Don Bosco High School, Lagawe

Don Bosco High School, Lagawe, Ifugao, is a Roman Catholic high school in the centre of Ifugao in the Philippines. It is controlled by the Catholic Church, so the tuition fees, at P1500.00, is relatively low. The curriculum offers the major subjects like in the other public schools, with religion as an additional subject for church awareness formation . The school population has slightly increased and additional infrastractures are being built. The school has its own laboratory and two separate computer rooms. It also has programs such as the organic garden program and the waste segregation program, for which the school is well known. The school is the first to have a material recovery facility. a material recovery facility is a room or a building into which all the sorted dirts are placed then to be sold. The money benefits the school and the students also. This program is being promoted to the community. The formation of an INFORMATION COMMUNICATION EDUCATION (IEC)team expanded this promotion. This is composed of students that are sent to ther communities and school to educate other people about this program. This is called the Solid Waste Management program founded by the school head Rev.Fr. John Marion Buyagawan.

History

The founder, Fr. Gerard de Boeck, CICM, arrived in Lagawe in 1946. He established the school as a missionary institution to educate the local people away from the pagan beliefs in the baki and the fear of evil spirits and to bring them to the light of the gospel by making them Catholics, which is why he added religion to the curriculum. It was also his hope that they would remain Christian once they had finished their educations.

In 1946, there was only one complete elementary school in the municipality; the pupils came to Lagawe for grades five and six. In 1947, Fr. Gerard de Boeck put up a dormitory for these boys and girls. In 1949 one half of the high school building was constructed and ready for its first year in operation: it had 49 students. The staff consisted of the founder, Fr. de Boeck, and the principal, Fr. Hubert DuPont. Bishop William Brasseur named the school the Don Bosco High School.

The next year, the second half of the building was constructed. The population gradually rose to 91 in 1950, and to 268 in 1953. Of the 49 pioneer students, only 29 graduated in 1953, with Fr. Lambert Smiths as principal.

In 1953, ICM Sisters came to Lagawe and started work in partnership with the CICM priests. Mother Marie Eleuthere became the first nun principal of the school. For 20 years thereafter, the principal's post was held by the ICM sisters.

Other structures were also built like the boys' dormitory, and the annex of the girls' dormitory. An auditorium was also built, with five 1st year rooms below it.

In 1967, at the request of the town leaders of Lagawe and Kiangan, the bishop approved of the opening of a college in Lagawe and requested the CICM to take care of it, to which the CICM general agreed. To show that it was no ordinary provincial college, it was affiliated with Saint Louis University, and the name was changed. A building was constructed in 1968 for college students.

In the year 1977, however, the college was closed down and the name changed back to Don Bosco High School. The college building became the main building of the high school, as it is today. With more than enough facilities and enough rooms for all year levels, construction has stopped some time since. The founder was transferred to Virac, Itogon, in 1969.

In the early 1970s, under the initiative and encouragement of Sister Principal Modesta Suico, teachers and students visited the barrios at weekends to evangelize and to explain political issues. One such barrio visit was in Abinuan, one of the most remote barrios in Lagawe, led by the sister principal. When they came home on September 3, 1972, the group learned that the country was placed under martial law.

When there was an issue of charter change and a constitutional convention, the students and teachers went to the barrios to explain the pros and cons of the matter.

The earthquake in 1990 prompted Fr. Lino Fagyan, the acting parish priest and school head, to initiate the putting up of a makeshift building, intended to house the classes from the main building, which was judged unsafe for occupancy due to some cracks on its walls. The earthquake was thus in this particular sense a blessing in disguise, as the state of this construction had been a concern for everybody for some time, especially the Family Council, to the extent that parents and students had worked on it voluntarily, and cash gifts had been received from concerned donors. Meanwhile, the third and fourth year sections had to borrow rooms from the nearby elementary school for almost 2 months till the DBHS building was renovated and judged safe for occupancy.

Present day

Today the makeshift building has become a multipurpose building which houses some of other departments like the kindergarten, a first year room and a third year room.

A library is also contained in the main building which won an award for being active and productive. It also produces its own newspaper, at first called the "Valley Echo". This started win 1983. Its first editor was Ms. Carol Pumihic. Later it was named "Kataguan" until 1991, when the staff, under the advice of Mr. Gregorio Kimayong, changed it to "Free Voice". "Free Voice" staff have joined in press conferences where a number of them got awards. The paper itself has gained two awards, one during the regional press conference in Tabuk, Kalinga, and the other in the 1990 R.S.S.P.C. The promotion of the Solid Waste Management program on school year 2008-2009 buy student officers made the school famous. This program invited other schools to learn about this program. After the school's recertification on school year 2008-2009, the school was said to be high standard (academically). This result made the principal abolish some traditional occasions of the school which disappointed all of the students. This caused a silent commotion among the students!! The loyalty of all the students to the principal decreased even if the school achieved many promotions. Even if the students want to revolt, they couldn't because of such great risk like expulsion. with the new principal, some school activities which students like most were abolished. but thank to mam principal for changing the school to be the best schoo. mabuhay ang don bosco..

School vision

Don Bosco High School envisions a Catholic Christian institution of learning which fosters and develops a Christ-centred formation of youth and school personnel, and a liberating education that inculcates national goals and the ideals and attainment of the total human development.

School mission

We the students, faculty and administration commit ourselves to:

• build a witnessing, worshipping, serving school community
• strive for academic excellence
• advocate concern for justice and the wellbeing of the less fortunate, the poor and the needy
• promoting harmonious relationships among ourselves in school and with the bigger community

Sources and external links

• Don Bosco High School, Lagawe: website