In the year 1979, the nonprofit foundation was established, the constitutional record was signed in the Casa de la Cultura Cecilia Caballero de Lopez, on May 7th 1979. The legal status is obtained and was issued by the National Ministry of Education of Colombia through the resolution N° 15283 on September 6th 1979.
In the 1970’s, during the times of the cotton boom, this region was frequently visited by the merchant Gustavo Grauard, exporter of cotton to England. In 1979, he came to Valledupar accompanied by the principal and the vice principal of Parrish school Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Wagner. They brought with them an idea to start a bilingual school in Valledupar. At first the idea didn´t have much reception, but as they came back they met Alonso Sanchez Mejía, they communicated the idea to him and he told them that the only person that would pay attention was the engineer Julio Villazón Baquero, who was later informed, and who embraced and was dedicated to crystallize this idea; he begged them to postpone their journey back home. Meanwhile he made an announcement on the radio station Radio Guatapurí calling upon parents who might be interested.
The first meeting had just fourteen people attend, the founding families of the school. The seven families were led by:
- Julio Villazón Baquero – Doris Castro de Villazón
- Alvaro Castro Socarrás – Leonor Palmera de Castro
- José Joaquín Sandoval – Dilia Pinto Araújo
- Edgardo Cuello Fernández – Beatriz Lacouture de Cuello
- Orlando Rois – Alida Gnecco de Rois
- Rubén Ortiz Martínez – Georgina de Ortiz
- Rodolfo Maestre Pavajeau – Letty Ariza de Maestre
In the 1970s, in the time of the great cotton boom, the merchant Gustavo Graubard would frequent the region to export cotton to England. In 1979, he came to Valledupar accompanied by the rector and vice rector, Mr. Shepard and Mr. Wagner respectively, of the Colegio Parrish. They brought with them the idea to create a bilingual school in Valledupar. At first, it did not catch on, but upon returning, they encountered Alfonso Sanchez Mejia. They explained their idea and mister Sanchez stated that the only person that would pay attention to this idea was the engineer Julio Villazon Baquero. They went to look for him and he immediately welcomed them and set out to accomplish this idea. He begged the rectors to postpone their return trip as he put out an announcement on the local radio station Radio Guatapuri looking for parents interested in such an idea.
He met with Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Wagner for the next 10 days in a meeting that managed to summon 50 people and began enrollment in the school at a cost of $1000 per student. They decided to meet again. In the second meeting, they tried to enroll 118 parents, and increased the amount to $20,000 per student. The beginning of this project was first organized under the direction of Shepherd and Wagner, with the rector as Victor More, who signed Colombian and North American professors.
The 28th of January in the year 1980 officially began the initial works for the Fundacion Colegio Bilingue de Valledupar. As a result of innumerous efforts led by the mister Julio Villazon Baquero, who finally achieved the binding around this idea in the founding of this non-profit, with the objective to offer teachings of high quality and of bilingual character in both English and Spanish, in which, simultaneously, with academic rigor, would form citizens of stable ethic principle, committed to their social context.
In August of that same year, invoking the Calendar B school year, Colegio Bilingue began its first academic year. Beginning with 15 teachers and 138 students in the preschool, primary, and first two grades of high school, and as General Director Raymon Scheffer, who served as such until 1981, after who was replaced by Mr. David J. Barry (r.i.p.). Mr Barry was in charge until June of 1985, in which date he returned to his home country. During the first three years, the school worked provisionally at the Universidad Popular del Cesar (Parque Lineal Hurtado), and from the first of August 1984, moved to the current location in the north side of Valledupar, in a lot of more than 60 acres, where it has continued to develop into the physical structure that requires an educational institution as was designed by its founders.
The Director Barry, was replaced by the Academic Director Ricardo Spinel. Later, the school was placed under the care of General Director Mr. Alastair Turton and who later gave over sub-directorship to the Miss Rocio Ospino de Saade. Since 2009 Mrs. María Doris Villazón started as Subdirector and since 2011 she became General and Administrative Director. The Academic Headmistress is the psychologist Cecilia Restrepo R, since 2012.
The school holds more than 70 recognized educational professionals to attend a total of 750 students in levels of preschool, elementary, and high school. It is legally authorized by the National Ministry of Education through the Resolution No. 000928 on April 3rd of 2013 from the Municipal Secretary of Education to offer formal teaching in the aforementioned levels and in the academic modality of bilingualism (English and Spanish). The high school diploma is issued in an academic modality in the terms of the Resolution No. 00059 from April 8th, 2010.
As a non-profit organization, the school is directed by a Board of Directors that establishes directives and general politics for the Foundation, supervising the execution and carrying out of principles by its own philosophy. It has been chaired since its founding by the Honorable Julio Villazon Baquero. The Foundation Colegio Bilingue of Valledupar in its working years, has cons become a locally oriented paradigm for training citizens who have had to assume the leadership required for our country.