Ysgol yr Hendre (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈəskɔl ər ˈhɛndrɛ]) is a Welsh/Spanish-medium primary school in the large town of Trelew in Chubut Province, Argentina. It was opened on 6 March 2006, initially to teach children between three and five years of age in Welsh and Spanish. The Chubut education authorities authorised the establishment of the school and supports its aims. [1] The school is twinned with Ysgol Pentreuchaf near Pwllheli in Wales.[2]
Its name literally means ‘School of the Old Homestead/Dwelling’,[3] where hendre (‘old residence’) is another way to say hendref.[4][5][6]
The development of the school was financed in part by a fundraising campaign in Wales led by the politician Dafydd Wigley and the artist Sir Kyffin Williams, which raised over US$60,000 in less than two years.[7]
The school was part of a 21st-century revival in Welsh in "the Welsh colony" Y Wladfa on the Chubut River (Afon Camwy in Welsh). It is one of several active Welsh schools and nurseries. In 2005 there were 62 Welsh classes in Chubut, and Welsh was on the curriculum of two primary schools and two colleges in the Gaiman catchment area. In 2018 there were three bilingual Welsh-Spanish schools in Chubut Province.[8]
References edit
- ^ "The history of the Welsh language in Patagonia". Glaniad. National Library of Wales. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ Hemming, Jez (5 December 2014). "Pupils sing their heart out to mark twinning with Patagonia's only Welsh school". Daily Post. Colwyn Bay.
- ^ James, E. Wyn (2015). "From the Valley" (PDF). High Life: unnumbered.
Ysgol yr Hendre ('School of the Old Homestead')
- ^ Ernest Rhys (1894). A London Rose & Other Rhymes. E. Mathews & J. Lane. p. 34.
Hendre or hendref: An old or established habitation
- ^ John Askew Roberts (1883). The gossiping guide to Wales. p. 47.
Hendref (or Hendre), the old residence; the old mansion
- ^ Hywel Wyn Owen; Ken Lloyd Gruffydd (2017). Place-Names of Flintshire. University of Wales Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-78683-111-8.
Hendre 'winter dwelling', hendref
- ^ "Escuela Ysgol y Hendre: diez años hablando galés". Diario Jornada (in Spanish). 9 April 2016.
- ^ Brooks, Walter Ariel (25 October 2018). "The Welsh language in Patagonia: a brief history". British Council.
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