Instituto Estelar Bilingüe fue fundado por Bethany Kirk de California, los EEUU, en enero de 2011 en una antigua casa en la Calle Real en Liberia. Con unos pocos estudiantes matriculados, Bethany comenzó a enseñar inglés… y la escuela creció rápidamente.
En 2014, con 300 estudiantes de inglés, Instituto Estelar compró y se mudó a un edificio más espacioso en el centro de Liberia, y en 2017, con 500 estudiantes, la empresa necesitaba más espacio y agregó un segundo piso.
En marzo de 2020, con la pandemia mundial, todas las clases fueron en línea. Aunque muchos estudiantes no pudieron continuar, la escuela mantuvo alrededor de 200 estudiantes de inglés con las clases virtuales. En enero de 2022, nuestros números de estudiantes aumentaron nuevamente a 300 estudiantes de inglés, tanto en persona como en línea.
A medida que en el futuro la escuela siga creciendo, el Instituto Estelar Bilingüe seguirá comprometido con sus valores de clases de idiomas de alta calidad, servicio comunitario y un ambiente escolar amigable y familiar.
Instituto Estelar Bilingüe was founded by Bethany Kirk from California, USA, and officially opened in January, 2011 in an old building on the Calle Real in Liberia, Costa Rica. Bethany started teaching in California in 1999, and directed two English programs in San Jose, Costa Rica prior to opening her own school. She saw the need for the locals to learn English in order to work in tourism and other professions, and she felt that Liberia was a perfect spot for a Spanish immersion program due to its strong cultural traditions and close proximity to beaches, national parks, and an international airport. With an extremely limited budget and a lot of energy, she became what she never thought she would be: an entrepreneur in a foreign country.
With a handful of students signed up, Bethany started teaching English…and the school grew quickly. By mid-2012, she had three teachers and about 150 students. That same year, Bethany focused on starting the Spanish program and creating the curriculum for it. By June 2012, Estelar received its first Spanish immersion students from the U.S. and Europe.
In 2014, Instituto Estelar purchased and moved to a more spacious building in downtown Liberia, and in 2017 the company added a second floor to accommodate the growing number of students. In total, the facilities have 14 classrooms, two large multi-purpose areas, 11 bathrooms, a reception, a kitchen, and a garden area. There have been as many as 550 English students enrolled, and a group of Spanish immersion students each week.
In March 2020, with the rise of the global pandemic, all of the classes went online. Although many students dropped out, the school maintained about 200 English students and some Spanish students until August 2021 when Bethany decided to cut the Spanish program and focus completely on building up the English program again. With in-person classes possible again, Instituto Estelar started filling up its classrooms again while continuing with online classes.
As the school continues to grow in the future, Instituto Estelar Bilingüe will remain committed to its values of high-quality language classes, community service, and a friendly, family-like school environment.