History of New Hope
New Hope was born form a dream and grew as dreams grow. Knowing our history helps us preserve our identity. A glimpse back continues to encourage us with a forward look.
New Hope was founded in 1993 in response to an educator’s dream to satisfy the necessity of bilingual education in Heredia.
The institution began its work with prekindergarten, kindergarten, preparatory, and first and second grades in basic education in a building located in downtown San Juan de Santa Barbara de Heredia with an enrollment of 105 student and 17 educators.
Two years after opening its doors to the community, New Hope enrolled 172 new students for the academic year of 1996, achieving a population of 381 students. That led the administration to purchase two acres of land and start building offices, the first six classrooms, and sport courts. The first six classrooms opened on February 1996 on the campus where our institution is currently located. The current location is 600meters west of the entrance of San Juan la Meseta Coffee of Santa Barbara de Heredia.
Having obtained required permits from the Ministry of Education and supported CENIFER, the preschool and primary classes commenced in 1997located in new and modern classrooms. The first graduation occurred in 2001 with 100% of the initial enrollment of 32 students.
From 1999 to 2001 we finished the auditorium, soda/coffee shop, parking area, basketball, soccer and volleyball courts. On December 10, 2001, we acquired a portion of three acres of land providing more space for the development of sports and recreational areas. In 2003 and 2004, the pool, science laboratories, computer laboratories and playgrounds were built. On July 2005, 12,000square meters of land were purchased to reach a total of 56,000 meters.
The school song, the lyrics and music were produced by the first music teacher, Mrs. Norita Ovares, and the school anthem was written by the first academic director of the school, Mr. Francisco Martinez. The shield was made by Cynthia Ramos under the direction of administrators and teachers including ideas of students. The first standard was handmade by nuns and it was first used for the high school graduation class of 1996.
The growth, that the institution continues to achieve, results from the vision of its founder, Jeanette Cortes Garcia, and the combined efforts of the administrative staff, dedicated teachers who have academic degrees, and innovative students. In addition, confidence from supportive parents has promoted New Hope School to become a home to educate future generations in Costa Rica
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