Guadalupe School has been around for more than 50 years, making it one of the most well-established nonprofit organizations in the Salt Lake City community! As you can imagine, a lot of good has been done in the last half-century by Guadalupe School employees, volunteers, families, and donors. We thought it would be fun to take a look at Guadalupe's continual community support, and how although we always look to innovate and improve, our core values and services have remained the same! 

Guadalupe School started as a small English instruction group that taught out of La Morena Cafe. Today, Guadalupe School is headquartered at a beautiful campus fundraised through a community capital campaign in 2014. All five programs are housed in this brand new building, and nearly 1,000 community members are enrolled in the various services. 

Guadalupe School's Adult Education program has continued strong for a solid 50 years and counting! Its enduring success is attributed to the work of tireless certified directors and instructors who have developed an effective curriculum that can be taught in small group settings. Hundreds of community volunteers have dedicated time to helping give individualized tutoring to adults hoping to learn English and gain access to better opportunities over the last five decades. 

Guadalupe School aims to provide educational resources to a community of students who may not have as much access compared to their more affluent peers. This has included providing technological aids such as computer programs to allow for well-rounded preparedness as students move into upper grades. 

Central to the Guadalupe model of learning are volunteer reading tutors, who over the years have provided one-on-one instruction to students who are often learning to read and write in an entirely new language. This makes it possible for Guadalupe students to receive the individual attention needed to bring them up to speed with their peers who are not facing a language barrier. 

Over the years, Guadalupe School has provided free meals to its students, because we know that full bellies equal open minds for learning! 


We could not be more proud of the legacy Guadalupe School has produced after more than 50 years, and we look to the future with excited anticipation for all the good it holds! Thank you to the volunteers, staff, donors, and students who make our work and mission possible! 

To help make another 50 years possible, consider attending our UNITE Benefit Concert, which you can learn about here. 

By Cassie Bingham, Communications Specialist

At Guadalupe School the gift of a quality education continues to give through students who are happy to pass down their knowledge and help the next generation succeed. Our school has traditions that allow for educational interaction between younger and older students, emphasizing the importance of learning and teaching in an effort to expand the minds of our students. One of these traditions is the team of amazing sixth grade students who are chosen each year as "Peer Leaders." They meet to put together skits and videos based on character traits the school is learning about, in order to present them to younger students at school assemblies.

Recently a new, similar activity was established. Last month, fourth grade students visited their younger counterparts in preschool. They were able to pick a preschool "friend" with whom they sat down to read a book. Some of the partnerships were even real-life siblings! The older kids gained experience being teachers, and felt the happiness that comes from sharing knowledge with others; meanwhile, the younger kids received attention from peers they look up to, and were able to see their role models as youth who value reading and education.

​Teachers and students enjoyed the activity so much that they have decided to do it again, and hopefully make it a regularly repeating event.  Although Guadalupe School greatly appreciates its talented teachers and paraprofessionals, we also understand the need to find innovative ways of teaching concepts like literacy to young students. Children become more engaged and receptive when they learn in unique ways, and they are able to move forward developing a passion for reading and education. 

By Cassie Bingham, Communications Specialist
Last week students from Toddler Beginnings and Preschool got to enjoy a real treat! Scales and Tails Utah visited Guadalupe School to introduce some reptilian friends and share facts about their traits and habitats. Scales and Tails provides a hands-on, educational experience to small children, where a trained professional presents a lizard, snake, and tortoise to be pet and observed, before revealing a 6-foot boa constrictor!