LICEO SCIENTIFICO “CHARLES DARWIN”

 

ADDRESS: Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, 25 – Rivoli – Torino – Italy

 

PHONE NUMBER : +39 011 958.67.56

 

FAX NUMBER: +39 011 958.92.70

 

EMAIL: darwin@liceodarwin.rivoli.to.it

 

WEBSITE: www.liceodarwin.rivoli.to.it

 

HEAD TEACHER: Prof.ssa Maria Torelli

 

 

School name

 

The school is named after the English Naturalist Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882). He  worked out the theory  that all species of life have evolved over time, through the process he called natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and much of the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of the process of evolution in the 1930s, and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory .

 

His five-year voyage on HMS Beagle  established him as an eminent geologist.  On the Origin of Species was published in 1959 and represents the  scientific explanation of diversification in nature.

 

 He was one of only five 19th-century UK non-royal personages to be honoured by a state funeral, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to Isaac Newton.

 

 

Historical hints

 

The liceo “Darwin” current premises date back to 1934, when their construction works began. They were meant to host about 450 resident seminarists both theologians and philosophers. The building was designed by the Roman engineer Alessandro Villa under the commission of Cardinal Maurilio Fossati who was archbishop of Turin from 1930 to 1965. With time the seminary became too big compared to the number of the classes so that the latter were moved to Turin and the property was first let out and later sold to the Provincial Council of Turin. Since 1972 the stately building has been the premises of both Liceo “Darwin” and ITC “Romero”.

 

 

Rivoli

 

Rivoli, a town with  50,000 inhabitants west of Turin,  stands on a morainic hill (boulder clay formed during the prehistoric glaciations) from which you can see the whole morainic arc and a  wide part of Turin, when the sky is clear.

Rivoli has been a trade junction since Roman times and a strategic military fortified town in the Middle Ages and up to the modern age. It belonged to the Savoy family  from the 14th century until the end of monarchy in Italy (1945). The Savoy had one of their splendid  country seats built in the highest part of Rivoli, the Castle, in order to enjoy the wonderful climate, the wide landscape and long walks in the woods that the place offered and still offers. Nowadays the Castle is the most important building in the town, it has been recently restored and houses the Contemporary Art Museum. Rivoli has been linked to the city of Turin by a straight road ten kilometres long (corso Francia) since  1835. This town had a big increase in population in the years of the Italian economic boom (the 1960s), thanks to the  birth of small and medium- size factories (between 1961 and 1971 its population doubled!).

There are a lot of facilities in Rivoli: beautiful shops, pubs, restaurants and pizzerias, and also places of entertainment such as a water-fun park, a Bingo palace, the Maison Musique (for musical entertainment).

Among the famous people linked to Rivoli we can  name: Vittorio Amedeo II of Sardinia, Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy and… Robert Acquafresca, a football player in the Italian under-21 team…  Robert was a student in our Liceo!

Rivoli’s twinned cities are Ravensburg (Germany), Montelimar (France), Mollet del Valles (Spain) and Kranj (Slovenia).

 

 

Education goals

 

Liceo Darwin gives the opportunity to choose among a variety of 5-year courses, characterized by  different curricula. The general school policy aims at shaping the student’s mind by means of a scientific approach  without forgetting the importance of the humanistic subjects. As a matter of fact the school’s task is to link the literary heritage with the knowledge, competence, skills and abilities that science requires focusing on the mastering of  various technical languages, different methodologies and techniques.

 

The target is the development of a scientific outlook that enables students to face, solve, analyse data and  formulate hypothesis in order to work out  a  problem. The quickness of mind that follows   paves the way both to university and to the world of work.

 

 

Curriculum

 

A Liceo Scientifico is a State High School. The compulsory subjects that characterize its  curriculum are: Italian Language and Literature, Latin Language and Literature; one or two foreign languages (English for all the courses + French in the two-language profile), History, Geography, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, Physics, Maths, Art, Physical Education. Religious Education is an optional subject.

 

 

Course profiles  (see also detailed course plan below)

 

Students can choose among different opportunities :

 

·         ORDINARY COURSE

·         TWO FOREIGN LANGUAGE ORIENTED COURSE

·         TWO FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND ART ORIENTED COURSE

·         MATHS, INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE ORIENTED COURSE

·         MATHS, INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY AND PHYSICS ORIENTED COURSE

(the last two ones with reference to the Information Technology National Plan)

 

School lessons

Lessons are held from Monday to Saturday. They start at 8.20 am and finish at 12.00, 12.50 or 13.40 according to the different courses the students attend. A break is scheduled from 10.55 to 11.10. As many students are commuters, each period lasts 50 minutes.

 

After-school clubs usually start at 2.00 pm.

 

 

Facilities

 

The school is equipped with:

 

Multimedia labs (2)

Computer science labs (3)

Chemistry lab (1)

Physics lab (1)

A library (about 6000 volumes on various subjects with computerized classification)

Audiovisual rooms (2)

A students’ room

Gyms (5)

A cafeteria

 

In the park that surrounds the building you can find a football pitch, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts as well as a car park.

 

 

Extra-curricular activities

 

Preparation for qualification exams: PET (Preliminary English Test), FCE (First Certificate of English), DELF (Diplome d’Etudes de Langue Française)

Preparation for ECDL (European Driving Licence) exam

Participation in  sports competitions

Organization of study tours in France and Great Britain,  outings, cultural exchanges with foreign partners. Up to now the school has carried out  projects with Norway, Cyprus, Lithuania, Estonia and Galicia, and is ready to add other new partners in Europe.

Cultural activities (legality education, environment, health, theatre, cinema, music, maths Olympic games, English Kangourou)

Comenius:  our school is participating in a two-year European Comenius project called ‘Through the looking-glass’. The other participating schools are from Risskov (Denmark), Tallinn (Estonia), Kiel (Germany), Jaworzno (Poland) and Huétor Tajár (Spain). The main theme is about the media, but the students have also analysed stereotypes about the different countries and the importance of life-long learning. The first international meeting was in Poland in November 2008 and the second in Spain at the end of April 2009.

 

 

After-school clubs

 

There is  a wide  choice of after-school clubs, ranging from drama to mural paintings and they may change every year, according to the student’s requests.

 

 

Transport

 

A service of buses and coaches goes as far as the Castle of Rivoli. Bus number 36, running in Corso Francia, connects Rivoli with Turin.

 

Secretary office 

 

Opening times

 

         Mon             11 - 14

         Tue              8,30 – 11,30

         Wed             11 - 14

         Thu              8,30 – 11,30

         Fri                11 - 14

         Sat              8,30 – 11,30

 

 

APPENDIX

Variations in teaching programmes

The five-year programmes

 

 

ORDINARY COURSE

 

 

Subject

Class

 

I

II

III

IV

V

Italian Language and Literature

4

4

4

3

4

Latin Language and Literature

4

5

4

4

3

Foreign Language and Literature

3

4

3

3

4

History

3

2

2

2

3

Geography

2

 

 

 

 

Philosophy

 

 

2

3

3

Natural Sciences

 

2

3

3

2

Mathematics

5

4

3

3

3

Physic

 

 

2

3

3

Drawing and Art History

2

2

2

2

2

Phisical education

2

2

2

2

2

Religion

1

1

1

1

1

 

 26

 26

 28

 29

 30

 

 

TWO FOREIGN LANGUAGE ORIENTED COURSE

 

 

Subject

Class

 

I

II

III

IV

V

Italian Language and Literature

4

4

4

3

4

Latin Language and Literature

4

5

4

4

3

Foreign Language and Literature (English)

3

3

3

3

3

Foreign Language and Literature (French)

3

3

3

3

3

History

3

2

2

2

3

Geography

2

 

 

 

 

Philosophy

 

 

2

3

3

Natural Sciences

 

2

3

3

2

Mathematics

5

4

3

3

3

Physic

 

 

2

3

3

Drawing and Art History

2

2

2

2

2

Phisical education

2

2

2

2

2

Religion

1

1

1

1

1

 

 29

 28

 31

 32

 32

 

 

TWO FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND ART ORIENTED COURSE

 

Subject

Class

 

I

II

III

IV

V

Italian Language and Literature

4

4

4

3

4

Latin Language and Literature

4

5

4

4

3

Foreign Language and Literature (English)

3

3

3

3

3

Foreign Language and Literature (French)

4

4

3

3

3

History

3

2

2

2

3

Geography

2

 

 

 

 

Philosophy

 

 

2

3

3

Natural Sciences

 

2

3

3

2

Mathematics

5

4

3

3

3

Physic

 

 

2

3

3

Drawing and Art History

2

2

2

2

2

Phisical education

2

2

2

2

2

Religion

1

1

1

1

1

 

 30

 29

 31

 32

 32

 

 

MATHS, INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE ORIENTED COURSE

 

Subject

Class

 

I

II

III

IV

V

Italian Language and Literature

4

4

4

3

4

Latin Language and Literature

4

5

4

4

3

Foreign Language and Literature

3

4

3

3

4

History

3

2

2

2

3

Geography

2

 

 

 

 

Philosophy

 

 

2

3

3

Natural Sciences

3

4

4

4

3

Mathematics

5

5

5

5

5

Physic

 

 

2

3

3

Drawing and Art History

2

2

2

2

2

Phisical education

2

2

2

2

2

Religion

1

1

1

1

1

 

 29

 29

 31

 32

 33

 

 

MATHS, INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY AND PHYSICS ORIENTED COURSE

 

Subject

Class

 

I

II

III

IV

V

Italian Language and Literature

4

4

4

3

4

Latin Language and Literature

4

5

4

4

3

Foreign Language and Literature

3

4

3

3

4

History

3

2

2

2

3

Geography

2

 

 

 

 

Philosophy

 

 

2

3

3

Natural Sciences

 

2

3

3

2

Mathematics

5

5

5

5

5

Physic

3

3

3

3

3

Drawing and Art History

2

2

2

2

2

Phisical education

2

2

2

2

2

Religion

1

1

1

1

1

 

 29

 30

 31

 31

 32