Gimnasio Los Caobos
| Gimnasio Los Caobos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
Vereda La Balsa, Chía Colombia | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, mixed-sex education |
| Religious affiliation(s) |
Roman Catholic, Jesuit |
| Founder | Rev. Father Gabriel Giraldo, S.J. |
| Principal | Jhon R. Last |
| Enrollment | 1000 students |
| Color(s) | Blue, White and Yellow |
| Mascot | Koala |
| Accreditation | Ministry of Education of Colombia, American Association of Quality Control |
| Website | http://www.gimnasioloscaobos.edu.co |
Gimnasio Los Caobos is a prestigious private preparatory school in Bogota, Colombia. It is associated with the Society of Jesus and prepares students from grades K1 through 12.[1] It is ranked as "Very Superior" by the Colombian Institute for the Evaluation of Education - ICFES. Located in the Municipality of Chía, Cundinamarca, within the Metropolitan Area of Bogotá, Colombia, the school was founded in 1991 by Rev. Gabriel Giraldo, S.J. and a group of notable lawyers from the Pontifical Xavierian University.[2] It also is a founding member of the UCB (Unión de Colegios Bilingues), the second biggest bilingual school association in Colombia.
History
In 1989 under the decision of Rev. Father Gabriel Giraldo Zuluaga, S.J. -then Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Pontifical Xavierian University-, Felipe Diago Jabois and a group of notable lawyers, former alumni from the same university, decided to found a preparatory school under the basis of Catholic principles and quality, bilingual, socially-responsible, and environmentally-friendly education, promoting investigation, technology and aim to serve the nation.[2]
During May, 1991 Giraldo Zuluaga along with Rodrigo Noguera Laborde, Gabriel Melo Guevara, Roberto Camacho Weberberg, Eduardo Vergara Wiesner, Jaime Alberto Guzmán Vargas, Gladys Salazar de Hidalgo, Felipe Diago Jabois, Isabel Cristina Bettin and Alicia Martínez de Suárez, gave birth to "Gimnasio Los Caobos" establishing the school at the Locality of Suba (Bogotá).[2]
In 1995 Gimnasio Los Caobos moved to its present 53.600 m2 Campus located at the Vereda La Balsa, in the Municipality of Chia. Since 1996, is one of the top Bilingüal preparatory schools in the country, due to the fact that courses in the English language were thought by Canadian staff.[2]
In 2011 on the occasion of its 20th Anniversary, Gimnasio Los Caobos was awarded the "Order of Policarpa Salavarrieta - Great Cross" by the Assembly of Cundinamarca. In 2003, the school had already received the "Order of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia" and in 2001, the "Simon Bolivar Medal" was conferred by the Ministry of National Education.
Academics
Gimnasio Los Caobos is consistently ranked among the top preparatory schools in the Bogotá-Cundinamarca Region and in Colombia . It has been designated as "Very Superior" (Muy Superior) by the ICFES. It's a Member of the Union of Bilingual Schools (UCB), ASOCOLDEP and the Koality Kid Alliance of the American Society for Quality Control (ASQ).[3]
The school is famous for its Model United Nations[4] and Model Young Entrepreneur programs, and its Band, Choir, Theater, Cheerleaders and Dance Groups.[5] It maintains an exchange program with the Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute, and a cooperation agreement with the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.[6]
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House (Flagship) System
Gimnasio Los Caobos follows the House system tradition. Students and teachers form part of one of the four houses, which are called flagships, and compete in both academic and athletic tasks, crowning a winner at the end of the school year, depending on the overall points received. The four flagships are Terra, Mare, Caelum and Spatium.[7]
Campus
The school comprises a 53.600 m2 campus, which includes a 3-floor High School Building, the Elementary and Medium School Buildings -which are called "Colmenas", Spanish for beehives, due to its similar structure-, a Theatre, a 3-floor Library, two computer centers with high-speed internet, a fully equipped Gym and a Physics, Chemistry and Biology Lab.[5]
It also has a cafeteria, which operates in three different schedules and two fast food mini-shops.[5]
Scholarship and Awards Program
The school offers one scholarship per academic year. It's given to the recipient of the "Gabriel Giraldo Order", maximum award of the Gimnasio Los Caobos, created in honor of the Founder, and as a reward to the student that best performs in the Colombian scholastic aptitude test (ICFES).[5]