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2006

Colegio Jorge Washington Home Page

Colegio Jorge Washington, a.k.a "Cojowa" is a Bilingual School located in Cartagena, Colombia. It has a population of about 500 students and it´s one of the most renowned schools of Cartagena. With education going from Kindergarden to Highschool it´s one of the most complete schools of Colombia. More than 95% of it´s students continue to Higher Education.

History

Our history begins and continues in Cartagena, Colombia the first and present home of COJOWA. With a staff of only three teachers and twenty-five students, we held our first day of classes on October 1, 1952. In July, 1954, the ANDIAN National Corporation bought the Bocagrande Club. The school then moved to this facility and began to operate in September, 1954. In 1963, with $935,000 donated by the U.S. government and $300,000 donated by industrialists and the local citizenry, the future of COJOWA as a bi-national school in Cartagena was realized. Later, the old Bocagrande Club was demolished and the central part of the school building was constructed. This is now the current location of the 1st and 2nd grade classrooms, and the learning center. In 1963, the Colombian National Education Ministry approved grades one through six for primary education, and grades seven and eight for high school education. In 1967, the school was recognized and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS – our current US high school accreditation association), which facilitated student admissions to North American schools and universities. In 1968, approval was granted for studies through the 9th grade. In 1974, the remaining high school levels were granted. In 1979, COJOWA’s first pre-school and kinder facility was constructed. The school has acquired land in Zona Norte that provides sports and future expansion needs.

Mission

The mission of the George Washington School is to form bilingual and bicultural citizens who possess high ethical values and commitment to the search for academic excellence and success in life.

Vision

We are one of the schools head of Colombia in the formation of integral Bilingual secondary graduates prepared to confront success the challenges of an environment globalized.

Philosophy

The instructional program of the George Washington School places emphasis on the ethical development of the students, instructing them to be:

- Autonomous, independent and original people, with their own criteria.

- Capable of independent learning while researching, analyzing and evaluating information and utilizing knowledge in productive and creative ways.

- Capable of understanding social problems and of proposing novel solutions.

- Prepared to face, with talent and confidence, the future of their community with respect to its economic, cultural and political aspects.

- Individuals with their own identity, with respect for themselves and the diversity of their culture.

- Of solid physical, socio-ethical, and intellectual equilibrium enjoying harmonic interaction with nature.

- Capable of rapidly adjusting themselves to the unpredictability of the future.

Profile of the COJOWA Student

1. Thinking Skills.
- Analyzes, understands, and utilizes information creatively in order to solve real problems of the surroundings and the community.
- Has interest in technological and scientific advances, and has an investigative attitude.

2. Critical Thinking Skills.
- Researches and utilizes problem-solving processes in all fields to select information critically, analyzes it, and makes pertinent decisions.

3. Communication Skills.
- Utilizes modern codes and means of communication in a comprehensive and efficient way.
- Communicates competently in English and Spanish.
- Establishes consistent relationships between language and culture.

4. Ability to make commitments with the community.
- Works within the community with a solid spirit of service, cooperation, and participation.

5. Ability to establish social relationships.
- Respects the rights and dignity of others.
- Shows high self-este
- Aims for and achieves personal goals
- Constantly shows self-control and discipline.

6. Ability to establish relationships with universal culture.
- Utilizes knowledge from the past to explain present, and make predictions of the future.
- Understands interrelationships among different human cultures and societies, and acts accordingly.
- Interacts with other cultures, integrating with them in a critical and creative manner, based on his own identity and cultural values.

7. Ability to Act Ethically.
- Comprehends the importance of each of one of his actions and acts responsibly in accordance with the principles of social ethics.

8. Ability to maintain physical, mental and spiritual health.
- Practices personal plans of physical development and of preservation of mental, spiritual and environmental health, with solid and certain criteria.

9. Artistic appreciation and production.
- Values art and develops artistic abilities, making his imagination, creativity, and aesthetic enjoyment stronger.
- Respects and values variety of artistic expression within the local and world cultures.

Board of Directors

These are the people who were integrating our Main Board from August, 2006:

- Luis Guillermo Otoya