How it all started
Hope Secondary School was founded by the Mennonite community in 1961, mainly for the many refugee children and orphans in the Bethlehem area.  Many of the children at the School still come from the poorer families in the community and some are also orphans, both from the local area and from further afield. 

The School began with 40 boys aged between 12 and 15 and with four teachers.  The School not only provided an education, but also food, clothing and a home for these boys.  Soon it expanded and, by 1970, pupils up to the age of 18 were accepted. 

When the School began it was just for boys, but after 10 years girls were accepted too.  There now are about 140 children at the School, aged between 10 and 18 years, of which around 25 are girls.  The Principal, Solomon Nour, has been a teacher at the School for over 30 years, and Headmaster for 11 of these. At present, he is expanding the intake, adding a class on ‘backwards’ each year, so that eventually children will be admitted from the age of 6 years, thus receiving the benefit of the good education provided by the School from the very beginning of their school life.  Currently, many of the children coming at 10 or 11 have had little or no primary education, making it difficult to share a higher level of education with them, as they have had no basic schooling.  There are also a few disabled children at the School, as it has been adapted accordingly to enable them to get around it more easily. 

The name ‘Hope School’ was chosen by the pupils themselves, in 1977 and its motto is the biblical verse: For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. (Psalm 71:5)

Current activities
Christian and Muslim students from the Bethlehem area and from all over the West Bank study and live side-by-side at Hope School.  All the children begin their day with prayers in the Chapel.

When the children have Religious Education lessons, the children have to separate to learn about their own religion, as it is illegal to teach non-Christian children about the Bible at school.  A Club for students who are Christians helps to support them in their lives and witness at a time when the number of Christians in the Holy Land is decreasing dramatically.

Students study the Government curriculum, including Arabic, Hebrew and English, and undertake the usual exams at the appropriate times in their school career.

Senior students specialise in Business Studies, including Accounting, Economics and Computing.  This more vocational approach helps certain students prepare better for their lives after school.

Up to 40 of the boys board at the School, either because they live too far away, or because they are unable to live at home as their families are too poor, or because of other family difficulties.  The School provides clothing, study materials, and three good meals each day to these boys.  A team of house fathers help to care for their needs.  Some of the boys come from very difficult home environments and prefer to stay at Hope School even during holidays.  Although the School tries to encourage these students to maintain their family relationships, accommodation is never refused to any boy who needs a place to stay.  Hope School tries to make it ‘home’, while giving students hope for a bright future.

Due to high unemployment, endemic illness and the ban on travel into Israel and Jerusalem, fathers are often unable to get to work to support their families.  Many of the students also come from single parent homes, where there is even less to support the family adequately.  A lot of families cannot afford even the School’s modest fees.  As the School wants to help as many children as it can, no student is ever turned away because the family cannot pay.

The School has a chicken farm with about 8,000 chickens, managed by one of the teachers and some of the students. The money that is raised from selling eggs helps to pay the School’s bills, while the students who help to run it also gain practical experience in business management, animal care, accounting and marketing.

For over 40 years, Hope School has been educating, nurturing and inspiring young people.  It is much more than simply an educational institution - it is a Christian witness in the land of Christ's birth, offering love and hope to those who would otherwise have none.  Solomon Nour writes:

“Our responsibility for the students in our care is great.  Our means are so little, but our faith in the Lord is strong.  We believe that it was by the grace of God that the school was started and by His love and care the school will continue, spreading the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and glorifying His Holy Name.”