Under the guidance of new director Candido Cardenas Flores, the Escuela Preparatoria Regional de Chapala may soon open its doors to lakeside expats for language instruction and other cross-cultural activities.
Cardenas was welcomed to his post as the high school’s top administrator at a swearing-in ceremony held March 5 on the school campus.
The event also served as a farewell send off for Francisco Sandoval Benitez, who has retired after a 40-year career in the University of Guadalajara (UDG) education system, including his 1998-2012 stint at the helm of Prepa Chapala. During his 14-year term, Sandoval oversaw the school’s consolidation, fostering substantial growth of the student body, expansion of academic programs, development of the campus and modernization of its facilities.Recognizing the accomplishments of his predecessor, Cardenas pledged to follow in his footsteps to assure continuity in academics and projections for the institution’s future. Among the latter is Sandoval’s plan to renovate the school’s original classroom building on Calle Pedro Moreno as an extension learning center.
Among other functions, the old facility has been tagged as a possible location for a local branch of the UDG’s Proulex language school. Proulex program offerings would likely include English and Spanish courses open to the public at large, as well as a conversation club to bring foreign and native students together to practice and hone speaking skills.
The new principal also envisions the promotion of international student exchanges and varied cultural activities designed to unite the entire community.
Born in Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, Cardenas also traces his ancestry to the lakeshore town of San Luis Soyotlan, birth place of his father and many prior generations. He is a lawyer by profession who has served on the UDG staff since 1971, holding diverse positions as a high school teacher, law professor and administrator.