Colegio Williams
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Colegio Williams (Williams College) is a private school in south-central Mexico City. It is located in the Benito Juárez borough, in the area of Mixcoac. It was founded in 1899 by British educator and traveler Camilo John Williams, in the area of Tacubaya (very close to its current location). It was at first an all-day school, including a boarding house. The school was all in English; even Catholic events were held in English. It was considered the best school in Mexico, for several years, mainly because of its high level of English, being the first school in Mexico and Latin America, in having English as an actual subject.
Around 1904-1905, the school changed to its current location, to what used to be the summer house of José Yves Limantour the Finance Minister of President Porfirio Díaz. The summer house is built in neoclassical English style, emulating a small castle in the Highlands. Mr. Williams was by that time an influential person in the educational board, established by Justo Sierra.
When Camilo died, the school was taken over by Johnny Williams, his son. During this phase, the school lived through its "Golden Years", obtaining prestigious awards in matters of education, and even being recognized outside Mexico by the Philadelphia City Council board of schools. After Johnny's death, his brother Charles took over as principal. Though his period didn't last long, the importance of his work was the transformation of the school from being all-boys to becoming co-educational, and also the elimination of the boarding house and school, and the process of opening the preparatory school. After Charles's death, Arturo, Johnny's son, became the new principal. He remains the principal until today. He has faced tough times at the school: the reduction of the school grounds (it at first occupied a whole block of the area, right now is just a third part of what it was in that time; ancient parts of the school are now being used by Telmex and a Comercial Mexicana supermarket), the construction of the Mixcoac Mexico City metro station in front of the school, the increase of the delinquency around the Mixcoac area, and the struggling with other anglo schools. As a solution of the reduction of the original school area , he established 2 more campuses: one with a new elementary school and the kindergarten in the southern part of the city in San Jeronimo in the Magdalena Contreras borough, and a didactic farm and sporting grounds in the Tlalpan borough, near Mount Ajusco.
As part of its modernization process, the school has just entered the IBO international education programme.
The school has had notable visitors to give lectures, talk about their experiences or even exhibit their recent works, being these of music, literature or painting.
-Writers:
- Literature Nobel Prize Octavio Paz.
- Mexican poet Ali Chumacero.
- Mexican writer Angeles Mastretta.
- Mexican essayist and historian Enrique Krauze.
- Spanish writer and journalist Arturo Perez-Reverte.
- Mexican writer German Dehesa.
- Mexican-Polish writer Elena Poniatowska.
- Mexican writer Andres Henestrosa.
-Plastic Artists and Musicians:
- Mexican plastic artist and painter Leonardo Nierman.
- Mexican sculptor and architect Jose Luis Cuevas.
- Lebanese musician and poet Abaji.
- Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade.
-TV personalities:
- Actor and TV entertainer Francisco Stanley.
- Mexican actor Leon Michel.
- Mexican music band and soap-opera stars RBD.
-Sportsmen:
- Soccer teams Pumas UNAM and Necaxa.
- Former Mexican-Brazilian soccer player Luis Roberto Alves “Zague“.
- Champ Car Driver Mario Dominguez.
- Mexican race walker Bernardo Segura.
- Mexican basketball player Eduardo Najera.
- Former Mexican baseball player Fernando Valenzuela.
- Former Mexican tennis player Leonardo Lavalle.
-Politicians:
- Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas.
- Francisco Labastida.
- Santiago Creel.
- Luis Donaldo Colosio.
- Victor Gonzalez Torres.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Literature Nobel Prize Octavio Paz.
- Politician Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas.
- Singer Guty Cardenas.
- Actor and TV entertainer Francisco Stanley.
- Boxer Ricardo Lopez.
- Champ Car Driver Mario Dominguez.
- Singer and composer Francisco Gabilondo Soler “Cri-Cri“
