Two people who have been at Escola Americana de Campinas almost their entire lives and been close family friends for 30 years have a conversation of their moments, memories and miscellaneous thoughts about our school over the years. From childhood friends, to hostages, to coworkers, the interesting story of EAC’s Leos.
Nowadays, Leonardo Spinola has become EAC’s upper school computer science teacher, having constructed the course himself. Meanwhile, Leonardo Goes works as EAC’s whole-school IT specialist. Despite a 5 year age difference, the two experienced the 1990’s on campus, and have countless stories of their moments as students. Leo Goes living where the LLC is today and Spinola just a few streets away.
After Leonardo Spinola arrived in Brazil in 1990, his mother was given the opportunity to work as EAC’s second-grade student teacher assistant. Spinola joined EAC and completed 12th grade in 1998. Two years after starting work at EAC, she was offered a course to become the school’s nurse. Meanwhile, Leonardo Goes, who is currently 38 years old, studied at EAC for 15 years until graduating in 2003. Both discuss their daily lives as young students on campus, highlighting how the modest class sizes—16 students per grade—facilitated the development of class bonds. Due to the fact that everyone in EAC knew one another, they tended to have a vibrant social life where they played sports together, watched games, and interacted with one another. These minor elements allude to an entire era of student integration, helping both Leos to recall earlier traditions. Their stories come with a long story of heritage as Leo Goes’ father, Luis Carlos Goes, was the sole Brazilian among the several nationalities at the EAC, which was founded for expats. While around 40% of the students at EAC at the time the Leos attended were Brazilian.
During their formative years, both developed an intertwined interest for computers, programming and technology. Coming from Teacher Suzy’s classes that taught basic programming and computer sciences, Spinola recounts learning his first programming language and Goes remembers the big desktops that the students would take turns using. This, together with the influence of Goes’ father, Luís Carlos, knowing a lot about electronics and electrical engineering birthed an interest in both while they were young. Spinola recalls the days where he would go to the Goes house and learn how to weld or fix electronic boards and circuits from Luís Carlos.
Throughout the years in Escola Americana de Campinas both cherished warm and tense moments that will forever be remembered. Since Leonardo Spinola’s family lived close by EAC, one afternoon his brother came walking to school to grab a forgotten item in his locker; however, as time passed by he did not return. Worried about his son, Spinola’s mother asked Leo to go check for his brother. Upon arriving at EAC, Leo S. found the school empty with no guards at the small gate that used to protect the campus; consequently, Leonardo Spinola chose to jump over the gate. As soon as he did, a man held a gun to his back and escorted him towards the room besides the entrance. There he found his brother, Josival, and Leo Goes being held hostages while the men stole school materials such as computers. Shortly after the robber’s truck left the gate, all of them were then released. However, despite this frightful experience at EAC, Leonardo Spinola also holds warm memories of his youth. The campus was the setting for driving lessons to his younger brother, they drove right where his classroom is located nowadays. Although, in reference to Leo, those lessons might have not taught his brother really well, these lovely memories will forever be remembered.
Despite both having origins and interest in technology they were split in the career paths they would take. Leo Spinola played basketball for years in school, even having a sports scholarship at EAC for a period of time. Unfortunately, his aspiration was cut short due to knee troubles and he turned back to his hobby for programming and computers. Meanwhile, Leo Goes graduated in doubt between pursuing a career in tourism or information technology, either way wanting to keep using the English he had learned while at school. His decision to pursue the latter led him to the 6 months he spent away from EAC, interestingly enough, working with Spinola at a multinational tech company. While Leo S. spent a few years there Leo G. decided it wasn’t for him and came back to being a Giant. Eventually, after a job as a restaurant manager, he got the name Mr. Leo when the superintendent at the time hired Spinola as a teacher assistant. Eventually, his programmer background came in handy as the school was looking for upper school computer teachers and he was selected for the role. Since then, both have been a part of our community and upper school students surely recognize the technical assistance of Goes and the projects from Mr. Leo’s class.
Often told apart from the pronunciation of their names “Liu” and “Léo” are directly linked to the story of EAC. Since the 1990s both followed different paths, however made their ways back home, to the Giants.
By: Luna Consolini, Augusto Nucci
EAC PRESS 