The City Council of Sant Joan presented this Friday its annual awards to three outstanding figures for their commitment to the community, as part of the second edition of the municipal awards.
The awards recognized the career of the educator Teresa Elías, distinguished with the Gold Medal, and the collective work of Eivissa Club 4×4 and Portinatx Cycling Team, who received the Citizen Merit and Sports Merit, respectively.
During the ceremony, held in the municipality and attended by local and island authorities, Mayor Tania Marí stressed that these awards seek to recognize “the people who make Sant Joan great”, referring to the legacy and dedication of the honorees.
A life dedicated to education in Sant Joan
The Gold Medal was awarded to Teresa Elías for her 34-year career as head of the municipal school of Benirràs, a center that she directed until her retirement two years ago.
The award recognizes his role in the consolidation of the center as a reference point on the island, thanks to his drive, management and community spirit.
“It is an honor to have your life’s work recognized,” Elias said before the ceremony, noting that the award is also for “all the people who made this project possible.”
The teacher, born in Argentina and resident on the island since 1979, thanked the support of her colleagues, families of the municipality and her close environment, present during the ceremony.
The mayor, a former student of Elías, praised the dedication and sensitivity of the honoree, recalling how she transformed the center from its beginnings, when it barely had the basics, to become an educational model.
“We managed to make it the vanguard of Ibiza’s escoletes,” said Elías herself, who lived in Cala de Sant Vicent and Sant Llorenç and remains emotionally linked to Sant Joan.
Citizen Merit to Eivissa Club 4×4 for its help in the dana of Valencia
The group Eivissa Club 4×4 received the Citizen Merit Award for its solidarity work during the emergency caused by the dana that affected the Valencian Community in November 2024. The entity was recognized for its logistical and human support in the field.
“We left five vehicles loaded with food, boots, shovels and gloves,” explained José Marí Roig, Cudulà, president of the group, who recalled the four and a half days of work in areas such as Albal and Catarroja, where they helped clear streets to facilitate the work of firefighters.
Cudulà, accompanied by his team, emphasized the voluntary and altruistic nature of his action: “We would do it again if necessary, although hopefully it won’t be necessary“. The mayor defined their performance as an example of how “passion for motors can go hand in hand with social commitment.”
Portinatx Cycling Team, Award for Sporting Merit
The award for Sporting Merit was presented to the Portinatx Cycling Team, founded in 2014, for its trajectory and promotion of sport in the municipality.
Its president, Raúl Rodríguez Granado, thanked for the recognition on behalf of the team and described it as “a sign that we are doing things right”.
The club, which started in the soccer field of Sant Miquel, today has 114 members between two and 60 years old, and organizes multiple activities: mountain races, road cycling and children’s races, as well as collaborating in events such as the MTB Tour of Ibiza.
According to its president, the group’s objective is to continue to be “a family club with a good atmosphere” and to guarantee generational succession to ensure its continuity.
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