Ometepe Bilingual School

Our elementary program is the first free-of-charge bilingual school in Central America and one of only a few bilingual schools in Nicaragua. Our school has its roots in English classes for adults begun in the summer of 2007. Classes were taught in the open-air restaurant at the Hacienda Merida hotel. In 2013 we opened our first eco- friendly classroom, built from plastic waste and sustainable earth-bag technology. We also welcomed our first elementary school class. Twelve four and five-year-olds enrolled in our first kindergarten class. Throughout the year the children studied in Spanish with a local teacher and in English with a series of generous volunteers. We celebrated the first graduating class in December 2013. In February 2014, our elementary school program started its second year. Last year’s kindergarteners are now boisterous first graders and we have a new entering kindergarten class. Our local teaching staff has doubled as our newly hired first grade teacher joins our Kindergarten teacher. We continue to seek out and welcome English-speaking volunteers to provide English-language instruction to our students. The Ometepe Bilingual School functions similarly to a charter school in the US. OBS follows the Ministry of Education curriculum and there is no tuition. Class size is limited, but enrollment is open to all parents who are interested and willing to commit to their child’s education, to supporting their child at home, and to keeping their child in the program throughout primary school. In addition to the OBS, Merida is served by a public grade school (Kindergarten through 6th grade) and a public secondary school (with 5 grade levels). Over the next six years we plan to construct five more eco-friendly classrooms from plastic waste, transforming an empty field by the lakeshore into a fully-functioning bilingual school for 84 students (12 per grade, grade K-6).