User:Bruno Castro Duarte/Colégio Stocco

Stocco School is a traditional private educational institution in the ABC region of São Paulo that serves the segments of early childhood education, elementary school and recently launched the high school. It has been located in Santo André for almost 7 decades, since its foundation in 1954, by the sisters Alzira and Albina Stocco. Presenting a history in education that permeates generations, it has started with the intention of preparing Alzira's oldest daughter, Sandra de Camargo Neves Sacco, for the admission exam to the high school at Colégio Américo Brasiliense, in Santo André. Stocco School has its unique methodology, committed to the diversity of ideas, respecting different opinions, not only stimulating but also forming people to act creatively, critically, autonomously and responsibly into society. It has four units, two of them in Vila Alzira dedicated to Early Childhood Education and the early years of elementary school and other two in Bairro Jardim for elementary school and, one exclusively to high school, having its building being inaugurated in 2023.

History
 A school that was born with a dream, the strength and the audacity of a woman 

The dream
Stocco School was founded by two determined audacious and independent educators, Alzira Stocco de Camargo Neves and Albina Stocco.

The sisters inherited from their ancestors, Italian immigrants, the enthusiasm and the persistence to turn into reality, among the difficulties brought by a society which featured men, a lifelong dream, which meant, become teachers and start teaching. It seems quite an easy dream, but to make it come true still in the first half of last century was a significant challenge only for donne forti. Countryside girls, born in Cordeirópolis in the state of São Paulo, courageously traveled to the cities Viradouro and Rio Claro aiming at finding conditions to carry on the desired studies. They had never thought about having a school on their own, but actually go ahead with their educational callings inside a classroom. “I just want four walls, a blackboard and desks.... and a group to teach, that’s enough”.

- Alzira Stocco Cora Coralina’s friend, Alzira, used to get inspiration in her writings... “I am that Woman to whom time has taught me a lot...

Taught how to love life.

Not give up the fight.

Restart from defeat

Renounce negative words and thoughts.

Believe in human values,

Be optimistic”.

- Cora Coralina

With all simplicity and sagacity, Alzira was the main founder of Stocco School, but without leaving her sister Albina out, known as ‘Dona Nena’, because she believed that everything that is good comes in pairs.

A school that arises from inclusion
After becoming a full teacher from the public schools from the state of São Paulo, even married and with her three-year-old child Sandra, she assumed a class in a state school in Presidente Epitácio city, where on the banks of Paraná River nothing used to embarrass her. It was there that she not only learned that all people desired Education but also they needed and could learn. Having done use of the spose union legal prerogative, teacher Alzira requested removal to the state school Gabriel Oscar de Azevedo Antunes in Santo André.

The year of 1954 reserved a special challenge to teacher Alzira and her daughter. It was the year in which Sandra should get prepared to apply for the admission test to the high school level. The objective was to access one of the most competitive vacancies from the Américo Brasiliense Public High School, considered the best, and one of the unique high schools in Santo André to offer the secondary level of schooling.

Alzira didn’t believe in individualism, rather in inclusion, in interaction and collaborativeness. Joining forces aiming at generating enough synergy to overcome the challenge, after all Sandra’s competitors could become her studies allies.

Besides Sandra, six other students were called by Dona Alzira to join the group that was going to be prepared.

Alzira’s sister, teacher Albina, known as Nena, helped in this intent. Albina was responsible for the research and edition of materials which would be used. Up to now Stocco School preserves the written manuals written by Albina Stocco which were used as pedagogic materials in the first two decades of the so far called Stocco Course.

Finally the Stocco Course
In 1954 the classes were given at Portugal Avenue, inside Stocco’s family own house, still a quite bucolic place at that time, with an exuberant nature. Alzira and her sister used the garage of their house as a classroom. After months of studies, the school exams arrived, they were about Portuguese, arithmetic, Brazilian history and geography according to the ministerial order from that time. There were written and oral tests.

All students were approved. It was an average of 15 applicants per vacancy and it was such a general enjoyment as Alzira herself described in her short autobiography entitled ‘A girl who wanted to be a teacher’.

After the first success, Stocco Course consolidated and teacher Alzira started to be much sought-after by families who desired their sons and daughters to be also well-prepared for the Admission test.

In the mid-1960s, the head office of the course was transferred to Catequese Street on the corner of  Padre Anchieta Avenue. In this place there was a property whose rooms were turned into classrooms. Nowadays, it is where you can find the bleachers of the School.

Stocco and Stoquinho
In 1964, the admission exam was no longer required and gradually it ended up being abolished, but the families from those who were being prepared, desired that their younger kids could follow their older siblings and as a result Stocco course unfolded into Stocco School and Stoquinho.

Stoquinho, kindergarden education school from Stocco School initially started at Catequese Street where in 2022 the High School building started to be constructed.

In the late 1960s and at the beginning of the next decade, Oscar de Camargo Neves Júnior, Dona Alzira Stocco’s husband had the initiative to purchase an area of 27,000 square meters at Eldízia Village in order to transfer the childhood education that started having a high demand. At first she hesitated, but later on she recognised its potential space which could be transformed gradually into the recreation of one of her happiest moments in life which was her childhood. The place belonged to a small farmer named Pedro and it was going to be subdivided. Alzira, respectfully, acquires the land and not only keeps a homage plaque in his memoriam but also transforms his house into a memory center.

Later on, some of his great-grandchildren studied and graduated at Stocco School having the opportunity to testify how much Dona Alzira had been respectful, keeping the local history.

Wisely, she noticed very early that Santo André city was verticalizing and that kids were confined to apartments so she aimed at offering their families a healthy school environment that could provide them a much particularly happier development.

Over the years Stocco School was expanding and gaining even more notoriety. In the management of Professor Nilson Alves de Souza, still in the 1970s, the cycle of the first grade was completed and the School started attending up to the 8th grade, nowadays the 9th year of elementary school.

In a few years the school building became smaller due to the rising demand and Alzira decided to expand by enlarging it.

The work of expanding was not ready at the expected time, but her friends reached her out and the school worked for some time at Senador Flaquer College until the refurbishment could be successfully completed.

The history from the School can not be separated from the personal history of teacher Alzira. Honorably receiving the keys of Santo André city and the title of honorary citizen of the municipality, her old students stood side by side and asked her to repeat the lovingness gesture of correction symbolically to pull their ears, it was a memorable moment, just like the one in which the 50th anniversary of the School was celebrated where Alzira rode on an open fire brigade truck.

Outstanding figures took part in the history of Stocco and Stoquinho, and at school they built their own life story and their own trajectory as educators. We can name Elzinha Ornelas Pacheco, Olympic basketball champion, educator and Physical Education teacher. Iara Baliero Lima, distinguished Portuguese, English and French teacher in the city, today having her name given to a school. Not to mention the dedication of 50 years of Maria Regina Ragognette Cassique and Maria de Fátima Gongora as educators and educational managers.

Then it was the teacher Sandra de Camargo Neves Sacco’s turn to contribute to the development of Stocco School, daughter of the founder who performed an innovative management, with a wide investment and school expansion. It was Sandra who strategically dedicated to create Unit 2 which aims at building a brigde between early childhood education and elementary school from Stocco. Sandra also expanded the building of Unit 3, creating a building where there is an auditorium, administrative and other pedagogical spaces. Alzira passed away in 2013 at the age of 96. Her ancestors, teacher Marco Antônio Stocco de Camargo Neves and teacher Sandra de Camargo Neves Sacco decided in different moments, to rely on Professors Isabel Sacco and Jozimeire Angélica Stocco Camargo Neves da Silva the responsibility of the executive management of the school.

Both, bravely, implemented, since 2016, the ‘Project Inovar’ in order to upgrade all the processes at the institution.

The renewal covered not only the pedagogical structure, but has also completely modernized the physical, furnishing, technological and operational infra-structure, relationship management, marketing and communication from Stocco School.

Crowning this magnanimous history of dream and daring, since 2022 the School has completed the cycle of elementary education and launched, built on the pillars of full-time education, world citizenship, curricular internationalization and lifelong learning, the High School, which is currently following its course innovating with the bold construction of another new Branch at Bairro Jardim which will be dedicated to this education segment.

Thus Alzira and Nena defined the school: “The school is like a heart that beats in us... it goes beyond its brick walls and its wooden floors... it is the physical presence to what we want to the scholars, to the teachers, classroom assistants, to the families... the ones who are part of it will be able to love it and receive our great love”. “To act where I want, my name is competence and my last name is Woman!”

- unknown author.

Units
Stocco School has four units: two at ‘Bairro Jardim’, which serves Elementary school and Junior High School and an exclusive building that serves High School and two other units, also called ‘Complexo Stoquinho’, at Alzira Village, where one is dedicated to the initial years of Elementary School and the other is dedicated to the Nursery school and kindergarten – all of them in Santo André city.

Unit 1 – Stoquinho – Nursery school and pre-kindergarten and kindergarten (up to 5 years old)

Unit 2 – Elementary School (kindergarten and 1st grade)

Unit 3 – Elementary School and Junior High School

Unit 4 - High School

Mission
Stocco School Mission is to extract potentialities from its students throughout a stable and continuous educational process. The school aims at developing the students’ abilities and competencies so that they can act in society in a creative, critical, autonomous and responsible way.

Vision
School education has great value to the development and emancipation from the human being. Training and recognition from its professionals values. Affectiveness and respect to the differences. Honesty, justice and ethics. Integrity and civility. Tradition, innovation and transformation as non-contradictory values. Freedom and responsibility as inseparable values.

Values
Stocco School believes that education is essential to the development of the human being, releasing them and expanding their horizons. The school constantly invests in the development of the professionals and above all, appreciates their work. The school respects the individual differences, favours values such as honesty, justice, ethics and integrity and  cultivates the tradition, while still being innovative.


 * Understanding rights and duties from human beings.


 * Respect to the dignity and to the fundamental human freedoms.


 * Preparation of individuals for the construction of knowledge related to technology.


 * Preservation and expansion of cultural heritage.


 * Social integration, restraining any kind of racial, social, religious or political prejudice.


 * Equality of conditions to access and stay in school.


 * Freedom to learn, teach, research and spread culture and art.


 * Pluralism of ideas and pedagogical conceptions.


 * Professional valorization in school education.


 * Guarantee of quality standard.


 * Valorization of extracurricular experience.


 * Link between school education, work and social practices.