In February 1992, the project for a bilingual English-Spanish educational institution was realized. It was founded by Gregory Trzebiatowski Brychell, a Doctor of Education and graduate of Michigan State University, who created this school based on his experience in various areas of education in the United States. Dr. Trzebiatowski was a professor of education and associate dean of the College of Medicine at Ohio State University. In Chile, he served for ten years as an advisor in several faculties and departments at the University of Concepción, which motivated and determined his decision to move to our country to implement the ideas and projects that led him to found The Thomas Jefferson STEM School (TJSS).
In March 1993, The Thomas Jefferson STEM School began its academic activities with 64 students distributed across four classes from preschool to first grade, with nine teachers, including teachers, preschool teachers, and assistants, a learning specialist, a secretary, and an administrative assistant. At that time, we had only one building, which contained four classrooms, a small gymnasium, and two offices.
Our school’s name was chosen in honor of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States. Monticello, Jefferson’s home in Charlottesville, Virginia, lends its name to our campus.
In early 1994, the purchase of lot number 27 was completed, and the renovation of the building, named Amelia Brychell in honor of our headmaster’s mother, who strongly supported this project from its inception, began.
The location of TJSS, near Carriel Sur Airport, was chosen because it is centrally located between the cities of Concepción, Talcahuano, and San Pedro de la Paz.
The school’s facilities have expanded to meet the needs of the growing student body. Currently, TJSS operates on 3.8 hectares and in seven main buildings. Today, we are very proud to have approximately 1,080 students in our classrooms, from preschool through twelfth grade, and a staff of around 140 people, including teachers, educators, assistants, administrative personnel, and cleaning and maintenance staff.
To date, 20 graduating classes have completed their twelfth year of high school, many of whom are now studying at prestigious universities in our country and even in the United States.
It is worth noting that over the years we have welcomed a large number of visitors from North America, who have contributed to the bilingual education of our students.
The school’s name was chosen in honor of Thomas Jefferson, a leader in the American Revolution and President of the United States, internationally recognized as a philosopher, scientist, and politician. His many and varied talents and achievements exemplify self-discipline, understanding, patience, perseverance, responsibility, and self-confidence—attitudes and values that TJSS strives to cultivate in its students.
Thomas Jefferson participated in legislative activities in the State of Virginia, served as a delegate to the Continental Congress where he wrote the Declaration of Independence, was Governor of Virginia, Minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President of the United States, and President of the United States for two terms.
Jefferson also demonstrated other interests, talents, and achievements. For example, he served as President of the American Philosophical Society for 20 years. He played the violin, stating, “Music is the passion of my soul.” He was a lawyer, architect, horticulturist, farmer, scientist, inventor, and founder of the University of Virginia. His personal library of over 6,000 volumes was donated to the Federal Government, later becoming the Library of Congress.
For our institution, bearing the name of Thomas Jefferson is a great honor and a significant challenge, as his inspiring figure motivates us to raise our standards and strive for excellence every day.
The Thomas Jefferson STEM School aspires to be a bilingual educational center with a high level of prominence at the national and international level, characterized by the modernity, innovation, efficiency and comprehensiveness of its pedagogical processes and its recognized vocation as a center for training leaders for the Chile of the 21st Century, capable of taking on the challenges of a globalized world with a solid ethical and academic foundation.
The mission of Thomas Jefferson STEM School is to develop well-rounded, bilingual individuals who are self-confident, possess strong social skills, and have academic competencies that enable them to successfully meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Once these goals are achieved, individuals will be able to assume leadership roles in their families, professions, communities, countries, and, when the time is right, in the world.
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