Colegio Bilingüe New Horizons
Our Strongest Conviction is Academic Excellence
Colegio Bilingüe New Horizons is a privately owned school located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It was founded in 1977 by Mr. Reynaldo Garrido and Mrs. Priscilla Comer Garrido (Academic Principal). New Horizons offers all levels of education from toddlers (2 years-old) through high school. The institution has the approval and follows the Spanish language curriculum of the Dominican Ministry of Education. The courses studied at the school are valid in all foreign countries in accordance with international treaties to which the Dominican Republic is a party. The English language program is equivalent to a college preparatory math and science high school program in the United States of America.
Our school has 31 years of experience educating children through a dual language program of English and Spanish from toddlers to twelfth grade. New Horizons alumni have enrolled and successfully participated in bachelors and masters programs in colleges and universities in the United States and Europe. Many of our graduates have received undergraduate scholarships to study in the Dominican Republic, the United States, and Canada, as well as graduate fellowships in the U.S.A., Canada, and Europe, including Fulbright grants.
The school is known for constantly upgrading its campus' infrastructure, for acquiring the best possible technological resources to offer a better quality of service, and for excellent students’ performance in national academic contests. Our school has been awarded first place in the Dominican math Olympiads for the last 7 years. During the school year 2003-2004 the Dominican Ministry of Education, for the first time, ranked all Dominican private schools and New Horizons stands among the first four schools of the Dominican Republic.
New Horizons philosophy, vision, mission, and objectives are based on our experiences, on the demands and competitiveness of the modern world, and on the achievements of students who have graduated from our institution.
New Horizons has a challenging academic program. High school students all experience the same course of study. Their fully bilingual English and Spanish programs include language arts, literature, history, geography, economics, French as a third language, science, arts and music, as well as advanced placement courses in mathematics and computing. At the end of their sophomore year in high school, students may choose between a General Studies or Technical Computer program. This will determine the courses they will take during their junior and senior years. The former is designed for those who show interest in social studies, literature, and arts. The latter is intended for those who have a special interest in engineering and computer science. In either of these programs, students may complete their grade, upon passing the required evaluations, as Certified Technicians by Microsoft, which enhances their marketability during and after college.
The curriculum is well balanced between the classes offered in English and those offered in Spanish. In each case, teachers evaluate their students periodically in the language of instruction. Furthermore, they are also expected to pass standardized examinations in language arts and math in both languages. Students that complete their schooling in our program will be able to fluently communicate in written and oral form in two languages; Spanish and English. French is taught as a foreign language from grades five to twelve. The weekly class schedule for each grade level includes two or three hours of French instruction. In this manner, students progress through eight levels of French. A special effort is placed on hiring highly qualified instructors who have at least a native proficiency in each language.
One of the school's main goals is to offer our students an integral education, in which the learning of values, the importance of serving others, and the development of a healthy lifestyle, are as important as academic excellence.
We have developed a communitarian and social work program, which promotes the sense of social responsibility.
The school also promotes and develops critical thinking and investigation skills by requiring that students take responsibility for their own learning process in the various disciplines. This objective is pursued by placing emphasis on critical thinking skills during instruction and in assessment measures. In order to encourage more cooperation among students, scientific inquiry, and self-directed learning, the school fosters the development of different special academically oriented activities. Some of these activities (i.e. the spelling bees in three languages, the science fairs, math Olympiads, cultural fair, and multiple school field trips) have become traditions for New Horizons.
The school’s academic staff includes a principal, a vice-principal, three assistant principals, five school psychologists, one prefect, and seven academic coordinators. The school has eighty-three teachers, thirty-six assistant teachers and monitors, two substitute teachers, three library personnel. In addition, as part of its administrative staff, the school has a financial director, ten people in the information and technology department, seventeen administrative staff, one in health services, forty four in design and engineering (including maintenance, custodial, and security), and nine administrative assistants. Every year the school undergoes a revision of long term and short-term goals as well as performance evaluations for all our personnel to assure a constant improvement of our service.
The school’s community represents thirty-five different countries, and their student body is made up of 30 nationalities, resulting in a multi-cultural daily experience, which has become normal and natural at the school. Curriculum content, especially in the areas of language arts and social studies in English, Spanish, and French, helps to celebrate the school’s cultural diversity by incorporating this multinational focus, leading to the study of literature, arts, and the history of many countries. Knowing about the cultural backgrounds of classmates makes understanding and acceptance easier to obtain. Ethnic and religious acceptance is expected at all times. Civic values are also encouraged through student participation in community service and social work projects.
Parents and the overall community play an important role on the educational process of our students. Parents and community members cooperate through their experiences and with their time in our school activities.
All parents are welcome to participate in their children’s learning process. Furthermore, parents’ attendance and participation in school activities such as conferences, meetings, and appointments is highly encouraged. These meetings are held at different times so as to accommodate parents’ work schedules. When appropriate, student presentations are prepared to encourage parents to attend. Professionals from different fields are invited to give lectures on topics of interest during parent-teacher meetings. Parents are invited to visit their children’s classrooms to share stories, talk about their professions, or any valuable experience.
Our graduates serve as role models for our students. Their success during undergraduate, graduate programs and in their professional performances are evidence that the principles of our philosophy and mission have been accomplished. Therefore, we invite them to share experiences with our students, during our career orientation program or in any activity organized by the school.
Some of our graduates have registered their children at New Horizons, giving us satisfaction, pride, and reassurance that our program is valued by our community as the best quality option for the education of their children.