A commemorative event at the Colégio Adventista de Oliveira do Douro, (CAOD), the Seventh-day Adventist junior academy in Portugal, recognized three decades of service to the Adventist Church and the community. A book chronicling the school’s history was also released at the May 8 event, where present and former students and faculty were among those participating.

CAOD has 240 students from preschool to ninth grade.  Approximately 58 percent of the students are not Adventists. School officials expect enrollment to increase, giving the community an educational resource as well as insight into the ministry of the Adventist church.

At the celebration, Pastor Mário Brito, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Portugal, and one of the first principals at CAOD, noted that Adventist education was designed “to focus on the whole person.”

Church education director Maria Rosa Nunes explained
“this kind of education permits students to develop a concrete and harmonious vision of the world.”

Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues, president of the Oliveira do Douro town council, underlined the good collaboration that has existed between the school and the town council, pointing out that CAOD “during these many years has been distinguished by the quality of its projects,” including those aimed at community development

The town council recently awarded the school a gold medal of merit for its participation in community activities. “CAOD is among those institutions that are used to giving their maximum for society,” city council member Luís Filipe Meneses said. The school’s achievements add to the “richness” of a nation, he added.