30 Stories for 30 Years

During 2026, we’ve invited our member schools to share memorable stories that celebrate 30 years of collaboration, shared expertise, and school improvement across Latin America.

Explore the stories below to discover the wonderful things our schools have achieved — and continue to achieve — together.

March 2026 - Then and Now

See how our schools have evolved our time.

The British School, Rio de Janeiro - Two schools, three sites

You see, everything – every great story – begins with an idea. The British School, Rio de Janeiro was founded in 1924, and through action, determination and teamwork something great was achieved! Now we are two Schools, with three sites - The Zona Sul School (Botafogo Site and Urca Site) and The Barra School! Here’s to a new century of infinite potential of growth, inspired actions, and the power to create a positive and fulfilling future!

Fleming College - 35 years of international education in Trujillo

Founded in 1991, and now celebrating our 35th year, Fleming College has grown alongside the city of Trujillo, educating generations of students with a strong sense of community and a shared commitment to learning.

Over the years, the school has developed into the institution it is today: one that brings together Peruvian, British and international perspectives in a way that reflects both our context and our students. Guided by our core values of passion, compassion and perseverance, we focus on helping our students grow with confidence, care for others, and keep going when things are challenging.

As LAHC marks 30 years of collaboration across Latin America, we value being part of a network of schools that learn from one another, support each other and continue to strengthen international education in the region.

Colegio Colombo Británico - 70th anniversary reflections

As LAHC celebrates 30 years of sharing expertise across Latin America, Colegio Colombo Británico, CCB, is also celebrating a major milestone: our 70th Anniversary. It is a momentous occasion that invites our community to look back on what’s been built and think about the future.

When we look at our classroom snapshot from 70 years ago, taken inside our first campus, a house in the neighbourhood of Normandía, we see all the staples of a teaching and learning environment. A caring educator making the rounds and a group of boys and girls engaging in an activity in proper-sized desks and chairs; a space obviously meant for them.

Jump 70 years into the future and, besides the colour of the image, what else do you see? The staples are there, yes, but they’ve evolved. The learning experience is on another level! The students are at the centre of the exploration, and their curiosity is the starting point of the educational experience.

It’s a fun thought experiment to imagine what our CCB students from then would say if they could walk into the classroom of now. Surely, they’d feel at home because the Corazón Colombo is always there. Yet, there’s another part of them that would probably just say, “Wow.”

And that’s how we feel as a school when we look back. Wow!

St. Paul's School - 100 years of St. Paul’s School in São Paulo

Honouring our past, embracing the future

In 2026, St. Paul’s School marks one hundred years of history (100 years on 18th February) — a century defined by a pioneering spirit, resilience, and an enduring commitment to education.

Established in 1926 by São Paulo’s British community, the school opened its doors to just 77 pupils with a simple yet ambitious mission: to provide a first-class British education for the sons and daughters of expatriate families. From these modest beginnings, St. Paul’s has evolved into one of Latin America’s leading international schools — a place where tradition and innovation go hand in hand.

The story of St. Paul’s is also the story of São Paulo itself. Over the decades, the school has reflected the city’s extraordinary transformation, from a growing industrial hub to a vibrant global metropolis. Through times of war and peace, challenge and change, St. Paul’s has remained true to its founding values: excellence, integrity, and the belief that education has the power to shape a better world.

As we celebrate this milestone, we also look to the future. The Centenary is not only a moment to honour our past, but an opportunity to imagine what lies ahead. With sustainability, diversity, and innovation at the heart of our vision, St. Paul’s continues to educate generations of Pauleans ready to make a difference — in Brazil and beyond.

April 2026 - Sustainability

April’s theme is sustainability - look at how our schools are putting sustainability at the heart of learning and building greener, more responsible communities.

St. Nicholas School - A beautiful synergy of education and ecology

At St. Nicholas School, we have long been inspired by the spirit of our students, whose sustainability initiatives have taken root and grown over the years. The school has flourished hand‑in‑hand with LAHC, where sustainability is not only part of learning but a guiding principle in how we act as a community. While our Pinheiros site carries the wisdom of forty‑six years, our Alphaville campus is now celebrating a vibrant decade of its own journey.

LAHC has played a vital role in this evolution. Through their constant mentorship and support, our leadership has been empowered to weave a new tapestry of inclusion, most notably through our belonging statement, which defines the heartbeat of our diverse, international-minded community.

In a beautiful synergy of education and ecology, both campuses have embarked on a partnership with Climate Cooperative (formerly Carbify). Today, we stand proud as sponsors of 120 trees planted over the past two years. This stewardship has already cleared 8,600kg of CO₂ from our skies and breathed life into 70 distinct ecological systems. We celebrate these milestones not just as numbers, but as a testament to what is possible through our enduring partnership with LAHC.

St George's College - Learning and leading for sustainability

St George’s College has made sustainability a core pillar of its curriculum, a commitment reflected in its hosting of the LAHC Sustainability Summit in Quilmes last September.

Students and staff from eight schools across four countries came together for five days of learning, collaboration, and climate action. They explored environmental and social challenges, learning from UN Climate Action Champion Gonzalo Muñoz, and engaging with organisations working in ecosystem restoration, sanitation access, circular fashion, and renewable energy.

Through hands‑on projects, from building solar water heaters to creating recycled‑material blankets, students strengthened regional connections and deepened their understanding of sustainability.

The Summit stands as a powerful example of how LAHC schools continue to inspire one another and drive meaningful change across our network.

Newton College - Earth Day

(Click on the image to watch the video)

At Newton College, with a six hectare on-site lake and a study centre deep in the Peruvian Amazon, sustainability is embedded within our educational approach as a core dimension of academic excellence. It is not treated as a standalone initiative, but as a deliberate integration of knowledge, skills, and values that shape how students engage with the world. From Early Years onwards, students participate in structured, developmentally appropriate experiences — such as eco-brick construction, recycling programmes, building solar-powered charging stations for their cell phones, and environmental inquiry — that connect learning to real-world contexts while fostering critical thinking, responsibility, and informed decision-making.

This foundation is progressively strengthened as students advance through the school. In Upper School, sustainability is reflected in student-led initiatives that demonstrate leadership, collaboration, and a clear sense of purpose. Through this continuum, sustainability becomes a lived value within the Newton community, reinforcing our commitment to forming individuals who are not only academically capable, but also equipped to contribute thoughtfully and responsibly to the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

The British School of Rio de Janeiro - sustainable standards, a core school value

To secure sustainable standards in all sites is of paramount importance to The British School, Rio de Janeiro. We believe that investing in infrastructure and buildings that are both resilient and environmentally efficient is a responsibility and one of our school’s core values.

Our everyday actions:

Solar panels in all three sites
Rainwater reuse system
Waste management
Recycling
Composting
Home biogas/biodigestor
Sustainable supplies

Organic garden
horta

As part of our commitment to sustainability and promoting healthy eating, The British School has implemented organic gardens at its three campuses: Botafogo, Urca and Barra. These gardens not only provide fresh, nutritious food for the school community but also play a fundamental role in the educational process. At the Barra campus for example, students, teachers, and staff have the opportunity to participate in the cultivation and maintenance of the gardens, learning firsthand about sustainable agriculture, nature cycles, and biodiversity.

Functional landscaping
Functional landscaping is an approach that uses plants and natural elements to create more comfortable, sustainable, and healthy environments. This practice can have a significant impact, creating a cooler environment, improving air quality, and promoting sustainable soil drainage.

Green kitchen seal
The Green Kitchen Seal affirms commitment through environmental and social practices in the kitchens that serve staff and students. Green kitchen evaluates restaurants with a focus on improving quality standards, considering the benefits of their customers and their environmental impact. The evaluation is based on international criteria for measuring efficiency in social and environmental responsibility. Kitchens/restaurants with the Green Seal offer dishes with natural flavors and 100% natural seasonings, without the use of artificial additives. The school's seal was renewed, and all three sites improved their processes, resulting in an increase in their scores. Botafogo and Barra sites achieved the programme's maximum score of 5 points, and Urca advanced to level 4.

Zero waste certification
This certification, recognised by the Zero Waste International Alliance and promoted by the Instituto Lixo Zero Brasil, assesses solid waste management based on the zero waste methodology. This certification validates the organisations' commitment to efficient and sustainable environmental practices. In this context, The British School achieved the ‘Rumo ao Lixo Zero’ certification in 2025. The school diverted 52.3% of its waste from landfills and achieved a B grade in good waste management practices, demonstrating significant progress on its journey to zero waste.

May 2026 - Growing together

May’s theme is Growing together — highlighting how our schools move forward, guided by shared principles of reflection, expertise and continuous improvement.

Craighouse School - The IB journey at Craighouse School: from selection to inclusion

This is the story of a remarkable transformation. It is the account of how a small spark of ambition
in 1993 became the standard of academic excellence that defines Craighouse School today; it is
the story of an educational transformation that demonstrates how a clear vision, however small it
may seem at first, can change the DNA of a school, without abandoning its founding principles and values.

There are moments in the history of an educational institution that define its character forever.
For Craighouse School, that moment came in 1993. In that year, the International Baccalaureate
(IB) was a distant concept in Chile. However, Craighouse decided to take the plunge with a small
but determined group: 19 students. At that time, the programme was in its infancy, there were
few subjects, and the path ahead was fraught with uncertainty. Those pioneers were not merely
studying for a diploma; they were laying the foundations of what we are today, without neglecting
the national curriculum and their own assessments.

To teach excellence, one first had to seek it where it already existed. In January 1971, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to adopt the IB Diploma Programme. For Richard Darling, who at the time was a teacher at the British School in Montevideo, working at an IB school was an extremely valuable experience. During his three-year stay, he had to learn to teach using a methodology very different from that used elsewhere, as well as getting used to inquiry-based learning. Thanks to Richard, Mrs Darling’s son, Craighouse adopted this programme in the early 1990s.

In those early years, our teachers undertook regular trips to Quilmes, Argentina. In the classrooms of St George’s College, our teachers honed their skills, shared visions and brought back the rigour and critical thinking that define the IB.

Over the decades, the school’s philosophy took a bold turn. Whilst many schools chose to offer the Diploma only to an academic elite, Craighouse decided to democratise the challenge. The
commitment was clear: the IB is not just for the few; it is a tool for growth for everyone – the IB
Continuum – adding the PYP and the MYP to the existing DP (Diploma) in 2008.

Today, Craighouse’s reality reflects a commitment that began in the 1990s. The figures speak for
themselves: it is the first school in Chile to achieve a rate of 87% of Year 12 students sitting their
Diploma examinations, with excellent results.

We have demonstrated that inclusion and high standards can and must go hand in hand
What began in 1993 with almost 20 young people and a handful of books is today a legacy that
runs through the veins of every Craighouse pupil. We do not merely produce graduates; we shape global citizens ready for any challenge.

King's College School Panama - Celebrating school review as a catalyst for growth

King’s College School Panama was delighted to receive its recent British Schools Overseas (BSO) inspection report, which confirmed that the school meets all BSO standards in full. For a relatively young school, founded in 2012 and now serving pupils from 53 nationalities, this outcome provides important external validation of the quality, care and ambition of the King’s community.

What was most powerful, however, was not simply the outcome. It was the way the review captured the spirit of the school. Inspectors recognised strong relationships, an inclusive community, robust safeguarding, an ambitious curriculum and pupils who are kind, respectful, caring and internationally minded. They also recognised that recent developments in leadership, curriculum and safeguarding are already having a positive impact on pupils’ learning, wellbeing and personal development.

For King’s, the process gave us a valuable opportunity to step back and reflect on the kind of school we are building. It helped us sharpen what we believe in, test the strength of our provision against clear external standards and accelerate important areas of development, including our wider social and emotional learning provision.

Our advice to other LAHC schools preparing for external review is to approach scrutiny as more than a moment of evaluation. At its best, it can become a catalyst for reflection, alignment and growth. The strongest review processes do not simply test compliance. They help a school understand itself more deeply and move forward with greater confidence.

Colegio Colombo Británico - Achieving greater whole-school alignment in our maths programme

Curricular alignment is what every school aspires to, especially when it comes to core subjects. In 2024, Colegio Colombo Británico (CCB)’s maths programme was solid, but it felt isolated by section. Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary were all pulling their weight, but data showed some holes in our programme because we lacked a cohesive, whole-school teaching and learning vision.

That’s when LAHC’s consulting collaboration (the LAHC Review) entered the picture to help us see things differently. A group of maths experts, headed by Alan Downie (former LAHC Executive Officer), visited our campus to conduct class observations and meet with teachers. Through a series of bespoke surveys and interviews, they provided the necessary insight to crack the challenge and improve our programme from the ground up.

Now, two years later, our maths programme, although still a work in progress, stands as a premier example of curriculum alignment. Thanks to LAHC’s silk-gloved, boutique consultancy and its findings, we have bridged the gaps between sections. We have successfully moved from isolated efforts to a unified vision that ensures every student has a seamless and supported journey in mathematics.

Markham College - An international feast for its 80th anniversary

Markham College's community came together spectacularly for a special edition of the Round Square International Food Fair, a vibrant start to the school’s 80th anniversary celebrations and a powerful example of how communities grow together.

Parents, teachers, students and staff shared flavours from around the world, enjoyed live music, and connected through an afternoon that blended celebration with purpose. Alongside global cuisine and student performances, the Social Service exhibition showcased fog catcher and house‑building projects, while a high‑energy solidarity Fun Run brought the community together in support of those in need.

Creativity also flourished at a collaborative ceramics workshop, where families crafted pieces inspired by oak tree leaves for an 80th anniversary sculpture honouring the school’s journey and traditions.

It was a joyful reminder of the strength and unity of the Markham College community — and of the values that continue to guide it: Belonging, Opportunity, Responsibility and Trust.