Holy Trinity Academy (Philippines)

The Holy Trinity Academy in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc, Manila is a parochial school founded in June 1947 by the late Rev. Fr. Bernardo Torres. The school started with a kinder class fully recognized by the government in 1948. By the beginning of the school year 1947-1948, Sisters Agnes Encarnacion and Sr. Pudenciana Martinez of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception were assigned to the school through the invitation of Fr. Torres to teach in the primary and intermediate sections of the Academy until the end of school year 1948-1949. In 1955, Msgr. Francisco Avendaño succeeded Father Torres and later on Fr. Felix Ignacio took the helm.

History

In 1958, the late Rufino Cardinal Santos turned over the management of the school to the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the sister congregation of the Don Bosco Fathers. They set up the co-ed classes from Kinder to Grade Four and exclusive section for girls for Grades Five and Six. The boy pupils after finishing Grade Four transferred to other schools of the parent’s choice.

In 1962, Rev. Msgr. Isidro L. Jose was installed parish priest. Fully aware of his role as spiritual leader of the community, he tried to accommodate all the children of school age and to mold them along the Christian way. Thus, in 1964, the Holy Trinity Boy’s Department came into existence. It was in the same year that Msgr. Jose paid from the Parish funds and by installments Fr. Torres for the rights in the school.

During its first year, the HTA Boy’s Department started with one class of Grade Five only. In the second year, the administration offered classes from Grade Four to Grade Six. First year classes were begun in the third year of operation with one section for boys and one section for girls. Then in its fourth year, the Salesian Sisters requested Cardinal Santos to transfer the first two years of High School girls to the Girls' Department, and the remaining boys' sections from the Girls' Department transferred to the Boys' Department. The supervision of the Boy’s Department was entrusted to lay principals while the girls remained under the Salesian Sisters.

In the 1972-1973 school year, the Boy's Department started a co-educational program in kinder classes. In the succeeding curriculum years, girl enrollees in both grade school and high school departments increased. Thus, the boys' department dropped its name and became HTA Co-ed Department in 1974. Initial integration started in school year 1976-1977 by way of centralized school funds, one school calendar, class programs, DECS reports and standardized salary. The HTA girls and Co-ed Departments flourished under the directorship of Very Rev. Msgr. Isidro L. Jose.

Subsequent school directors Msgr. Danilo Pascual (1983–1988) and Msgr. Cesar Pagulayan (1988–1991) worked to realize this integration. From 1991 to 1997, during the term of Msgr. Manuel Gabriel, the identity of Holy Trinity Academy as a parochial school was further clarified. By the end of the 1992-93 school year, the Salesian Sisters ceased management of the Holy Trinity Academy. The following school year, a new congregation, the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, was assigned to the school but stayed for only a year. At the outset of the following school year, HTA became a full-blown co-ed school, pre-school to 4th year level under the supervision of lay administrators headed by the Priest Director. It was not until the 1996-1997 school year that religious sisters was re-established in the school with the coming of the Daughters of Mary of the Assumption (fma).

In succeeding years, the Manila Archdiocesan Parochial School Association (MAPSA) has been gearing up to upgrade parochial schools of the Archdiocese of Manila in general operations, academic standards, faculty and employee development and administration. MAPSA has become an avenue for communion of parochial schools, direction setting and accentuating their Christian identity, role and mission. In the last quarter of 1997, Msgr. Sebastian assumed the position of Parish Priest and School Director but transferred after a couple of months.

Rev. Fr. Enrico Martin F. Adoviso reported to the Parish and the Academy in January 1998. The organizational assessment conducted during the 1998-1999 school year indicated a need to reorganize school structures and policies. The Board of Trustees and the administration implemented measures to improve the system so that by the year 2000, the School stabilized. Employees’ development was prioritized and the school facilities greatly improved. Simultaneous to these important developments, the Principalship of the Grade School and High School departments were assigned by the Archdiocese of Manila to Sr. Jesiela Deguilmo and Sr. Laureana Polinar, both from the congregation of the Daughters of Mary of the Assumption.

By the end of the school year 2000-2001, offices and faculty rooms were air-conditioned and renovated; the whole school building was repainted inside out and all classrooms were air-conditioned; the HS canteen became fully furnished and science laboratories were constructed and fully equipped. An Php 8.8 M gymnasium was erected and a sports program for students was established and series of personnel development seminars ensued.

At the dawn of the 2001-2002 school year, the administration expressed its direction and priorities, namely:

To realize the above, the Academy created and implemented a five-year development plan, which started with an assessment and evaluation of all aspects of the School administration and operation propelled by series of seminars for the revision of School Vision-Mission-Goals.

In the seventh year of Fr. Adoviso’s Directorship of the Academy, on January 5, 2005, HTA geared up to vie for the accreditation[1] of Philippine Association of Accrediting Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) while continuously focusing on the Vision and Mission of the school true to its being Home of Tomorrow’s Achievers.

References

  1. ↑ Official website

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