History of the Colegio Bautista of Temuco

 

GENERAL ASPECTS

“It has been said that the history of an institution is the lengthened shadow of a person” and in that way the history of the Colegio Bautista of Temuco (originally Baptist Academy in English) is not a series of dates or chronological events.  Instead, it is the lengthened shadow of all the people that have worked in it, that have left the prints of their spirits graved in the pages of the life of the Colegio Bautista, all have contributed to molding  the institution’s greatness.

The Colegio Bautista of Temuco was the materialization of a great dream of a sacrificial missionary and visionary patriarch of the Baptist work in Chile, Mr. William MacDonald.  He was born near Edinburg, August 15th, 1852.  He dedicated much of his life to the investigation of biblical passages and church history, which brought him to accept the Baptist faith.

Along with his wife, Janet MacLeod, shared his Christian faith and was a great missionary.  He spent time in Scotland, the United States and other places, doing missionary work.  He came to Chile with his family, following God’s will, to evangelize and teach.  From Liverpool he arrived as a colonial agent, receiving land near Victoria, then in Freire, where he did important missionary work.  As time passed he saw the need of creating schools to educate believers’ children.

He established contact with the Southern Baptist Convention of the United States and obtained resources to buy land and construct the first building of the Colegio Bautista, now the William MacDonald Building.  In addition, he obtained the designation of the missionary teacher, Agnes Graham, who organized the Academy and then was its first director.
Concerning Agnes Graham, the writer Julio Cesar Jobet said:  “Miss Agnes Graham was profoundly Christian.  The purity of her religious faith, her courtesy and culture in her conduct, her strict observance of ethics in her social relationships and her varied intellectual activities; all fused together with her firm Baptist convictions, won the respect and admiration of all the citizens.” (2)

Miss Graham directed the Academy from 1922 to 1947 and with her strength, her impeccable appearance, her incomparable sweet character, but with firmness that demanded respect, she was a great promoter of the principles of Christ and of bringing students and teachers to be a faithful reflection of those principles.  As pastor Juan Vallette said of her: “A great intellectual, moral and spiritual light, she lived among us enlightening our minds and inspiring our hearts.” (3)

Other missionaries contributed significantly to the spiritual and educational development of generations of students of the Colegio Bautista.  Among them was Miss Cornelia Brower, who came from South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts.  People lovingly called her “Miss Nili”, who, according to the judgment of a former student, “was happy, youthful, with a good sense of humor, who almost didn´t know how to get angry.” (4)  She was an excellent tennis player and supported strongly the work carried out by Agnes Graham.
She was director of the Academy during the years 1948-1949 and in August of 1966, the government of Chile awarded Miss Cornelia Brower with the “Bernardo O’Higgins” merit award for her contribution to thousands of Chilean children and young people during her 45 years of teaching.  The building in the Montt section of the Academy was named for her.
Anne Laseter, another missionary and teacher, worked for 23 years in the Colegio.  She was a teacher and director of the Girls’ Dorm.  One of her students remembers her in this way:  “Miss Anne Laseter, youthful, cheerful and well-loved by everyone.  Miss Anita, as we lovingly called her, always had her special posters to teach math and her portable organ to play where it was necessary.  The image that I remember of her is of an energetic, but comprehensive and affectionate teacher, and even when angry, always cheerful.  She taught us patriotic songs, marches y rounds.” (5)  In memory of her valuable contribution to the Academy every year the  “Anne Lasseter” Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship is held.

Other North American brothers and sisters that helped form the history of the Colegio Bautista are Marjorie Spence, teacher and nutritionist, Elizabeth Condell MacDonald, granddaughter of the founder William MacDonald, who was teacher and substitute director, Adelaida Condell MacDonald, teacher and granddaughter of the founder; Joseph Lancaster Hart, missionary from the United States, teacher of Universal History who with his wife directed the dorm.  Wynn and Berta Maer, missionaries came from Tennessee.  He was a physical education teacher and administrator.  She was a home economics teacher.
Among the first Chilean teachers that the Academy had we remember Miss Edith Narváez (1925), Mr. Eduardo Poblete (1926), Mrs. Eva Sanzana and Mr. Armando Araneda (1928).
Other missionaries and many Chilean teachers have made the Colegio Bautista an educational situation that has provided an academic and spiritual preparation to many generations of children and young people of our country.  Without a doubt, as this is part of the history of the Academy, it is impossible to name all of them.

Classes began in the Colegio Bautista on March 15th, 1922, with ten external students and ten internal ones.  Among the external students were Laura Hart, Lois Hart, Inés MacDonald, Eloiza García, Violeta Castains and Estela Correa.  The ten internal students were Juana Alvarez, Isolina Mendoza, Lidia Sanzana, Marta Valdivia, Gertrudis Contreras, Rosa Gassiot, Lily MacDonald, Herminia Monsalvez, Filomena Salazar and Ema Ramirez.
The first building was inaugurated on October 12th, 1922.  For that reason the Anniversary of the Academy has been celebrated every year on that day, throughout its history.

The Academy continues growing.  Between the years 1949 and 1968 it was directed by Mr. Timoteo Gatica Alvarez, teacher with a Master’s degree in Physics, obtained in the University of North Carolina, USA.

The work of Mr. Gatica was significantly relevant, especially the construction of the main building (1951) that was named for Agnes Graham.  In 1963 a new gymnasium was built (now gymnasium 1) and in 1964 the elementary education building for, named for Anne Lasseter.

The biography of Mr. Timoteo Gatica is extensive and full of successes both in the Academy and in his role as a collaborating citizen.

In the period between 1969 and 1995 the Director of the Academy was Mr. Grundy Janes Nuckols, from Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife Jean, who was a teacher in the English Department.  Mr. Grundy Janes, Baptist Missionary, Master of Arts from the Georgetown Baptist University, worked as assistant director during a short time under the direction of Mr. Timoteo Gatica.  Soon he assumed the direction of the Academy.

Under his direction and during 27 years, there were great and valuable realizations, for example:

• Give the Academy a firm foundation for its economic financing, since from 1992 the Institution does not receive neither national nor international external help.
• Establish new educational policies, such as the creation of departments, schedules and classrooms based on American systems, creation of the areas of Technical-Pedagogical Support, orientation, creation of science labs, computer labs and acquisition of audiovisual equipment.
• A new library was organized, the first floor of the Agnes Graham building was transformed to house the Christian Education Department and chaplain, Arts Workshop, Manual Technical Education Workshop, and Audiovisuals Room.  Also, because of the increase in number of students, the Cornelia Brower building was transformed, adding three classrooms and a chapel.  Also, physical spaces, gymnasiums, soccer fields and athletics track  were remodeled.   In addition, gymnasium n° 3 was built.
• The administrative process was computerized as a way of facilitating attention to parents and doing more efficient work.

In the spiritual aspect, Mr. Grundy Janes never violated evangelical Christian principles, manifesting this in all his actions, projects and especially in the re-organization of the Christian Education Department.

In his work in the Academy there is much more to emphasize, for example the creation of the Retreat Center, that is named after him, adequate infrastructure to support the activities of Christian development of all the community of the Colegio Bautista and of the churches, as well as the extension of the Christian life through the Light and Life Church.
In extension, in sports, in the flexibility of the school curriculum, to remember some of his work, his concern for the school is observed.

After 27 years of service in the direction, Mr. Jane and his wife Jean, his constant collaborator, decided to retire and in February of 1996 they returned to USA, where they continue supporting the work of the Colegio Bautista of Temuco.

From 1996 to the present the direction of the Colegio Bautista has been carried out by Mrs. Erna Toro Ibañez, ex profesora asociada of the Universidad de Concepción and ex vice-president of the Los Angeles Campus of this university.  She is a teacher with a Bachelor and Masters in Education.

At the beginning of her direction the New Educational Project of the Academy was completed, which had begin under the anterior administration, in agreement with Evangelical Christian principles and in agreement with the policies of the Educational Reform promoted by the Ministry of Education.  This project was reformulated in the year 2002 for the period 2003-2007, with the participation of all the teaching staff of the establishment.  Also a Strategic Development Plan was elaborated, that established a new administrative structure of the Academy and the organization’s academic and administrative policies that includes strategic objectives and actions in the academic, spiritual, extension and communication, administrative and financial areas.  This plan included the years 2003-2007.

The present direction of the Academy, now Rectory, has had, along with its predecessors, the firm conduct of not violating the Evangelical Christian principles that motivated the origen of the institution.

A constant concern has existed to make the students feel that they are our principal objective, to maintain a close relationship with the leaders of the Parents Association in general, knowing that they are our partners in the education of their children.

Special concern has existed to continue providing stability to the personnel and support them in their valuable work.  On the other hand, the implementation and accommodation of classrooms, gymnasiums, offices and of all the physical spaces of the establishment has contributed.

During this administration, for example, the following actions have been carried out:

• Elaboration and function of a plan of profesional development that contemplates improving through post graduate studies, degrees and masters, in addition to attendance to congresses, workshops, seminaries, etc.
• Construction of the roofed areas of Education básica and Education media.
• Construction and remodeling of physical spaces (classrooms, patios) for kindergarten teaching.
• Construction of the new Guillermo MacDonald building, replacing the construction of the year 1922.
•  Acquisition of the missionary house.
• Creation of the Colegio Bautista Extension and Communications Center
• Creation of the Colegio Bautista Sports Club
• Signing of Agreement with Georgetown College, university of the State of Kentucky, for exchange of teachers and students and scholarships for students graduated from High School to continue all their studies in this university.
• Design of green areas and interior gardens
• Construction of paved parking area and entrance lane on Caupolican Avenue.
•  Acquisition of late generation technology for work of teachers in the different areas of learning.
• Improvement of the diverse sports areas for teachers and for free-choice activities.

The institutional image, the functions of extension and communication, the growth and quality of the extra-curricular activities and the inter-institutional relationships, both national and international as support to the development of the Academy have been another challenge of the present direction and of all the organization.

An important part of to emphasize is the invaluable function developed by the educational professionals, throughout the history of the Academy, who make the great objective of the parents and of the educational system a reality which is the integral formation of girls, boys and young people with solid principles that make them be faithful to God, useful to society and happy as people.

Administrative personnel, teaching assistants, service personnel are also a relevant part of this system because they are an important support to assist the educational function in reaching its objectives.

The history of the Colegio Bautista continues building itself  step by step, without forgetting its beginnings, without forgetting that the Southern Baptist Convention of the USA was the great promoter of this work along with its founder, Mr. Guillermo MacDonald and so many other missionaries that arrived in different periods to support the Academy.
The Academy, today the Baptist Educational Foundation of Temuco, continues making history under God’s vision, with the sacrifice of its personnel, with the joy and interest of its students and with the sacrifice of its parents and former students and of all who love this institution

(1-2-3-4-5): Eddinger Hege, Rebeca