HIGH SCHOOL PROFILE 2024/2025
Director: Dr. Joseph Nagy
High School Principal: Dr. Timothy Shirk
High School Dean: Dr. Richard Martin
College Placement Counselor: Andrea Peisker
SCHOOL MISSION: “Colegio Bolivar is a bilingual community of creative learners which inspires its members to live our school values as catalysts of change who incorporate multiple perspectives and commit to the highest aspirations for the welfare of the individual, society, and Earth.”
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY
Colegio Bolivar, founded in 1947, is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory school governed by an appointed board of trustees. Classes are taught in a bilingual (North American English-based) environment.
The school is divided into pre-primary (Kindergarten 4, Kindergarten 5, grade 1), primary (grades 2-5), middle (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12), with a total of 1,324 students. There are currently 380 stu-
dents enrolled in High School. Colegio Bolivar is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/COGNIA and the Colombian Ministry of Education.
Seniors graduate with both the US High School Diploma and the Colombian Bachillerato. The school is located on a 35-acre campus in Pance, a residential suburb of Cali.
HIGH SCHOOL FACULTY AND STUDENT BODY
University Attendance 2020-2024
Advanced Placement (AP) Results
There are 58 High School staff members, 46 of which are teaching faculty. All faculty members hold university degrees and 35 hold advanced degrees. The average number of years teaching experience is 19. There are 4 counselors, 1 psychometrist, 1 academic coach, 1 STEM & Innovation Coordinator, and 6 P.E. coaches on the High School campus. Breaking down the nationalities of the High School staff, there are 10 individuals from the United States, 45 from Colombia, 2 from Canada, and 1 from the United Kingdom. The student/teacher ratio is currently 8:1. Members of the student body are from upper socioeconomic levels and are all bilingual. Their breakdown by nationality is as follows: 80% Colombian, 2% North American, 3% Other and 15% dual-citizen.
GRADING SYSTEM/RANK/GPA/BLOCK SCHEDULING
The Colombian Ministry of Education has mandated an evaluation system which reports student achievement measured against the objectives of a course. A Colegio Bolivar student’s overall achievement in a course is an average of the objectives reported on a 4.0 scale, a 2.0 being the minimum passing grade.
Students are ranked at the end of their third and fourth years based on their cumulative GPA of all their subjects, except PE 9 and 10 and online
courses. New students, 10-12, and students who missed 9, 10, or 11 are not ranked. GPA and Rank are based on year end grades. All courses are designed to prepare students for rigorous academic work at the university level. All high school courses meet for 70 minutes, five times every eight school days, for 40 weeks. All AP class grades are enhanced 0.2 points (except online courses).
Calle 5 No. 122-21 Vía Pance Cali - Colombia • PBX: +572 485 5050 EXT. 258 & 310 • A.A. 26300
Email: apeisker@colegiobolivar.edu.co CEEB Code: 925680
Accredited by: the Colombian Ministry of Education & Cognia, a global nonprofit working in over 80 countries, serving 36,000 institutions, 25 million students, and five million educators every day. Associated with: Cognia - The Tri-Association - International ACAC - ACCAS Association
ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Colegio Bolivar offers 19 Advanced Placement (AP) classes, as well as online options (*new 2024-5):
• Biology
• Calculus AB
• Chemistry
• English Language
• Physics I
• World History
• Art/Design 2D & 3D
• Statistics
• Computer Science Principles
• Spanish Literature*
• Computer Science A
• English Literature Human
• Geography*
• Environmental Science*
• English Seminar*
COMMUNITY SERVICE
The school’s mission is "to commit to the highest aspirations for the well-being of the individual, society, and the Earth." This involves recognizing different realities and contributing to them positively, indicating a community effort where there is mutual benefit. To achieve this, several action lines are in place:
• Service Learning Class: Created to fulfill the requirement of the National Ministry of Education regarding the 80 hours of mandatory social service. It is offered within the elective program for 8th, 9th, and 10th grades; each student takes this class only once and can choose which grade to take it. The class aims for students to design and execute socio-environmental projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals within a specific community. This year, to complete the transition to the new system of Mandatory Service in the Service Learning class, extracurricular sessions will be available for two groups on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• GIN Class: An elective for 11th-grade students who wish to deepen their Service Learning experience with higher academic demands.
• US Government & Politics*
• Macroeconomics*
• Psychology*
• European History*
• Grade-level Activities: Starting from Kindergarten 4, several activities are carried out each year with a specific institution, contributing to its well-being and fostering mutual understanding.
• Volunteering by students, teachers, and parents: Self-managed projects aimed at contributing to a specific community with regular meetings. Attendance at specific events promoted by the school.
Some of the community partners of Colegio Bolívar include: Pance Educational Institution, La Trinidad School, Liceo La Amistad, Divina Providencia, Madre Dios, Cottolengo Foundation, Chiquitines Foundation, Pazos Foundation, and TOM (workers, operators, and transportation of Colegio Bolívar).
Throughout their education at the school, most students complete more than the 80 hours of social service required; additionally, teachers and families have the opportunity to be part of the institution's culture of social and environmental commitment.
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
There are a considerable number of extracurricular opportunities available to Colegio Bolivar students. They are encouraged to participate in activities including, but not limited to, athletics, the arts, academics, social service, and politics. This ties back to the school mission in that the students’ involvement in extracurricular activities helps them develop, and eventually become “catalysts of change”. Among these projects and activities are
• Social Commitment Club
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Online Peer Tutoring
• Book
Model U.N., Student Ambassador, math competitions, National Honor Society, Poetry Festival, TRIBUNA Magazine, yearbook staff, varsity sports, Global Issues Network, Music/Arts Festival of Armenia, Voluntary Social Service, Student Council, School Musical and Community Service Committees. High school sports include varsity soccer, volleyball, swimming, basketball, and softball/baseball.
EXAMPLES OF STUDENT-LED CLUBS
• Environmental
• Design
• STEM
• Philosophy
• Chess
• Gender Sexuality Alliance
• Don Simon Coffee
• Animal Protection/Cruelty-Free
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Juniors with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 are eligible to become members of the National Honor Society. Students who have attained this grade point average must also demonstrate exemplary scholarship, character, citizenship, service, and leadership in order to be invited to become members.
• Student Health Brigade
NJHS runs from Middle school through 9th grade. Grade point averages from 9th and 10th grades are used to establish qualification for NHS in 11th grade.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS AND CURRICULUM FOR THE 2024-2025 SENIOR CLASS
In addition to the above required credits all seniors must have participated in a job shadowing activity referred to as Career Week, as well as complet-
ed a Senior Project which includes an oral presentation and research paper.