CAMAGÜEY.-More than 640 children, who mostly reside from Ciego de Ávila to Guantánamo region, restarted their classes this September 1st at three prestigious art schools in the city of Camagüey.
The Luis Casas Romero Vocational School of Art, the Vicentina de la Torre Academy of Arts and the José White Music Conservatory have complete cloisters and means to comply with sanitary measures to prevent COVID-19.
About 220 are internal students, for whom the spaces in the residences were re-arranged, because in addition to the separation of the beds, only one student will sleep per bunk bed.
María Julia González Sariol, Deputy Director of Artistic Teaching in Camagüey, highlighted the link between students and teachers during quarantine, as well as the support of artists who collaborate with the teaching staff.
THE "VICENTINA", GOOD EXAMPLE
A team from Adelante Digital toured the Vicentina de la Torre Academy of Arts, where since March the 223 children could not meet the collective dedicated to their training.
Dr. Olga Espinosa Pérez, specialist in Integral General Medicine with 34 years of experience, will work for the first time in a school.
She applies a rigorous examination to all the people in the center, and writes everything down in the medical history of the 53 residents of Ciego de Ávila, Holguín, Las Tunas and Santiago de Cuba, at length about the routine checkup.
"Children have entered with negative PCR. There is no febrile case or respiratory sick person. We examined one by one," said the doctor who is around during the day, and is notified by the nurses of the night and early morning shifts.
Students of ballet, theatre and visual arts take advantage of TV-lessons, and must meet the demands of general education and objectives according to their specialties.
Gisela Sardiñas Valenzuela, head of the Acting Department, confirmed that before quarantine, the eight fourth-year students defended their graduation jobs and will receive their degrees on October 3rd in a small ceremony. They are already located in the Guiñol de Camagüey; the Polichinela group, from Ciego de Ávila; and Paquelé, in Sancti Spíritus.
"We have an enrollment of few students. Groups are 7 or 8 students. Scholarships won't come out until December, because that's the right way," Gisela said.
Katisleivys Sedeño, head of the Visual Arts department, also commented that her groups are small in large spaces that allow them to work without difficulty. Of the 45 students, eight are from the terminal year.
Ballet has the highest enrolment, teaching 157 children of elementary and middle level; although only four girls and three boys will graduate from this course, the head of the department, Acela Piña Montoya, said.
The body recovery is key because of the ability they need to respond to the rigors of ballet, hence the insistence during quarantine to maintain what they had already physically gained.
Acela announced the dates of the level pass, a national test that the jury composed of teachers María Eugenia Reyes, Rafael Saladrigas and herself will apply on October 12 and 13 in Santiago de Cuba; 13 and 14 in Holguín; 15 and 16 in Camagüey.
María Mercedes García Vega, director of the "Vicentina", insisted on health care as the top priority at this stage, and thanked the parents for the trust placed in the school collective.
In general, children from the thirteen municipalities of Camagüey, and eleven Cuban provinces, except for Pinar del Río, Mayabeque and Artemisa provinces, are formed in the artistic teaching in the territory, although those students living in areas with a complex epidemiological situation have not traveled here.
Tanslated by Mariam Herdia Acosta (Student)
Reviewed by Linet Acuña Quilez
