Liceo Minerva Mirabal: A Place of Educating Young Minds

"Liceo Minerva Mirabal: A Place of Educating Young Minds"
 Elder Darrel L. Hammon 

Liceo Minerva Mirabal in las Brisas--Las Americas Stake

Apartment building converted to a high school for 600 students

Missions for senior couples are full of surprises, wonders, tears of joy, and just plain elation. A mixture of all those happened on Friday evening at a closing of what we call the “Liceo Project” (Liceo Minerva Mirabal). We have been working on this project for about one year. Finally, it came to fruition.

A brief history, perhaps, might be in order here. We began the project last year right after we arrived. Brother Bennie Lilly, the Area Welfare Manager, had received a call from President de la Cruz from the Las Americas Stake, which is in the East Mission. We made contact with President de la Cruz. We met at Los Frailles 2 chapel because he told us our little Honda Civic may not make it to the school site. In his SUV, we made it through some of the “worst-fishing roads” I have seen. And, yes, the Civic wouldn’t have made it.

President Muñoz y Juana Suero, the Liceo Director

We met with Juana Suero, the director of the school and an incredibly dedicated woman whose heart is set on helping children learn and attend school. What they wanted to do is convert a newly-constructed, yet empty, apartment building into a school. It sounded like an intriguing project. We wrote it up, and the Area Presidency approved it. And the work began.

What the courtyard looked like

Courtyard after

Lots of things needed to be done—walls torn out, painted, electrical checked out, chairs and desks purchased, blackboards obtained, water containers purchased and installed, etc., etc., etc. It took time to do this. The irony was the school had to open because of their commitments. So, the work had to be done throughout the school year.

Some months ago, Director Suero asked if there were a possibility of buying computers. We had a bit of money left in the budget because some items were purchased for much lower than the quotes had been. We were fortunate to purchase seven computers for the school.

 We went a month ago to see how everything had progressed. Most everything had been done except for a few things. At that meeting, we discovered—belatedly—that the electricity is turned off in that sector from about 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. So, the computers cannot work. The challenge was to find enough funding to purchase the appropriate equipment with batteries to make it work. When the bids came in, the overall cost was way over budget.

That next day, an anonymous donation came in. The donor asked that it be spent on an “open humanitarian project.” We applied it to the Liceo project. I called President Muñoz and let him know we received X amount, and if the supplier of the equipment could sell it to us for X amount, then we could purchase it. Well, the supplier was more than happy to do that. Plus, he said he would maintain it for the Liceo for free. What a blessing!

Students in their uniforms

Friday’s closing (closura) came. What a sight when we arrived. Students were sitting in the courtyard that had been nothing but dirt and rocks but now was paved and beautiful. The young women were dressed in peach blouses and tan slacks. The young men’s uniforms were white shirts, ties, and tan slacks. They looked stunning, sitting there patiently for everything to begin.

Students in one of the classrooms

Directora Suero began the event and greeted everyone. One of the local ministers gave an incredible opening prayer (imagine this in a school setting elsewhere….). Directora Suero then gave a rousing and rather dramatic speech about the importance of education in this sector and thanked the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for all it did to make this school a success.

Teachers, the directora, and one of the community leaders

After her, one of the community leaders spoke and thanked the young people for doing what they do. Then, President Muñoz, 1^st counselor in the Las Americas Stake presidency, spoke. He told the audience that he was a math teacher and understood the importance of education and having a school like this will enhanced the lives of each student who attends and takes advantage of the teachings. He spoke about the Church’s focus on education. He did a nice job. The final speaker was the “vocero” or the voice of the community. He talked to them about Las Brisas, the sector in which they lived and how some people say only bad things happen there. He said, “More good things happen here than bad, and we can always make good things happen if we work together.” Then, Directora Suero’s husband, who will be baptized into the Church on September 23, gave the closing prayer. Because of the friendship with President Muñoz and his family, the Sueros are investigating the Church.

four of the seven computers

Students and psychologist (white shirt on end) en computer lab

We took a few pictures, took a tour of the computer lab, visited with some of the people who lingered. At the end of the event, we shook hands, gave each other Dominican abrazos, thanked each other for the partnership, and promised continued support. When you see a project like this that helps hundreds of students—in this case, 600 students—you have to feel good about it. Without the Liceo Minerva Mirabal, the majority of these students would have no place to attend high school. Now, they have a high school in their sector, one they can be proud of.

The RS President and President y Hermana Muñoz