For its first meeting of the school year 2010-2011, faculties of Adventist Secondary Schools Association ( ASSA) member schools engaged in a travelling activity on Monday, July 12, to evaluate and enhance their respective school programs and facilities. The bench marking activity enabled them to visit 2 prestigious schools in the country namely St. Scholastic’s College, Westgrove (SSCW), and Brent International School Manila.
Although among the chain of schools under St. Scholastica’s College system of the Benedictine sisters, SSCW is a relatively new (6 years) all girls school based on its present location in Silang, Cavite, a few kilometers away from AUP. The school attributes the strength of its spiritual, academic and community programs to the tremendous support of the Parents, Community and Teachers Association (PCTA). and the Ayala Group corporation. Welcoming the ASSA at the entrance hall was their Anklung ensemble that played “ Mabuhay”. The group proceeded on a tour around the campus, well-ventilated classrooms and laboratories and observed a few classes. Then the teachers were invited to the Audio-visual room for a short welcome program featuring student talents and a video presentation of the school’s brief History, Philosophy, Vision, Mission and Objectives through various school activities. Mrs. Elmie Lynn V. Lagajino, AUP Academy principal, represented AUP as the host school, introduced the principals and teachers of the ASSA member schools to the Directress, Sisters, and other personnel of SSCW. Mr. Reily Leonardia, ASSA president presented the directress with a token of appreciation for the warm and friendly accommodation of 85-90 teachers from the five member- schools of ASSA.
After lunch back at AUP Academy Gym the group continued its benchmarking activity in Brent International School Manila. Despite its relatively new location in Biñan, Laguna (11 years), Brent’s state of the art buildings, fully air-conditioned and carpeted classrooms and facilities strategically constructed and maintained were its main attraction, coupled with a very strong academic program for more than one thousand students of around 47 nationalities, many of whom are children of diplomats and celebrities; and support from Episcopalian-ecumenical groups. There were no classes for the summer but a respected and veteran teacher of Brent, Mrs. Flor Guevarra, who is a Filipino Seventh-day Adventist, teaching Spanish in the high school showed the group around and facilitated the meeting with the deputy headmaster who disclosed that the ASSA was the biggest group allowed to visit the school. ASSA members also presented the Deputy Headmaster and Mrs. Guevarra with a token of appreciation from the association.
Members of the ASSA are Baesa Adventist Academy (BAA), Central Luzon Adventist Academy (CLAA), Lipa, Adventist Academy (LIPA), Pasay City Academy (PCA) and AUP Academy (AUPA). The theme of the meeting was “Benchmarking, Recreation, and Sharing, for Quality Adventist Teaching” The devotional speaker was Pastor Arden Perdon, VP for Student Services of AUP and OIC for AUP while all the other officers were in the GC conference during the ASSA meeting.
