The model of discipleship is that as we grow closer to Christ we share Christ with others. This is how we approach the work at our school, both in the classroom and abroad. The Makarios school not only serves its local community, but also shares what it has learned with the world.
Founded in 2004 by Sharla Megilligan, Makarios started off as an afterschool program with a heart to improve educational access and provide hope to children in vulnerable communities in the Dominican Republic. These programs expanded into becoming the Makarios School with the first building on campus being constructed in 2007 in Montellano, DR. Since then we have grown to have four buildings on campus and serve over 200 students from Pre-K3 through high school.
Our students receive a quality gospel-centered education and are equipped to take on life's challenges through a biblical worldview. Our school is primarily funded through our student and staff sponsorship program. Through this support, students also receive breakfast and lunch every day at school and have access to basic medical care through an onsite physician.
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Over the years, our teachers and staff at the Makarios School have taken advantage of opportunities to minister not only to our students but to their families as well. The influence of the family on a student’s educational success and overall wellbeing is significant and so we have prioritized building strong relationships with the whole family. In 2016, we formalized that investment and created our Family Empowerment program. This team of staff starts walking alongside families when their child enters the Makarios School at the age of 3 and provides tools and resources all the way until a student graduates. Our staff accomplishes this by providing regular parent training based on the child’s development stage, visiting the families in their home, offering biblical counseling, and putting on family events throughout the year (Father-son, Mother-Daughter, Marriage events etc.) Our hope for these families is that they experience spiritual restoration through the love of Christ, are equipped with the tools to have healthy families, and are positive role models in their communities.
As students and families progress through the school years, our staff identifies those who need extra support whether it be related to academics, behavior, or addressing emotional and spiritual needs. Our counselors and academic interventionists work as a team with teachers and families to create individual plans to make sure struggling students have the support they need in order to thrive in their classrooms. Some of the types of support include counseling, reading intervention, and a movement room for our youngest learners (based on the program Ready Bodies, Learning Minds).
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Once a student graduates from the Makarios School, they have the option to apply to the University and Career Readiness Program (UCRP). This program was piloted in 2020 and continues to grow and develop each year. Students spend their first semester in preparation before enrolling in a University or a technical school. They attend workshops (on topics such as budgeting computer skills, and communication skills), participate in bible studies, volunteer in their community, and meet with a mentor. Once they successfully complete the requirements during the first semester, they receive their scholarship to start classes. Our hope is that these students become professionals or technicians who are academically, morally, and spiritually equipped to face the challenges life brings, to be useful in society, and to break free of a mentality and culture of poverty.
In 2021, we launched our Equipping Program for Churches and Schools in the Dominican Republic and Uganda. We share tools and resources that we have gained from working closely with families at the Makarios school with church and school leaders so that they can better minister to the families in their respective contexts. Our school staff have the opportunity to directly impact the lives of families at the Makarios school but also be a part of the transformation of families in other communities where our church and school partners are located. What happens at the Makarios School is impacting families around the world.
Interested in being a vessel to bring about spiritual restoration for generational impact?
Join the Makarios Family.