Stella Maris, School of Future Entrepreneurs!
Our journey from a small shophouse in BSD to an international education network.
Stella Maris was built from a simple idea of a 52-year-old woman who wanted to realize her late husband's dream. Before her husband passed away, they had a dream to establish a home for orphaned children.
On July 16, 1985, Drg. Strella Senjaya, PM, PP and her husband (Lukman) founded Yayasan Kasih Abadi, focused on humanitarian principles; and the Padang Gembala Orphanage was one of the realizations of their dream.
They then had a new dream to establish a school for their "children" so they could learn and seek knowledge for their own futures — a school unlike ordinary schools, but one with a promising quality of education.
Stella Maris School was initially located in a shophouse in Sector XIV, BSD (Bumi Serpong Damai), Tangerang, consisting of Playgroup, Kindergarten, and Elementary levels. The response from the surrounding community far exceeded expectations — many parents came and entrusted their children's education to Stella Maris.
Two years later, Stella Maris decided to establish a Playgroup and Kindergarten branch in the Gading Serpong area. As positive responses grew, the Junior High level was opened. In the 2000/2001 academic year, the school moved to a new building at Artha Kencana, Kav. C1, Sector XII, BSD.
By God's grace, Stella Maris grew significantly. In 2001, the Senior High School level was added. Ten years after its founding, the school reached 1,550 students served by more than 200 professional staff and teachers.
In 2004, Stella Maris received the ISO 9001-2000 Certificate for Quality Management System in the best education system. Then in 2005, Stella Maris responded to global standards by establishing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program — located at Vatican Cluster Sector 8A, Gading Serpong.
In 2007, Stella Maris International School opened all education levels from Preschool, Primary, through Secondary & IB Diploma at both the BSD and Gading Serpong campuses, incorporating the Entrepreneurship Program as an additional curriculum from an early age.
Together with Co-Founder and CEO Michel Senjaya, this vision continues to be developed into a growing educational institution with an increasingly wide impact for Indonesia and the world.
Today, Stella Maris International School proudly operates multiple campuses across Indonesia — including BSD, Gading Serpong, Karawaci, Jambi, Pontianak, Batam, and Kemayoran — each carrying the same founding spirit: to nurture children not only academically, but in character, faith, and entrepreneurial thinking.
The Platinum Generation Program remains the cornerstone of the Stella Maris curriculum — a holistic framework designed to uncover and develop each child's unique potential. Combined with the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, students graduate equipped for the demands of a rapidly changing, globally connected world.
More than three decades since its founding, the Stella Maris story is still being written — by the thousands of alumni who carry its values into their careers, families, and communities. From a single shophouse in BSD to an expanding national network, Stella Maris stands as a testament to what faith, love, and a mother's determination can build.
