A public school in the north of São Paulo is officially one of the best in the world. Located in the north of the capital, the Deputado Pedro Costa State School is a finalist in the World’s Best School award, which names the best educational institutions in countries around the world. It is the only Brazilian representative on the list.
The award is organized by T4 Education, a global platform that aims to reward and support development projects in education around the world. If it wins, the Deputado Pedro Costa School will receive 50,000 dollars (around R$ 275,000) to invest in improving its facilities and educational projects. Find out more below!
Deputado Pedro Costa State School could win best school in the world award
The Deputado Pedro Costa State School is located in Vila Isolina Mazzei and provides comprehensive education for 305 elementary school pupils. It is competing for the Best School award in the Community Collaboration category, alongside two other institutions from the United States and Argentina.
The school has several initiatives, such as the Chess Club, athletics classes and artistic gymnastics, which bring together students, teachers and the local community. To implement them, the teaching staff has the help of the NGO Parceiros da Educação, which operates in around 700 schools in the capital. As well as the SYN Institute, which promotes social responsibility projects and actions.
Chess and athletics as transformative tools
According to teacher Leonardo Alcântara, creator of the school’s Chess Club, the strategic game is used as a method to improve students’ cognitive skills, as well as their interpersonal relationships. This is because chess teaches them to think about the future and reflect on the consequences of their actions, both in the game and in real life.
Similarly, the athletics and artistic gymnastics programs contribute to the development of resilience and notions of teamwork. Coordinated by teacher Luiz Fernando Junqueira, these initiatives have shown their effectiveness through the increased engagement of students in competitions, as well as the greater participation of the local community in sporting events.
