“¿Escuela de Las Torres?” someone asks. This is another name for Escuelas 188 and 340. Let’s delve into the history of Escuela 340 and its surroundings.
Back in 1900 the area saw its first residents. They came from the Uruguayan interior and also from Spain and Italy. Many of them established farms and vineyards here. One of the earliest houses belonged to Dr. Domingo Arena. Today a U.T.U. stands on that very spot.
Early transportation included horses, carts, and the number 3 bus. Vendors delivered homemade bread meat and vegetables. Soon small stores like “Don Cecilio’s” began to appear. Before Escuela 340 was built this land featured water tanks. These tanks supplied water to the neighborhood. Later it became a soccer field. A clinic now stands where there once was a local store.
The community grew steadily. The only school nearby was in Mendoza. So the decision was made to build a new educational institution. Soldiers from Cavalry Barracks N°6 constructed Escuela 340. This barracks was on Domingo Arena Street.
Escuela 340 officially opened on August 25 1970. It initially had four classrooms. There was a shared bathroom for teachers and students. The school also included the main office which is now a storage room plus a dining hall and kitchen. Ofelia Segovia de Gurdek was the first principal. At the time the school had 246 students. The dining hall opened on May 28 1971. Bathroom renovations followed in July.
On August 14 1972 Escuela 340 started providing milk to the students. In 1977 four more classrooms were built. The current main office and caretaker’s house were also added. Four additional classrooms were added in 1982 and completed in 1983. This required demolishing an old classroom near the present-day rubber tree.
Until recent years Escuela 340 had a dirt courtyard. It was paved enlarged and fenced with blocks and wire. The school then began offering classes in two sessions. There were 874 students in 29 classes. These ranged from kindergarten to sixth grade. They occupied 12 classrooms and a dining hall.
Escuela N°225 previously called “Escuela de los Tanques” is now “Domingo Arena”. The roots of Escuela 340 are linked to it. Escuela 340 was founded in 1995. It resulted from the splitting of Escuela N° 225. This original school had been operating in double shifts since 1970. Since its creation Escuela 340 has been functioning in the afternoon sharing the building with Escuela N° 341. From 1995 to 1996 it only had classes from 1st to 6th grade. In 1997 it included an early childhood education group. This group met off-site in a rented house on Luis Gerona Casales Street.
In 1998 classrooms for early childhood education were built. A group for four-year-olds and another for five-year-olds began to use them. Also in 1998 a new dining hall was constructed. This change was due to alterations in the school’s food program.
In 1965 Escuela N° 188 was inaugurated. In 1995 Escuela N° 340 was created. It operates in the same building during the opposite shift. Currently Escuela 340 continues to evolve. Building improvements are planned for 2013. These improvements will further enhance the educational environment.