New Adventist School in Puerto Rico triples enrollment

Students and teachers of the new Vieques Adventist Academy pose in front their classrooms on the first day of the school, August 17, 2015, on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Images by David Sebastian/IAD

September 2, 2015 | Vieques, Puerto Rico | IAD Staff

Seventh-day Adventists in eastern Puerto Rico are beaming with joy at the growth of its newest school on the island of Vieques–an island-municipality of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Parents dropping the children at the new school in the property where the Vieques Adventist Church is located.

Vieques Adventist Academy began its second school year last month, with 47 students, an amount triple the number enrolled in the school last year when the school began as a pilot project with 15 students, church leaders said.

The new school becomes the first Adventist school and the only private educational institution on the island.

Pastor David Sebastian, communication director for the church in east Puerto Rico, visited the school on the first day of school on Aug. 17. He said it was amazing to see the new school already causing a stir among church members and the community.

“We are so happy because this new academy will be of greater impact to the community and shed light on the church in a positive way, not only in the educational area but with the work the church does in favor of the community,” said Pastor David Sebastian.

The new school is located on the premises of the only Adventist Church on the island in Bosque Monte Santos, a church that had its beginnings in the 1920s and a current church membership of 103.

Sebastian said church leaders are positive the school will serve as a center of influence to the more than 9,000 people who live in Vieques. The academy offers classes for kindergarten through 6th grade.

Principal Dalila Pujol sits at her desk during her first day of the school year.

Dalila Pujol, principal of the school and church head elder, said the new school will motivate members to focus on missionary work. “The church has centered more inwardly and members need to go to other places to create missionary groups, to expand more, so this way, it can have more impact to more than one sector in Vieques,” said Pujol.

Pastor of the Vieques Adventist Church Pastor Nephtali Ortega said the birth of the school became a reality after he did a social study in the community where he identified its real needs and coupled that with the need for a missionary vision for the church membership. He met a retired couple while visiting family members in the United States who had taught in the public school system in Massachusetts.

Angel M. Rojas and his wife Rosita made arrangements to move to Vieques as missionary teachers in the new school. Years before they had worked for the Adventist school system in several cities in Puerto Rico.

The leadership of the church in East Puerto Rico obtained about six large shipping containers which were donated and turned into classrooms and three restrooms. Parents of the students joined in to provide supplies and volunteered to paint and prepare the school.

The Adventist and Relief Agency (ADRA) office in East Puerto Rico along with Community Services in Vieques provided backpacks and school supplies for all the students. With the help of the Rio Grande Adventist Academy in Puerto Rico, the new school was able to keep its doors open under their license. The school in Vieques now has their own school license.

Donated container turned into classroom is delivered to the new school.

“This project of the academy brings about many feelings for me,” said Ortega. “I’m happy for all that has been accomplished and feel unworthy to be part of this opportunity God has given me to serve Him and the community.” Ortega said the school belongs to God.

According to Ortega, the people in Vieques are happy, kind and service oriented. The church membership is mostly composed of elderly people and there are very few children and no young people. The new school should change that, he added.

“The school will bring more children and young people,” said Gabriel Torres, a physical education teacher in the public school system in Vieques, who has his son enrolled in the school.

Xiamara Pagan, who oversees Vieques’ Historic Conservation Trust said she is really happy to have her daughter in the Christian environment the school provides.

Some of the children who are enrolled in the school are children of business owners, teachers and government functionaries who are happy with the work of the school, Principal Pujol said.

The church is planning to organize a pathfinder’s club soon as an evangelistic activity to engage the students attending the new school and include children in the community as well, according to Pastor Ortega.

Vieques Adventist Academy is one of nine Adventist schools across the church in East Puerto Rico, which covers the municipalities in San Juan—the capital city, and the islands of Vieques and Culebras.  The school has six teachers including the principal, and the secretary. All teachers work as missionary teachers.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Puerto Rico is headquartered in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and oversees four conferences, operates 20 primary and secondary schools and one university.

David Sebastian contributed to this article