A school created to preserve Italian culture: the Istituto Medio Italo-Brasiliano Dante Alighieri, as our school was called when it was founded in 1911, carries the humanist spirit of the poet after whom the school is named in its centenary roots.
In a city already inhabited by a large number of Italian immigrants who had been settling here since the beginning of the 20th century, Count Rodolfo Crespi, a successful industrialist at the time, took it upon himself to raise funds and start the building that to this day is located in a prime area of the city, close to Avenida Paulista.
As well as creating an educational institution that would uphold and spread the cultural values of immigrants, with classes in Italian and teachers from Italy, the aim was to guarantee the best human formation for its students. To this end, priority was given to two elements: an extremely competent teaching staff and a physical structure that was equal to the potential that each of the students would be able to achieve. To this day, these two pillars underpin our values.
The Leonardo da Vinci building, the beehive and the central courtyard, comprising the two buildings and which still retains its original floor, are listed by the Municipal Council for the Preservation of the Historical, Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the City of São Paulo (Conpresp) and by the Council for the Defense of the Historical, Archaeological, Artistic, and Tourist Heritage of the State of São Paulo (Condephaat).
SYMBOLS
COAT OF ARMS
The coat of arms of Colégio Dante Alighieri is of the modern English format, using three colors: gold (for two sections and the banner), silver (for the honorary pieces), and blue (for the other two sections and the letters of the legend).
Color symbolism:
Gold: in heraldry, it is the symbolic metal of nobility, splendor, wealth, glory, power, strength, sovereignty, prosperity and faith.
Silver: symbolizes truth, purity, chastity, beauty, innocence, integrity, cleanliness, frankness, friendship, peace, and happiness.
Blue: the symbolic color of justice, incorruptible firmness, dignity, vigilance, virtue, zeal, loyalty, fidelity, knowledge, beauty, perfection, and exultation.
The five stars, arranged in a cross, refer to the constellation of the Southern Cross, as traditionally seen.
In the third quarter, the figure of the Capitoline She-wolf is reproduced. According to legend, she suckled the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
BELL
The desire to ring the bell at least once persists in our students’ imaginations. And when the final year of secondary school approaches, it is common for them to look for opportunities to fulfill this wish, however briefly, as a farewell prank.
Throughout their school life, the sound that signals the beginning and end of class periods at Dante is filled with feelings, such as relief at the arrival of snack time and regret at the end of a stimulating activity or assignment in the classroom.
But when the bell rings for the last time for the high-school students, who are about to cross the school gates into a new phase of their lives, it is always a great emotion. It is the power of a symbol that announces the end of a stage and the beginning of a new path, to be walked individually by the now alumni.
HYMN
Verses: Aplecina do Carmo
Music: Maestro Salvador Callia
I
Comrades, march with determination,
The school awaits everything from us,
May study give us the courage
To mark a new era for science,
Youth, the battle is relentless
Pioneers of knowledge, valor,
No one fears the tumult of battle
When study is a hallmark of love.
II
With fervor let’s study the history
Of this land that is light and bravery;
Let’s keep the glory of its deeds
Of the golden-green banner that shines.
To study is to conquer; let’s strive
To lift high this beloved phase,
Our teachers, for in them we had
A beacon to guide us in life.
Chorus
From Dante Alighieri will emerge
The most valiant pioneers,
Who will spread throughout the land
Like gallant vanguard
All knowledge from South to North,
And the Homeland will feel in them
All the value of strong people,
Who will march through the land.
