Colegio Ingles Catolico de la Serena S.A. (Chile)

The Colegio Ingles Catolico de la Serena S.A. is a school located in La Serena. It was founded on March 9, 1946, by Miss Zenaida Katzenellenbogen Leontovic, a Czechoslovakian professor of Mathematics and English from the University of Sorbonne, Paris. The school started its educational work in a building on Matta Street, which later expanded to Eduardo de la Barra Street and then to Carrera Street. The school has had various directors since 1965 who have introduced necessary innovations to adapt to new educational requirements while maintaining the traditions and policies established by its founder. The school is guided by a Christian and Catholic spirit, with important contributions from Don José del Carmen Valle, the first chaplain and religion teacher, and Father Waldo Alcalde, the parish priest at the time. In 2004, the school was officially recognized as a Catholic school by Archbishop Manuel Donoso through Canon Law Decree No. 290. The school places emphasis on teaching British English, as it was founded in 1946 with a focus on the customs and language of England. To create an ideal environment for natural language acquisition, the school has a special program that exposes students to English-speaking environments and includes native speakers in daily activities. This allows students to develop language skills for everyday situations both inside and outside the classroom.