Holy Family Academy (Philippines)

Infobox_University
name = Holy Family Academy


motto = "Ora Et Labora" ("Prayer and Work")
established = 1906
type = Private, Catholic Academy Parochial
city = Angeles City
province = Pampanga
country = Philippines
campus = Angeles City
nickname = Familians

Holy Family Academy (HFA) is a catholic private school located in Angeles City, Philippines. It has both elementary and high school departments as well as kindergarten and preparatory school (known in the school as 'prep') classes for younger students. The school follows the Benedictine tradition of 'Ora et Labora' which means 'Prayer and Work'.

HFA is a Catholic Institution belonging to the Archdiocese of San Fernando, Pampanga and administered by the Missionary Benedictine Sisters. It is registered with SEC as a non-stock, non-profit corporation, with its assets and income used directly and exclusively for educational purposes including expansion when needed to carry out the aims and objectives of the school.

HFA is a member of the "Association of Archdiocesan and Parochial Schools of Pampanga (AAPSP)", the "Association of Benedictine Schools (ABS)", the "Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP)", and the "Private Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU)".

Philosophy

Holy Family Academy (HFA) is a Catholic Archdiocesan Institution providing basic education: Elementary and Secondary. It is organized in accordance with the policies and standards set by the Department of Education and is administered by the Missionary Benedictine Sisters.

Premised on Catholic principles of education and attempting to respond to the needs of the Philippines today, HFA is oriented towards the integral formation of who is Christian in values, caring and concerned, critically aware, capable of deciding freely with a properly-developed conscience, responsible and committed to help build an independent global society that is free, just, peaceful, and caring for the integrity of creation. The school hopes to attain this through creating the school community through an atmosphere permeated with the Gospel spirit of love and freedom that supports an educational program reflecting critical inquiry, and the synthesis of culture and Christian faith and life.

History

Holy Family Academy (HFA) was established on August 20, 1906 as the first Catholic parochial school of Angeles City through the initiative of Fr. Pablo Gamboa and the assistance of the Board of Directors of the Parochial School in Angeles City composed of Mariano V. Henson, Juan G. Nepomuceno, Sr., Laureano Suarez, Filomeno Leon Y. Santos, Basilio Henson and Jose P. Henson. Located at the present site of the Holy Rosary Parish rectory, the school offered a primary course and was run by lay teachers who were paid out of contributions.

The Augustinian Sisters

In 1910, the Augustinian Sisters took over and set up the "Colegio de la Sagrada Familia" with the help of the same Board of Directors. The colegio offered a complete elementary education and accepted female boarders.

Some time later, as the student population of the colegio increased, Jose P. Henson and Juan Nepomuceno Sr. initiated the school's expansion. They bought land and built a house which became the parish hall and the residence of succeding parish priests. The "Colegio de la Sagrada Familia" moved to the present site of the Administrative Building of HFA.

The Missionary Benedictine Sisters

In June 1922, the Missionary Benedictine Sisters took over the management of the school upon the invitation of the parish priest, Msgr. Pedro P. Santos and changed the school's name to HOLY FAMILY ACADEMY. The Benedictine Sisters did not take in boarders but actively attended to the supervision and administration of the school.

The first group of Missionary Benedictine Sisters headed by Sister Crescentia Veser were Germans in 1925, with the appointment of Sister Pacifica Gerding as first resident superior, the Benedictine Sisters at Holy Family Academy became a juridical community.

Holy Family Academy continued to operate during the Japanese occupation period, closing only for a few months during the change of political administration and reopened its doors soon after the end of World War II

At present, the school is under the leadership of Sister Josefina Nepomuceno OSB and have just recently celebrated its centennial anniversary.

The Opening of the High School Department

In 1960, HFA opened the High School Department exclusively for girls.

The growth in population of Angeles City brought about an increase in the environment of HFA resulting in crowding and congestion in the old campus beside the Holy Rosary Parish Church on Sto. Rosario St. In search of a solution to growth problems, Sister Mary Bernard Lansang, OSB, superior/directress in 1983, together with concerned Renato Tayag, Jr. initiated the formulation of a foundation. This was realized durong the term of Sister Ildefonsa Pineda, OSB as superior/directress and Mr. Florante Timbol as PTA president in the incorporation of the HFA-PTA Foundation with the occurrence of Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, then Archbishop of San Fernando.

High School Campus in Cutcut

With the involvement of parents, alumni and other supporters through membership contributions and fund-raising activities, the HFA-PTA obtained a five-hectare lot in Cutcut along the Circumferencial Road. The four-phase building program was started. In 1987, phase one was completed, enabling the transfer of the Year I to the new campus. Boys were then accepted to the high school. By 1988, phase two was completed, and two more year levels moved over. In 1991, with the completion of phase three, the entire High School settled in the new site, the Cutcut campus. With the support of the HFA Alumni Association, the covered court was partially constructed. This was completed in 1997. The new Pedro Calungsod Building that housed the audio visual center, the library and the canteen was completed in December 2002.

In the Cutcut campus, the High School Department occupies the Sto. Niño Building , the San Lorenzo Building, the Pedro Calungsod Building and the covered court.

In the old site at Sto. Rosario St., the Pre-school and Grade School occupy the following multi-story buildings: St. Benedict with the Auditorium, St. Joseph's, St. Mary's, the H.E, Building and the Main Building.

chool Uniform

The HFA Grade School uniform serves as an identification of bonafide students. Familians represent Holy Family Academy when they are in their uniform and are, therefore, responsible to the school when wearing it.

The complete and proper uniform to be worn on class consists of:

Female Students

*white blouse according to the prescribed pattern
*navy blue skirt according to the prescribed pattern, (length must be 2 inches below the knees of the student) with shoulder straps and the grade/year level badge sewn on the left strap
*black, closed, low-cut, leather shoes
*plain, ordinary white socks without any decorations, prints or whatsoever
*if ever a female student plans to include accessories with the uniform (e.g. hairpins, headbands, bracelets and the like) only those with the colors white, perky blue, black and brown are allowed
*dyed hair is not allowed
*colored/decorated/long fingernails are not allowed
*body piercings of any form are not allowed except for the ear, which is used for earrings except for holidays
*school ID worn at all times inside the school

Male Students

*white polo jacket (for kindergarten to grade school students) or white straight polo (for high-school students) both with short sleeves, a sports collar and an affixed grade/year level badge on the left side pocket
*navy blue short pants (for kinder to 3rd grade students) or navy blue long pants (for 4th grade to 4th year high-school students), fabric must preferably be gabardine, denim is strictly prohibited
*black/white, closed, low-cut leather shoes
*plain, ordinary white socks without any decorations, prints or whatsoever
*HFA is strict with hair rules, male students are not allowed to put on a hairstyle that is similar to those of rockstars, pornstars, punks, artists, normal humans, obsessed drunkards and any unclean look for that matter, clean cut is preferred
*colored/decorated/long fingernails, body piercings and skin tattoos are not allowed
*school ID worn at all times inside the school

chool Activities

The school, being a Catholic institution observes most major Catholic holidays particularly those which are associated with the founder of the Benedictine Order, Saint Benedict. First Friday Holy masses are also celebrated, and the students are required to attend. Students in the old site celebrate Holy Mass at the nearby Holy Rosary Parish Church, Angeles City's oldest while those who are in the new site, particularly High School students celebrate theirs in the Covered Court of the school.

There are also quite a number of extracurricular activities that are observed by the school, some of which aren't observed regularly, a few of these are:

*Organization of Clubs - students join a particular club which holds activities for a certain point of interest ,for example, Math Club, Science Club, Young Writers' Club and the like. Clubs vary for grade school and high school departments. Pre-schoolers are not allowed to join clubs
*Ecology Month - observed as a month of appreciation for Mother Earth, similar to the Earth Day celebrations
*Buwan ng Wika - a month-long celebration of the National Language of the Philippines
*Academic Weeks - week-long activities devoted to a particular academic subject taught in the school, e.g. Math Week, Physics Week, History Week and the like
*Songfest - usually held during the holiday season, classes contest to exhibit the best interpretation of a popular Christmas Song
*Recollections and retreats - an integral part of the spiritual life of students in the school
*Peace Concert - pioneering in 2003, the Peace Concert is a gathering of the academy's performing artists to celebrate and propagate Peace and Goodwill through music, dance and cultural presentations
*Intramurals - sports is celebrated in this usually 3 to 4-day activity, this is a chance for students to unwind from the usual peculiarities of school life

The Cor Unum

The Cor Unum is the official student publication of Holy Family Academy. Both the grade school and high-school department publish a version of the newsletter. Popular by its tagline "One Heart", the Cor Unum exists as a venue for students to practice freedom of speech and as an area to voice out their concerns. It follows the common format of a student newsletter, with Opinions, Editorials, News Features, Entertainment Clippings, Literary Works, Trivia and the like.

The newsletter selects its editorial board from the pool of students of Holy Family Academy. All students are invited to take part in the publication. There is a series of tests in order to filter which students are perfect to land the job as editors, reporters, photographers, cartoonists and contributors among others. The administration selects a moderator for the school paper, usually a member of the English faculty, to facilitate the editorial staff in managing the newsletter.

Preamble

"By the Familian Spirit, we shall live,
Only in truth, we shall believe,
Together, the same road, we shall walk along,
Forever, in one heart, we shall belong."

Graduation and Commencement Exercises

The Commencement Exercises of Holy Family Academy usually occur around late March to early April for all departments. Graduating students usually take their final, 4th Periodical Examinations earlier than the rest of the students in order to give them time for practice sessions. Each year, a set of select Honor Students are gathered from both the High School and Grade School departments. Graduation Rites for both said departments and the pre-school department are held at a different date and venue. The Honors classification is as follows:

Grade School and High School

Grade school honor students are given their award simply based on the classification above, High school students however are given the special ranking followed by most high schools:

The academy also awards special accolades for students who excelled in other academic, co-curricular and extracurricular matters which include Composer of the Year Award, Writer of the Year Award, Performing Artist of the Year Award, Service Award, Perfect Attendance Award, Gerry Roxas Award, Leadership Award and the sought after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Leadership Award which is usually given to the High School Student Council president.

The 43rd Commencement Exercises for the High School Department

The 43rd commencement exercises was held last March 28, 2008 at HFA New Site.There were 329 students who made it pass High School. The exercise was started with a mass, by Rev. Fr. Raul delos Santos, which is usual during HFA's commencement exercises.

**TOP 10 ACHIEVERS: *Valedictorian: Marlon Penilla *Salutatorian: Remney Esguerra *1st honorable mention: Erick Ayson *2nd honorable mention: *3rd honorable mention: *4th honorable mention: Juliard Dio Mejia *5th honorable mention: Elaine Mendoza *6th honorable mention: Cyrine Cunanan *7th honorable mention: Marc Alison Hizon *8th honorable mention: Mary Clare Yumul

**With Honors

*Binmark Canlas *Ivan Smith Cortez *Richelle Cunanan *Marianne Delos Reyes *Justin Yves Gozun *Winzeth Maglanque *Jeremy Mariano *Ma. Fatima Martinez *Ma. Therese Celine Montoya *Ray Clarton Ramos *Julyn Nyril Tiatco *Ashley Queen Tupaz *Julee Anne May Vinculado