Yilenia Vega: “Recognizing the history of our schools is recognizing the history of our families, our neighborhoods, and the people who helped build El Tablero through education, effort, and values.”
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The opening speech of the El Tablero 2026 festivities turned Thursday night into an exciting collective journey through the town's memory under the motto "Memories of school between generations," a proposal full of history, anecdotes and gratitude towards those who built, from the classrooms, the social identity of El Tablero.
The event, held in the Public Square of El Tablero, was organized by the Coordinator of Social and Cultural Groups of El Tablero, responsible for giving voice to several generations of residents who shared memories, experiences and testimonies about the evolution of the school in the town and the fundamental role of teachers in the lives of hundreds of families.
The opening address traced the origins of El Tablero from the early 20th century, recalling how the need to educate the children of what was then a small farming community led to the request for the first public school in 1925, after the children had previously had to travel to the Maspalomas Lighthouse to attend classes. The address highlighted the collective effort of the residents to build that first school in 1926, constructed with the help of all the neighborhoods in the municipality, with furniture transported by camel from Tirajana and master builders provided by Maspalomas.
Throughout the evening, memories of old classrooms, desks, traditional recess games, calligraphy notebooks, punishments, dirt paths, and teachers who shaped the childhoods of entire generations were shared. A tribute was also paid to those who taught "to read, to write, and above all, to believe in oneself."
The event included emotional references to historical figures in education in El Tablero and to the families who championed education as an engine of progress, even in times marked by economic hardship, the tomato harvests, and child labor in the fields or in the emerging tourism sector.
The public was also able to relive how the town's educational centers grew with the creation of the El Tablero Public Primary School, the CEO Aguañac, the CEIP Pepe Monagas or the El Tablero Public School I, reflecting the social and population transformation of the municipality over the decades.
The Councillor for Festivities and Events, Yilenia Vega, highlighted the “deeply emotional and necessary” nature of this proclamation, noting that “recognizing the history of our schools is also recognizing the history of our families, our neighborhoods and the people who helped to build El Tablero through education, effort and values.”
Vega also emphasized that "this tribute has served to unite entire generations around shared memories, highlighting the role of the teachers who left their mark on the lives of so many residents of the town."
The evening concluded with the presentation of commemorative plaques by the Department of Festivities and Events to the educational centers CEIP Pepe Monagas, CEIP El Tablero and IES Tablero Aguañac, "in memory and remembrance of the school and its history through the different generations of residents," in recognition of their contribution to the educational, social and human development of the town.
The event also concluded with a heartfelt message of gratitude to teachers, educational staff, families and students of all eras, before officially proclaiming the start of the Holy Trinity Festival of El Tablero 2026.
