excellenceshowcased the following plays:Mi Hermano Juan (My Brother Juan);Duarte, seguiremos tu ejemplo (Duarte, we will follow your example);Duarte no es un cuento pero se puede contar (Duarte is not a story, but it can be told); and the Afro-contemporary dance Salve a Duarte (Hail Duarte), led by a team of artists who teach in the Arts major.

The event closed with the anthem to Duarte, by Ramón Emilio Jiménez, performed by a chorus of third- and fourth-year secondary school students, which was followed by the carabiné dance, by teacher Reyes More, with students from the Center of Excellence República de Argentina.

The event was attended by the Director General of Education, Elsa Sánchez; the Director of the Arts Major, Marisol Lochart; the Director and the Deputy Director of the regional 15, Ana Francisca Suero and Juana de los Santos, respectively; the Director of the Educational District 15-03, Hermidia Javier; the Director and the Deputy Director of the Salomé UreñaCenterof Excellence, Julio César de los Santos and Minerva Espinal, respectively; the Director of the República de ArgentinaCenter of Excellence, Pablo Acevedo;and Johanna Poché, Arts Coordinator, as well as by students and teachers of the already mentioned centers.

The Minister of Education, Josefina Pimentel, delivers the keynote speech at the event where the Duarte en el Arte(Duarte in the Arts) project was launched at the Salomé Ureña Center of Excellence.


Third- and fourth-year secondaryeducation students, during one of the performances.