Desenzano’s New Rivoltella School Opens After €5.4B Investment
It cost five billion and four hundred million euros, and its construction became the largest investment ever made by the Comune di Desenzano in the field of school building. The construction site required more than two years of work, which began when the Rocca administration was still in office.
Inauguration and features of the new school
And this morning, the new Rivoltella middle school location, on via Pratomaggiore, will finally be ready for the inauguration ceremony. The scheduled time is at 11:30 a.m., with the ribbon-cutting performed by mayor Cino Anelli and education councilor Emanuele Giustacchini.
The two hundred twenty students in the four classes of “Trebeschi” (the school is named after one of the victims of the Piazza Loggia massacre and will not change its name even after relocating) will have at their disposal 12 “regular” classrooms, but most importantly, 6 modernly equipped laboratories dedicated to music, information technology, foreign languages, technical education, arts, and sciences.
There is also space for the cafeteria, a gymnasium with an approved volleyball court, and outdoor sports facilities, including a basketball court and stations for long jump and shot put. All of this complies perfectly with safety standards for public spaces and accessibility regulations.
It is a jewel, assure the workers involved, that with today’s inauguration can finally be showcased to the public.
The meaning of the inauguration and the move
A clarification: the ribbon-cutting ceremony today actually only serves to emphasize the much-anticipated end of the construction work. In fact, the relocation of the institute from the old to the new premises, given that we are already well into May, will naturally be postponed until the next school year. Only then, on September 1st, will the old premises on via Benedetto Croce be permanently abandoned and handed back to the Rivoltella parish youth center, which owns it.
The strong desire to “bless” the new school, however, cannot be postponed until September: this is confirmed by the principal of the institute, Professor Giuliana Sandrone, who, emotion in her voice, can be said to feel like a girl on her first day of school.
“It’s just a ribbon-cutting ceremony, waiting to move in practically. But I have been waiting for this moment for many years, and the big day has arrived. Finally, we have a structure that meets the needs of a modern school, with more functional spaces for both regular activities and laboratories.”
“All of us, parents and teachers, strongly wanted this new location, and not just for caprice. In a way,”—says the principal—”we are attached to the old site, which has a long history. But we were truly feeling cramped, especially because, over the past four years, we have seen a 25-40 percent increase in enrollments, including students who do not live in Rivoltella.”
“But above all,”—the principal continues—”we needed a space designed specifically for our needs: the premises on via Benedetto Croce were intended for an orphanage, not a middle school. The lack of specialized classrooms and laboratories has always been a significant obstacle to delivering acceptable, standard-compliant, and appropriate educational activities.”
Problems solved, in short, with the move this summer, and from September 1st, on via Pratomaggiore, students will ring the school bell in a brand-new educational facility.