Objectives and Founding Rationale

• To form an educational cooperative that integrates the members of a community in creating a collective, bilingual learning environment.
• To implement meaningful service learning that empowers students to become stewards of their communities.
• To develop skills and nurture values that cultivate the well-being of self, family, community, and world.
• To emphasize place-based, experiential learning and discovery.
• To uphold high academic standards through authentic assessment and grade level benchmarks.
• To educate the whole child by incorporating the outdoors, the arts, and physical education.

The past 10 years have seen enormous development in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, many times at the expense of the local culture and ecology. Community members have expressed concern about the disconnection between Costa Ricans and foreign residents, and its impact on the social, political, and ecological structure of the region. It is with these concerns that La Paz Community School was created. Focusing on high academic expectations while emphasizing the importance of bilingual education, La Paz Community School (LPCS) will integrate the children of local families into the school community at a young age with the ultimate goal of having a fully integrated, accredited bilingual school system.

With a dedicated group of teachers, students, parents, and community members, La Paz Community School will act as a model for the multinational Guanacaste region. The cooperative school will work with the surrounding communities to proactively create strategies that encourage sustainable development and conservation. Together, the knowledge of the past, vision of the future, and awareness of the present will foster a responsible community of life-long learners.