The Marist College Ipanema is located in the southern region of Brazil, in the city of Porto Alegre, on the shores of Lake Guaíba, the city’s postcard.
In the physical space that the school occupies today, a few years ago there was the headquarters of the Marist Alumni Association of Porto Alegre. Over time, this organisation decided to give back to society a little of the integral education they had received, opting to open two schools in the city, one of them on the site of the association’s headquarters. After 10 years of operation, the association redefined its priorities and decided to stop running schools. Thus, the Ir. José Otão School, managed by the Porto Alegre Alumni Association, became part of the Marist Network as Colégio Marista Ipanema.
Marista Ipanema started in 2007 with approximately 40 teachers and 270 students. Today, the school has more than 1600 students in the different segments of basic education, from 2 to 18 years of age. More than 280 educators are involved in the mission on different fronts. Between 2019 and 2022, the infrastructure was restructured with the aim of making the spaces more spacious, welcoming, pedagogically adequate and revealing of the Marist proposal.
In addition to regular classes, many workshops and extracurricular activities are offered . In the community, the school has a strong identity through its sporting, cultural, academic and pastoral activities. It also has a strong vocation for innovative projects, whether they are digitally connected or involve active and innovative methodologies.
One of the most important projects is internationalisation. It takes into account aspects of language teaching, curriculum revision and teacher training. However, it emphasises the development of global citizenship competences, able to think interculturally and act locally. One of the milestones of this project has been the International Fair ‘Marists around the World’. This project brings together experiences, debates and constructions with the aim of broadening the cultural horizons of the educational community. The novelty of the 2025 edition of the International Fair is a special invitation for young Marists from any region of the world to join us in an exchange of Marist student leaders, living, learning and strengthening the mission of Father Champagnat. You and your community are invited now!
Marist College Ipanema manages to integrate the innovation of a young school and a differentiated physical space, with the tradition and commitment to good education inherited from our founder.
Fernando Degrandis, Vice-Director of Education Colegio Marista Ipanema