Vinton Lions Club welcomed guest speaker Obil Flores, English Educator for El Salvador Public Schools in San Salvador. For the last six years, he has been teaching children English in both public and private schools from grades 1st through 12th. Obil first came to the United States in 2016 as part of the UGrad Exchange Program at Mt. Mercy University.

Obil shared with the Vinton Lions members that the Lions in El Salvador are well-known. In his 5th year of schooling, he heard the Lions were coming to visit and he received his first pair of glasses from the Lions chapter in El Salvador.

Obil 's presentation compared educational systems in El Salvador and the United States. The Salvador organization of education system is divided into primary (ages 7-15), Secondary (ages 16-18), and Tertiary (includes undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate levels). Obil stated education is free in El Salvador. Students do a standardized test to receive a high school diploma. The school calendar is slightly different than the US, students attend from February to October and students have a choice of attending in the morning for 5 hours or the afternoon session for 5 hours. The grading system is in numbers (1-10, 10 being the highest grade) instead of letters.

Obil stated El Salvador has a population of approximately 7 million people, many schools and many students. He also stated there are no school buses, generally, kids walk to school. The curriculum includes Math, Science, Social Studies, Language (Spanish), P.E., Morality, computer class and English from 7th through 9th. The El Salvadoran State provides students two uniforms, one pair of shoes and school supplies for every student every year. Obil stated during COVID, the students have been working online from home, but access to computers and the internet is a struggle, they returned to in-person learning on April 6th.

Obil holds a bachelor's in English Education from the University of El Salvador and is currently finishing his professorship at his alma mater. He also holds a Seminary degree from The Theological Institute.


The Vinton Lions Club will be celebrating 100 years of service to the Vinton community. We invite everyone to join us at Celebration Park on July 6th from 5-8 pm for cake and free sno-cones. The Lions Trailer will be available serving half-price tenderloins, hot dogs, funnel cakes, and more. Watch for more details of the upcoming event.

Lions Serve

Lions clubs are places where individuals join together to give their valuable time and effort to improving their communities and the world. If you have an interest in becoming a Lion and joining in our mission, contact Robin Martin at robinmartin62@gmail.com for more information.

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JZ April 17, 2021, 8:11 pm Thanks for this article, and kudos to the Vinton Lions for 100 years. They are the largest club in District 9, but not the largest town - a big achievement. The club originated from Vinton's connection with IBSSS and the mission of Lions Club to be champions for the blind, suggested to them by Helen Keller. A long proud tradition of service.