Colegio Villa María (Peru)
Villa María School is Peruvian-American co-education private school for women located in the city of Lima, Peru. It is of Catholic institution ran by the Congregation of the Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with origin in Pennsylvania, United States. Its teaching is in Spanish and English with a curriculum based on Christian values and the Marian spirit.
| Colegio Villa María Miraflores Colegio Villa María La Planicie | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
Calle Contralmirante Montero 225 Av. La Laguna 280 , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private coeducational |
| Established | 1923 |
| Headmaster | Pilar Grados |
| Grades | Kindergarten, 1-6 (Elementary), 1-5 (Secondary) |
| Gender | Girls |
| Enrollment | 1,000 approx. |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Red, Blue, White |
| Nickname | Villamarian |
| Yearbook | Golden |
| Affiliation | Immaculate Heart of Mary |
| Primary languages | English and Spanish |
| Website | http://www.vmm.edu.pe (Miraflores) http://www.vmaria.pe (La Planicie) |
It was founded in 1923 as a Catholic center, with the aim of evangelizing, and teaching classes in the English language.
History
In 1922, in conversations between the Archbishop of Lima, Monsignor Emilio Lissón, and the Archbishop of Philadelphia, Cardinal Dennis Dougherty, it was agreed to create an English-speaking Catholic school in Lima. Said project was to be entrusted to the religious order, the Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who arrived in Peru on December 12 of the same year to begin its realization.
On January 3, 1923 the congregation settled in a rented house and in that same place the first course of what would be the Villa María School began, classes began on March 15 of the same year with eighty students, in mostly girls of primary school age and some boys.[1]
In 1924, land was acquired for the construction of the convent and the school. The works began on August 15, 1925. Then President of Peru, Augusto B. Leguía, was present at the ceremony to lay the first stone, among other personalities of the Peruvian and American government. On March 21, 1926 the facilities were inaugurated. The new building was 5,000 m² and had dormitories for girls, an auditorium with a capacity of more than 1,000 people, study rooms, a large courtyard for recreational purposes, a gym, reception rooms and a library.
On October 14, 1962, construction began on a new school headquarters (La Planicie) in the La Molina District, for secondary education. This center began its activities in 1965.
Notable alumni
- Luciana León, former Member of Congress.
- Elvira de la Puente, former Member of Congress.
- Cecilia Martínez del Solar Salgado, former Member of Congress.
- María Antonieta Alva, current Minister of Economy and Finance.
- Ana María Romero-Lozada, former Minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations.
- Cayetana Aljovín, former Minister of Foreign Relations.
- Elena Conterno, former Minister of Production.
- Diana Álvarez Calderón, former Minister of Culture.
- Liliana de Olarte, ambassador.
- Isabel Ferreyros, volunteer, president of the League Against Cancer.
- Roxanne Cheesman, economista and historian.
- Madeleine Osterling, abogada.
- Susana de la Puente, businesswoman, former Peruvian ambassador to the United Kingdom.
- Cecilia Blume, lawyer, former Chief of Advisors to the Prime Minister of Peru.
- Lorena Masías Quiroga, economist, former Superintendent of National Superintendence of Higher University Education.
- Pilar Freitas Alvarado, former Lima City Councilwoman.
- Sandra Plevisani, businesswoman.
- Isabella Falco, publicist, director of Marca Perú
- Jimena Mujica de Orbegoso, businesswoman and designer.
- Sitka Semsch, designer.
- Maki Miró Quesada, decorator and author.
- Conchita Cintrón, bullfighter.
- Alexandra of Prussia, princess of Germany.
- Desirée de Prusia, princesa de Alemania.
- Anna Carina, singer.
- Melissa Griffiths, Venezuelan singer.
- Anahí de Cárdenas, actress.
- Anneliese Fiedler, actress.
- Claudia Dammert Herrera, actress.
- Patricia Aspíllaga Menchaca, actress.
- Daniela Camaiora Valera, actress.
- Alessandra Denegri Martinelli, actress.
- Johanna San Miguel, actress.
- Graciela Giraldez Castro de Ferrari, theatre director.
- Claudia Cisneros, journalist.
- Valerie Vásquez de Velasco, journalist.
- Joanna Boloña Acuña, televisor hostess.
- Verónica Ayllón Garrido-Lecca, television hostess.
- Carla García Buscaglia, author, daughter of Alan García, former President of Peru.
- Vania Masías, dancer.
- Morella Petrozzi Woll, dancer.
- Sandra Flores Vaccari, swimmer.
- Karin Brandes, swimmer.
- Valeria de Santis Sarmiento, model.
- Alondra Garcia-Miró Santillana, model.