The Rafael Hernández National College is one of the four public high schools that are part of the National University of La Plata, in the City of La Plata, Argentina. The Colegio Nacional aegis denotes a school belonging to the system of national secondary schools. The other constituent high schools associated with this university are the Víctor Mercante Lyceum, the "Bachillerato de Bellas Artes" (High School for the Fine Arts) and the Inchausti School for Agricultural Education.

The school, usually referred to as the "Colegio Nacional La Plata" (CNLP, National College of La Plata), occupies a large block centred at the crossing of 1st and 49th streets in La Plata, at the edge of "El Bosque", La Plata's main park. The large engraving at the old building's entrance reads simply "Universidad Nacional, Colegio" ("National University, High School").

Originally, the college, founded by Joaquín V. González, was reserved for boys, whereas the Victor Mercante Lyceum was a girls-only school. The link of these schools with the university allowed them to pioneer innovations in curricula, since many university professors and teaching assistants were among its faculty. In its inception, the college functioned as a classic British boarding school, where students and professors lived together for extended periods of time. Admission into the school was free (i.e., no fees), although very limited and required approving strict entrance examinations. Until the 1970s, alumni from the school were automatically admitted into the University of La Plata. From the educational point of view, it was originally structured as a European gymnasium. It is considered one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Argentina.

History

The beginnings The city of La Plata was founded in 1882, as the new capital for the Province of Buenos Aires. A boys-only school is created in 1885, the "Provincial High School", associated with the National College of Buenos Aires; classes began on April 1, 1885. The federal government converted the school into the National College of La Plata in July 1887; its first rector was Dr. Matías Calandrelli. The high school became affiliated with the National University of La Plata in 1905.

Locations Classes began at a temporary location at the corner of 9th and 47th streets.

In 1886, the college was moved to a provincial building at the corner of 17th Street and 51st Avenue.

Between 1907 and 1910, the highschool was located at the present site of the "Escuela Provincial Nº 1" and "Escuela Normal Nº 3", at the corner of 8th and 57th streets.

In 1905, the national government granted lots for the new (and definitive) placement of the school. The land originally assigned to the college were much larger, and covered areas that are assigned today to other facilities of the University of La Plata.

The college building was officially inaugurated in September 1910; it was known simply as "Colegio Nacional de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata". The instruction was inspired in a classic English boarding school; it included nearby residences for students and professors, the so-called “Greek Temple” gymnasium behind the school, and access to yachting at the central channel of the Port of La Plata. Its building, recently restored, has been named a heritage site. La Plata Heritage Sites.Recovery of the Historical National College.

The school was later named after Rafael Hernández, a journalist, agricultural engineer, soldier, and politician who spearheaded the founding of the City and Port of La Plata, as well as its university. He was the younger brother of José Hernández, the author of the epic poem Martín Fierro.

The building underwent extensive restoration on the occasion of its centennial in 2005, supported by the President of Argentina at the time, the late Néstor Kirchner, whose family is among the alumni.Restoring La Plata's National College to its former glory (in Spanish).

On-campus suicide On 3 August 2017, a 15-year-old student, Lara Tolosa Chanetón, carried a .38 caliber revolver and committed suicide in the early hours of the morning in one of the classrooms, apparently due to the bullying she received from her classmates. Previously, she stated that although her main intention was to commit suicide, she also considered "killing 3 or 4 classmates" on the anonymous Argentine imageboard Devox, although in the end she did not try to shoot anyone else.https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2017/08/08/lara-la-plata-suicidio-argentina-alumna-disparo-muerte-colegio-rafael-hernandez/

Notable alumni 1887: Juana Cortelezzi (geologist, first woman full professor at the National University of La Plata) 1897: Julieta Lanteri (physician, first woman to enroll in and graduate from the institution) 1928: Ernesto Sábato (novelist) 1937: Horacio Etchegoyen (psychoanalyst) 1941: René Favaloro (physician, first surgeon to perform bypass surgery on a patient suffering from coronary artery disease, and a key contributor to the modern surgical technique.) 1959: David Graiver (financier) 1945: Sergio Karakachoff (lawyer and human rights worker) 2000: Lucio Cinti (rugby player)

List of School Headmasters ("Rectors")

1885-1888 Dr. Matías Calandrelli 1888-1891 Dr. Jacob Larrain 1891-1896 Dr. Mariano Paunero 1896-1904 Prof. Benigno Díaz 1904-1905 Dr. Pedro Delheye 1905-1920 Dr. Donato González Litardo 1920 Prof. Abel Díaz 1920 Prof. Edelmiro Calvo 1920-1921 Dr. Saúl A. Taborda 1921 Prof. Luis Siri 1921-1922 Adriano Díaz Cisneros 1922-1928 Dr. Luis Sommariva 1928 Dr. Luis Bergez 1928-1932 Prof. Rafael Arrieta 1932-1934 Dr. José Serra Renon 1934-1936 Dr. Alfredo Calcagno 1936-1937 Dr. Luis Sommariva 1937 Dr. Alfredo Calcagno 1938-1944 Dr. Carlos Tryndamere 1944-1945 Dr. Luis Bergez 1945-1946 Ing. Gabriel Del Mazo 1946 Dr. Vicente Bertini 1947-1949 Dr. Vicente Bertini 1950-1950 Dr. Armando Secco Villalba 1950-1952 Prof. Remigio Fuente 1952-1953 Prof. Obdulio Ferrari 1953-1954 Prof. Pedro Copello 1954-1955 Prof. Ezequiel Zuloaga 1955 Prof. Sebastián Pérez 1955-1956 Ing. Ángel Morosi 1956-1957 Dr. Ataúlfo Pérez Aznar 1957-1958 Prof. Ángel Márquez 1958 Prof. Julio Panceira 1959 Prof. Segundo Tri 1959-1961 Prof. Julio Panceira 1961-1964 Prof. Lázaro Seigelschifer 1964-1966 Prof. Jorge Crespi 1966-1967 Ing. Ángel Argenti 1967-1973 Prof. Rafael Carassatorre 1973-1974 Ing. Adolfo Pallaro 1974 Prof. Raúl Tierno 1975-1976 Dr. Juan Carlos Bruni 1976-1977 Prof. Horacio Picco 1978-1979 Prof. Hugo Satas 1979 Prof. Ángel Fernández de Liger 1979-1983 Arq. Jorge Carlos Sica 1983-1992 Prof. Graciela Teresa Ibarra 1992-1995 Prof. Graciela Merino 1996-1998 Prof. Sara Pérez de Vargas 1998-2001 Lic. Fabián Salvioli 2001-2004 Prof. María Elena Aramburú 2004-2007 Dr. Gustavo Oliva 2007-2014 Prof. María José Arias Mercader 2014- Prof. Ana García Munitis

References

External links Website of Colegio Nacional Rafael Hernández (in Spanish)