Instituto Vicente Themudo Lessa

the oldest picture we've got of the First Independent Presbyterian Church on Rua 4 de Abril. One can see the picket-fences and the Church standing alone with no other building around except those wooden houses on the far left.

Instituto Educacional Vicente Themudo Lessa on rua 4 de Abril had two entrances; one just between Cia. Telephonica and the Independent Presbyterian Church and the second entrance just past the church's gothic door.

Instituto Educacional Vicente Themudo Lessa, as the name itself says, was an educational institute - primary and secondary school - maintained by the Independent Presbyterian Church on rua 4 de Abril. It was a private school but their monthly payments were not too steep so a lot of children coming from middle-income families could attend its courses.

I was a student there for a brief period in 1960 when I took the Course for Admission to Gymnasium  - a 1 year-course preparing primary school graduates who wanted to go up to high school. That was the time when algebra, for instance, was first introduced to students.

Cezar Reis was a student there too. His family were members of the Independent Presbyterian Church so he has a lot to say about those years. 


It seems like you, Carlus Maximus and I have something in common. As you mentioned at the page 'Marilia seen from the air' you had gone to the Admission-Course-to-Gymnasium at Instituto Themudo Lessa I'd like to say I have also been educated at the same institution.

I grew up as a member of the Independent Presbyterian Church and had Sunday School at the premises of that school. My father and my brothers have also gone to high school there while my sister was at primary school. I went to kindergarten at Themudo Lessa so as you can see it was a family affair. Cezar Reis.

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Instituto Themudo Lessa's hall in 1958.

Primary school boys and girls in the court yard in 1958.  See the church on the right-hand side.

More primary school children wearing their uniforms pose for a photo on the side of the court.

5th grade (High School 1st grade as it was known in 1958) co-ed class. The boy circled in red is my brother Paulo Reis who lives in São Caetando do Sul-SP nowadays. The teacher usually wore a white overall to protect their clothes from the white chalk they wrote on blackboards.

Night school 5th grade B.  In Brazil it is common for kids from poor families to go to high school at night time. People from industrialized countrie can hardly believe that it is common practice in Brazil... but that is our reality. Kids barely in their teens start classes at 7:30 PM and go home around 10:30 or 11:00 PM. Here's one of such class. The teacher here avoided being photographed. The picture high-lighted on the wall is a celebratory art-work about São Paulo City's 400th anniversary in 1954.

U.S. company Good Year commissioned artist Vicente Caruzo to portray the city of São Paulo in its 400th year of existence. On the left one can see a Catholic priest indoctrinating the native population of São Paulo in 1554. On the right a beautiful woman holds São Paulo's flag and shows the exuberance of São Paulo's skyscrapers in 1954. I was really fascinated by this picture when I was a kid.

Night School 5th grade:  More kids going to school a t night - mostly girls - and older girls - plus a few 'mature' male students standing up against the wall.

6th grade co-ed class. The boy circled in red is Carlos Reis (born in 1943) my oldest brother who lives in Dracena-SP nowadays. The one circled in green is my cousin Alvaro (born in 1944) who worked for the São Paulo State Bank (Banespa) and is retired today. The one in white, not looking at the camera is Edgard who taught Latim and Portuguese. Latim was taught from the 5th grade onwards until 1962 when the government thought it was about time to abolish such a form of  mediaeval torture to the students.

Night School 6th grade -  One can see that mature students are the majority here. They were usually kids who neglected their education at government schools flunking two years in a row . After that they ended up being evicted from state schools having to transfer and pay for a private school to admit them. Younger kids who attended Night School usually came from poorer families and had to work as office boys and such during the day time.

7th grade  -  The higher the grade the fewer students per class. Here are some of the smart-alecks of 1958. Just joking! They are winners, actually. Notice the art work displayed on shelves at the back of the room:  they were the pride and joy of students' working assignments. 

Night School 7th grade -  Most of them were mature students. The one circled in red was my dearest father who decided he wanted to get his high school certificate. One should bear in mind that secondary education schools were almost non-existent in the 1930s in Marilia. The more prosperous families sent their sons and daughters away to have higher education in private boarding schools in Agudos-SP, Baurú and bigger towns.

Night School 8th grade - Top of heap! Mostly mature students as the grades became higher. The highlighted topic is a painting of three ripe figs done by my cousin Alvaro who was on 6th grade (2a.serie).