Our story begins a few years ago, in 1961, when William Johnson founded the Inter-American Institute to teach English to adults, in a house in Granada, one of the traditional neighborhoods of Cali. When Mr. Johnson decided to return to the United States with his family, teachers and students decided to turn the institute into a school.

In 1963 the young and dynamic Thomas Houser took over the management of the School and changed the name to Jefferson School. Roland Schambach was a member of the Board of Directors at the time, and he convinced his only neighbor, Harold Zangen, to donate the land. This is how we began our story in Arroyohondo, at the entrance to Dapa.

When the entire community of Jefferson parents and students arrived there was no construction at all. This is how Mr Houser, parents, teachers and students began to build the buildings with their own hands. It was an admirable experience of teamwork, effort and dedication that has been reflected in our essence.

In 1977 Jefferson School changed its name to Colegio Jefferson, the name that still stands and that gave us our traditional CJ ​​symbol.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the most brilliant men of his time; He was the third president of the United States and is considered one of the founding fathers of America. He was a promoter of critical thinking and human rights. He also played an important role in the independence of Great Britain, being the main author of the declaration of independence.

It is the element that represents us as an Institution. It is made up of symbols, which mean:

🐯 JAGUAR: Symbol of power and sovereignty.
🪶 FEATHER: Symbol of justice and power.
📖 BOOK: Symbolizes wisdom and science.
⛰️ MOUNTAINS: Symbolizes meditation and spiritual elevation.
☀️ SUN: It is an emblem of strength, prudence, justice and temperance.

Our mascots are Jeff (the Jaguar) and the Iguana, and they are who we identify with. In 2017, the School opened the call for a group of students to draw proposals to renew the image of our pets. In this process of obtaining caricatures that represent us, the participating students received advice on the importance of mascots for brands and caricature drawing workshops. Subsequently, all the students of the school voted and chose the winners. This process took about a year!

After a lot of work and creativity on the part of our students, the winning mascots were those of Maria Kanaseki (11th).

JEFF

Recognized for his leadership, strength and intelligence. He is 17 years old and loves outdoor sports. Although he speaks Spanish, English and French, he feels more comfortable with English and Spanish.

Jeff is in charge of organizing many of the school activities, such as tournaments, plays and get-togethers. He loves meat and playing soccer, in fact, he is the captain of the school’s soccer team.

THOMASA

She is 15 years old and is… we could say very artistic. She loves to paint, dance and read. Although he likes to spend a lot of time with his family, he also enjoys going out with his friends to attend cultural events in the city.

She loves fashion and is vegan. He always promotes respect and good behavior among his peers. Although she is comfortable with English, Spanish and French, she prefers French and Spanish.

The jaguar was chosen for its key role in the food chain of Latin America. After the School shield was designed, a group of parents decided to adopt the jaguar from the Cali Zoo, calling him Jeff and donating money until the day he died. Since then, Jefferson students have identified with this majestic animal recognized for its strength, intelligence, and leadership.

When we arrived at Arroyohondo we discovered that this was the natural habitat of many iguanas, they were everywhere! Also, we realized that they were not as common as they seemed. The iguanas that live on our campus are a different kind that have adjusted to the low temperatures we have in the afternoons and evenings. Now, the iguanas are a representative icon of our history and an amazing reminder of our commitment to the environment.