Greetings from the School Director

Welcome to Southwestern Educational Society (SESO). I am pleased that you are interested in our school.

SESO is a college preparatory school committed to develop competent, well-rounded students in an environment that values individual intellectual achievement. SESO fosters bilingualism within a Puerto Rican cultural context by means of an English immersion program. Our curriculum is designed to help students develop the necessary skills and habits needed for academic success. Combine this with active participation in co-curricular activities and your experiences at SESO will be exciting and rewarding.

Our faculty members are excellent professionals fully bilingual with distinguished academic credentials and experience. Mentoring students to assure their academic and personal success is the foremost goal of our faculty. Guidance Counselors also help students explore their interests and abilities to assure their success as students.

Once again, welcome to our school. “The sky is our limit, we challenge the future.”

Our History

In 1972 it was announced that the English speaking campus at the Inter-American University in San Germán would close the following year. An international group of concerned parents started planning a new school. They wanted to create an institution with high academic standards. They also wanted to take advantage of the bilingual, cultural richness and diversity of Puerto Rico.

It was to be a school where students could interact and learn from each other in an atmosphere of freedom, tolerance and mutual respect. Southwestern Educational Society (Sociedad Educacional del Suroeste) was founded in 1973 as an independent, nonprofit organization to achieve these goals. The initials SESO have become the common name used by the community to identify our school.

Important Events in SESO History

March 6, 1973 – First public meeting at the Firehouse in Mayaguez. Seven parents were elected to form the Board of Directors of the newly founded Southwestern Educational Society (SESO)

August 1973 – SESO opened on the 2nd floor of the YMCA in Mayaguez. Eighty-eight students from Kinder through 8th grade were grouped into five classrooms. Mrs. Nilda Rosario was Head Teacher – Principal. The school had a budget of $72,000 (tuition - $54,000 and donations of $18,000).

Summer 1975 – SESO moved to a larger building in Barrio Miradero in Mayaguez. There were 150 students – Kinder through 9th grade. Mr. Ralph Gonzalez became the 1st School Principal.

April 1991 – SESO received Middle States Accreditation (MSA).

November 1992 – Lighting for the covered court became a reality thanks to a donation from Digital Equipment Corporation and the assistance of the school Parent – Teacher Organization (PTO).

November 1993 – SESO celebrated its 20th Anniversary at the Mayaguez Hilton. The newly constructed Snack Bar and Student Lounge were inaugurated.

August 1994 – Project “SESO 2005”, a vision for the facilities development as part of the strategic planning process by the Board of Directors under the leadership of school director Miguel Arzola-Barris, Esq., was unveiled.

August 1995 – The computer lab was equipped with twenty-five stations.

April 1996 – Inauguration of restroom facilities at the Covered Court. Pre-Kinder services were extended to a full day program.

September 1996 – Inauguration of the new administrative offices and facilities.

May 1998 – Plans for the multipurpose building and classrooms’ wing were presented to the school community.

June 1998 – Gala celebration at “Casa del Medico” and a Family Day at the “Club Deportivo del Oeste” in celebration of the school’s 25th Anniversary.

January 2000 – Groundbreaking for the multipurpose building.

August 2000 – Inauguration of the multipurpose building and Day Care Program.

March 2001 – Student enrollment reached 800.

May 2001 – Annual grade promotions and graduation ceremonies were held for the first time on school facilities.

August 2001 – An Accreditation for Growth visiting committee positively recommended SESO for MSA re-accreditation.

August 2002 – Completion of Project “SESO 2005”. The facilities included High School and Elementary School libraries, a Cafetorium that could accommodate up to 800 students, a new Computer Lab, a state-of-the-art Science Lab and an access ramp in compliance with ADA regulations and an inclusive policy.

February 2003 – Venice Masquerade Fund Raising Gala and Fashion Show were held in celebration of the school’s 30th Anniversary.

August 2004 – Inauguration of Pre-School Building and the access beltway around campus. SESO becomes an independent Regional Science Fair site.

February 2007 – First ever SESO Family Fair held on school grounds.

School Mission

As a college preparatory school, SESO is committed to developing competent, well-rounded students in an environment that values individual intellectual achievement, strong communication skills in English and Spanish, flexible and modern teaching resources and methods, and opportunities for students, teachers, and parents to function as a community of learners.

School and Community

SESO is an independent, nonprofit, English language school serving the children from local, U.S. and international families of the area without regard to race, religion, sex, country of origin or political affiliation. Operating as a college preparatory school, SESO exists to provide a coeducational day school program of academic excellence at the elementary and secondary school levels. It fosters bilingualism within a Puerto Rican cultural context utilizing an English immersion program. A student-teacher ratio of 24 to 1 assures a quality learning experience.

Privately incorporated in 1973 by its founding members for the educational benefit of its students, SESO is solely dependent on tuition and donations for its income. Finances are audited by a reputable external accounting firm yearly.

Couseling Services

SESO’s school counseling program is staffed by licensed school counselors and designed to complement and support our mission and goals, ensuring that all students, in Pre-K though grade 12, receive support in academic, career, and personal/social development. The school counselors assist students in developing a sense of awareness and self-worth in the acquisition of personal exploration, decision-making, and goal-setting skills needed to facilitate their educational development. Professional school counselors collaborate with parents, teachers, administrators, and other school and community members to foster, promote, and improve student success and achievement in school. The counselor’s role is to provide the leadership necessary to manage the school-counseling program and ensure effective strategies to implement counseling standards.

Services

The Counseling program will provide services to parents and students through the school year and summer session. The Counselor will provide: individual and/or group counseling for personal situations, academic counseling, prepare students for a successful transition from one school setting/level to the next; prepare students’ schedules; discuss academic and/or personal information with parents and staff. The Counselor will also give ongoing support for academic, behavioral, and social difficulties as needed; help students find information to make appropriate personal, educational, and career decisions; examine and interpret relevant assessment data; access school and community resources; collaborate with and serve as resource and consultant to parents, faculty, staff and administration.

Other services include: contribute to the promotion of an educational climate in which students can grow intellectually and emotionally; plan developmental guidance activities designed to assist students in their personal, social, emotional, and career development. During the academic year workshops are conducted by grades in coordination with the faculty on subjects such as friendship, self-esteem, study skills, peer pressure, time management, good touch vs. bad touch, bullying, self-discovery, and others to be created taking into consideration the needs of each group.

Accreditation and Membership

SESO is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and licensed to operate by the General Council of Education of Puerto Rico. School memberships include: Puerto Rico Private Education Association (AEP), Caribbean Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), National Honor Society (NHS), English Forensic League and the Catholic Athletic League (LAC).

School Board

The Board of Directors is composed of twelve (12) members: nine members elected by parents, the School Director, one teacher representative elected by the faculty and one community member elected by the Board. New members are elected by the parents of the Corporation at the Annual General Assembly.

The Board of Directors is responsible for planning, developing and establishing Corporation and school policy, and for assessing the performance of the Corporation and the school. The Board is charged with the responsibility of establishing and maintaining the school’s educational philosophy in keeping with its private nonprofit and nonsectarian purposes in furtherance of the objectives of the school as outlined in the Certificate of Incorporation and in its By-Laws.

Directory Board of Directors 2008 – 2009

President - Mr. Steven Anglada

Vice-President/Chairperson-Audit Committee - Eng. Maria Ortiz

Secretary - Ana Maria Lopez de Cebollero

Treasurer - Eng. Gisela Marti

Chairperson – Education Committee - Mrs. Miriam Aviles

Chairperson – Human Resources Committee - Dr. Hector Ibanez

General Board Member - Dr. Eduardo Rodes

Faculty Representative - Mrs. Pilar Velazquez

School Director - Dr. Jannette Mendez

Administration Personnel

• School Director: Dr. Jannette Mendez; oversees the entire school operations, functions as the chief executive officer of the corporation, responsible for maintaining and applying the discipline policy and is supported by three Assistant Directors.
• Early Childhood Assistant Director: Eduardo Rodriguez; assists in the school operations for grades Day Care through Kindergarten.
• Elementary School Assistant Director: Sara Acevedo; assists in the school operations for grades 1 – 5.
• High School Assistant Director: Margarita Frontera; assists in the school operations for grades 6 – 12.
• School Accountants: Hector Casiano and Maria Lourdes Ramirez.
• Administrative Assistant II: Vilma Cesani, Secretary to the School Director and Purchasing Agent.
• Administrative Assistant I: Leticia Ruiz, Receptionist and Receiving Officer.
• Registrar’s: Rosa Gonzalez; responsible for all student applications and admissions and serves as custodian of all academic records. Handles requests for applications and transcripts.
• Elementary School Counselor: Jeniffer Justiniano; provides services to and assists students with academic, personal, social and career issues in grades PK through 5th grade.
• High School Counselor: Yolanda Pares; provides services to and assists students with academic, personal, social and career issues in grades 6th though 12th; provides college placement assistance; coordinates college fairs.
• Head Librarian: Nilda Martinez; coordinates the Library and Media Centers.
• Assistant Librarian: Pilar Sanoguet; provides services to the High School Library.
• Assistant Librarian: Gina Cabrero; provides services to the Elementary School Library.
• Head of Cafeteria: Jenny Aguilar; coordinates and supervises the school lunch program sponsored by the Department of Education and operated in compliance with the policies of the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America.
• School Nurse: Cynthia Muniz; responsible for the school health program and first aid facilities.

Faculty

Our faculty is first-rate with distinguished academic credentials and experience. All teachers are fully bilingual and encourage the students to use English in all conversation understanding that reinforcement of conversational English in an informal context is necessary to facilitate full master of the language.

We consider SESO faculty our most valuable resource!

Staff

SESO has a competitive and very supportive staff. Food services are managed by the Cafeteria Head who has s staff of six (6) full time employees. The maintenance team of the school has a staff of eight (8) full-time employees fully dedicated to school buildings and grounds maintenance. An external company provides security Services.

Library and Media Centers

It is the aim of the Library and Media Center (LMC) to serve as an integral support component of the total educational program, as a center of resources for technology and educational purposes, the library provides areas for reading, viewing and listening, with learning as a first priority.

Open Hours

Monday through Friday

from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm

Staff

• Nilda Martínez - Head Librarian
• Pilar Sanoguet - High School Assistant Librarian
• Gina Cabrero - Elementary Assistant Librarian

Elementary Learning Media Center

The Library and Media Center (LMC) for Elementary School serves students and teachers in grades Pk-5. Teacher librarians work in cooperation with the other teachers to develop information literacy skills and conduct enrichment activities.

The elementary LMC has a “Storytelling Room” that is reserved by appointment and is often used for story readings, and story telling, puppetry, plays, book talks and conferences.

Students are encouraged to browse through the book collections to select a book to check out or find a magazine to read. This may be accomplished in the regularly scheduled library period, during lunch time, recess or after school.

High School Library and Media Center

The High School Library and Media Center (LMC) serves students and teachers in grades 6-12. Teacher librarians work in cooperation with the other teachers to develop information literacy skills, conduct special classes and provide enrichment activities. The High School LMC has a conference room that is reserved by appointment and is frequently used for class presentations, plays, workshops, conferences, cable television and video viewing on the super screen television.

The High School LMC has a mini computer center with eight (8) computers. Six (6) of these stations have access to the SIRS Mandarin Library Automation System and Reference Databases and to the Internet. Two (2) of the computers are positioned in private areas for individual work. Students and teachers also have access to a growing collection of information resources, such as:

• Books
• Computer Software
• CD's and DVD's
• Magazines and Journals
• Newspapers in English and Spanish
• Video Projectors
• Laptop computers

Books are circulated for a school cycle of 6 days. Reference books, periodicals and newspapers do not circulate outside of the LMC. A photo copier machine is available to students, parents and teachers.

Research Collections:

The resources of the LMC are available for the use of the entire school community. The open stacks permit each user direct access to all books and current periodicals. Back issues of periodicals may be requested at the circulation desk.

General Collection:

Books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, etc are shelved in stacks according to the classification number. The LMC subscribes to thirty-eight (38) magazines and journals and (4) newspapers. An electronic CD collection is available upon request at the circulation desk. A complete listing is available from the librarians.