Our Staff

School Leadership

Samuel Reyes Raposo
Principal
direccion@jcs.edu.do
About: Mr. Reyes is an educator and lecturer with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from INTEC, and a Master's in Education from UNIBE. In addition, he is currently pursuing his PhD in education at the thesis level.

Mr. Reyes is a teacher trainer at INFOTEP, where he has trained more than 500 facilitators so far. He has been the national training and support manager for Compassion International and Latin American Training Director for Healing Waters International. He is the author of the book La Vida Balanceada and exclusive workshop facilitator for the Educating in Values to Transform Our Nation project sponsored by MESCYT. He was part of the Board of Directors of the Cure International Hospital in the Dominican Republic and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Latin American Coalition for Human Rights (COLADHU), based in Costa Rica, and was elected communicator of the year 2023 by the Association of Journalists and Communicators of Cibao (APCC). He has more than 11 years of experience as director of the Instituto Evangélico de Santiago school and is thrilled to now be the director of JCS.

Margarita Hidaka
Head of Administration & Finance
[email protected]
About: Mrs. Hidaka was born in Jarabacoa but completed her university studies in Santo Domingo where she learned and practiced Business Administration for 13 years in the insurance industry. She then achieved a Master's degree in Sustainable Development with a Teaching Certificate. Alongside her work at JCS, Mrs. Hidaka is the director of the Business Administration and Accounting schools of the Universidad Agroforestal Fernando Arturo de Meriño in Jarabacoa. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with loved ones and learning about Dominican history.

Natalie Wills
Academic Director
[email protected]
About: Natalie is from a small town in the UK where she learned Spanish at school. She went on to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics as the University of Exeter, including a year studying Political Science in Spain. She holds a Level 5 certificate in Management and Leadership and has experience teaching from 1st grade to High School. Outside of work, Natalie enjoys playing sports and playing the piano.

Academic Coordination

Melanie Rodriguez
Preschool Coordinator
[email protected]
About: Melanie was born and raised in Tennessee and studied Early Childhood Education in Texas. She came to the Dominican Republic in 2006 and has been teaching in Jarabacoa ever since.

Leidy Rosario
Elementary Coordinator
[email protected]
About: Leidy has always lived Jarabacoa and was a student at Jarabacoa Christian School from Elementary to High School. She went on to study Educational Pscyhology at university and now has 5 years teaching experience under her belt as the 1st grade homeroom teacher. She is excited to continue her journey at this school by helping others and leading elementary school.

Robert Whitehorn
Middle & High School Coordinator
[email protected]
About: Rob is from England where he got his Master's Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He has 4 years experience teaching math and English both in the UK and in the Dominican Republic. In his spare time, Rob enjoys playing football and reading.