HISTORY OF SAGRADA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Sagrada Familia before was known as Saniyo, a small sitio of barrio San Agustin, Municipality of Iriga. There were very few who resides in this place and their houses were very far from each other, so in case of emergency they called each other using patong.

During the Japanese occupation, a road from Hanawan to Sagrada was opened. This gave access to the town of Pili to be considered as the nearest municipality for commercial purposes. The transport condition was improved and harmonious relationship among the barrio folks was established. They organized themselves, conducted assemblies and discussed matters for their development. It was one of these assemblies were Marcelino Paunat, Juan Llagas and Leon Agravante suggested to name the place Sagrada Familia. Their suggestion was unanimously approved by the people of Sagrada.

Sagrada is located in the northern part of Iriga City Mountain, along its foot bordering the town of Ocampo and Sangay, Camarines Sur. This place is surrounded by the eight barangays of Ocampo and two barangays of Sangay.

Though the converted efforts of the barrio leaders, particularly by the late Juan Llagas who donated a school site, a multi-grade school was opened at the center most part of sagrada, along the road connecting Ocampo and Iriga City. There were few children enrolled at the start. But as the year passed by, number of pupils increased until the elementary grades were complete up to grade six.

In 1966, the barrio people pioneered the establishment of barangay high school, a purely self-helped secondary school in the municipality of Iriga. This was established when the people of this barangay and the neighboring barangays pulled their resources together in order to give the rural and other neighboring equal opportunity to continue their studies, to minimize illiteracy, to establish a secondary school close to their homes of the students and to improve the relationship between the level of education of the people and the level of their socio-economic status.

Sagrada High School was formally opened during the school year 1966-1967 through the leadership of Mr. Felix Guevara, who was then the principal of the elementary department, now a retired District Supervisor, with the full support of the barangay Captain Francisco F. Llagas Sr. who contributed to the improvement of the barrio high school.

Its initial opening was started by forty-three first year students, twenty four males and nineteen females with six teachers; the High School was financed primarily by the tuition fees of the students and by the budgetary aid in donations of the civic-spirited citizen’s of Iriga. The classrooms used were temporary cottages constructed by parent-teacher association. The school facilities were acquired through donations and fund raising. In 1971, a two-room multi-purpose additional building was constructed but it was destroyed by the typhoon. This was replaced by a three-room building given by the government. Another temporary Agro-Industrial Arts building was constructed.

The school was first placed under the direct supervision and administration of the principal of Partido High School, Mrs. Amparo Sepagan. Later, the administration was transfered to the Division Superintendent of the City School of Iriga, thereby authorizing the head of the elementary department to sanction the direct supervision.

Atty. Rogelio Ll. Dacara succeeded as the Principal of the High School from 1977-1982.

From 1970’s to 1980’s the high school acquired a four-room concrete building, by then, Dr. Lilia Silva who took over from 1982-1983 as the school head. In 1991, two more buildings were constructed, a science building and a two-room building beside.

Mr. Feliciano Fenis Jr. was the last principal of the Elementary Department who acted as the principal of the High School heads of Sagrada High School.

Before it was nationalized in 1988 the secondary school has contributed abrupt improvement for the social, political and economic life of the barrio people and the nearby barangays. The secondary school produced Teachers, Engineers, Midwives, Nurses and other who were gainfully employed.

In 1988, DECS Nationalized all Barangay High Schools. The High School was separated from the supervision of the Elementary Head of school to its own teacher-in-charge.

Mrs. Abecenia P. Dacara acted as teacher-in-charge who was later promoted as principal.

There was a reshuffling of the different school heads in the five nationalized high school of Iriga City and as a result it was Dr. Pedro M. Illanza who was assigned as principal of the school last June 15, 1995.

On his term as principal, there was an increase of enrollment to nearly six hundred students’ populace. There were five classroom buildings constructed. Aside from the five classrooms; P.T.A. of Sagrada National High School was able to construct two-room building on school year 1996-1997 through the leadership of Barangay Kagawad Gilbert General as the P.T.A. president. One room was utilized by first year – B and the other one was utilized as school canteen.

Upon his incumbency as institutional leader, Dr. Pedro M. Illanza has worked hard to improve the school. Was able to put a stage, school pergola, concrete pathway, concrete basketball court, and PEHM hall made of bamboo and anahaw leaves, PMT DAST Office, Concrete Stairs, Concrete Flag Pole, concrete fencing in front of the school campus using barb wire, guidance office and student government council office at the back of the stage. Beautification of the school was improved by planning fruit bearing trees such as pili trees, jackfruit, coconut, banana, mango and other non-fruit bearing trees like agoho, jemelina, narra and other flowering plants. Another two-room building was constructed through solicition by Dr. Pedro M. Illanza from Sen. Raul S. Roco and Gov. Luis R. Villafuerte, it served as the computer room of the twenty units computer machines, given by DECS Central Office, Pasig City. Sagrada National High School is now very progressive. Government subsidy is now shouldered by the National Fund. Books are given free to the students and the teachers undergo Secondary Education Development Programs and mass training, thus, making the system and standard of education modern, technical and more elevated.

The term of Engr. Ronald C. Asis comes when Dr. Pedro M. Illanza leaves his office as principal last August 2002. During his term as institution leader, he was able to put up a concrete school road with hand railings and drainage canal, and a portion with stairs for easy and convenient access. He was also able to beautify the school surroundings through several plant boxes landscaped on different hotspots of the school ground. A water facilities, which is a project of a PTCA, has been realized from the source to the school tank, to support the needs for water services inside the school. Rip rapping of the inclined portion at the back of the main building was also improved at his term.

His office was then succeeded by Mr. Fermin B. Monte last July 2005. During his leadership, the school was able to acquire one unit of computer for the office use and 10 units of computer from the People of Japan through DepEd and DTI. The computers were utilized by students on learning computers skills. An instructional multimedia overhead LCD projector was also acquired to improve the teaching strategies of teachers and for students to experience the modernized form of teaching and to introduce to them the use of informations and communications technology. The Guard House was generally improved and the school stage was widen to acommodate more people for general purposes such as meetings and school mass. The sound system for school services has been acquired for general school wide purposes. Construction of jetmatic pump inside the shool campus through the SFI Governing council and School Information and Communication Officer to improve the services for water needs. The flag pole was transferred from the main building to the area beside the stage for students to see what is happening during the flag ceremony and flag retreat. Consctucted the five span concrete perimeter fence and rip rapping thru rabus spearheaded by the PTA Officials. The CR's on different classrooms was also improved. During also his time, one classroom building was constructed as replacement for the computer room.

After Mr. Fermin B. Monte rendered his last day of Service as Secondary School Principal I on January 2, 2008, succession of Dr. Ludevina Ester de Lima Bolante as Teacher In Charge took effect on January 3, 2008 to present.

At present, under the leadership of Dr. Ludevina Ester D. Bolante, the balusters infront of the Principal's Office and Informations and Communications Laboratory was constructed as part of her plan to beautify the school.

The school has already produced successful graduates who are now professionals; CPA, Lawyer, City Kagawad, Midwife and Teachers as evidenced by the fact that some of school heads in Iriga City Division are product of the said school. To mention some: Mrs. Abecenia P. Dacara (1975-1976, 6th batch graduate). Dr. Jerson V. Toralde (1988-1989), ES-I Filipino of Iriga City Division. Non-Professional graduates also assists in their respective barangays along with their area of interest, specialization and livelihood.