St. Joseph's Academy, Las Pińas

History

St. Joseph’s School, an institution situated at the heart of Las Pińas was founded by the Belgian priests in 1914.

Years ago, Fr. Jose Van Runenkelen and Fr. Victor Zaniel, both CICM missionaries from Belgium conceived of establishing a school in Las Pińas, the primary objective of which was to foster literacy in the parish community. It started initially with Grades 1 and 2 and in 1916, the first group of primary pupils graduated. Seeing the success of the first operational years and realizing the urgency of a complete elementary education, the priests sought from the government recognition and authority to operate and offer complete elementary education. St Joseph’s School then became the first Catholic private elementary school in Las Pińas and its neighboring towns.

St. Joseph’s School continued to produce intellectually and morally upright pupils. But in 1941 the school was unfortunately disrupted by the Second World War. In 1946, after the Liberation from the Japanese, St. Joseph’s School resumed operation. There was an increase in enrolment then. Consequently, the school administration requested the Mary Immaculate Conception Sisters of Canada to help administer classes in the whole elementary department.

The first batch of Grade VI pupils graduated in 1922, shortly after the school saw the need for high school education. Through the hard labor and dedication of Fr. Renato Venacht, CICM, together with the administration, the faculty and some parishioners, more rooms were constructed thus the Boys High School Department began to operate. This development paved the way to renaming St. Joseph’s School to St. Joseph’s Academy, the school that we know today and now popularly identified with the Las Pińas Bamboo Organ.

By 1949, Fr. Antonio Van Overweld, CICM was the new head of the school. To cater to the Elementary graduates, he decided to establish the boys & girls high school (Coed) with the 1st year level only. Unfortunately, the school could not accommodate the students in one section. So in 1950, for the second batch of 1st year students the boys were separated from the girls. The boys were transferred to St. Andrew’s school of Parańaque. This explains why the 1st batch of 16 students who graduated in 1953 was all girls.

Since then, the school continued to operate smoothly with a clear sense of direction and vision. In the 1960’s, a three- storey building and a new gymnasium were built. This marked the beginning of a continuous expansion to meet the demands of a growing school population.

From the time it was fully established as an institution of learning, it strived to attain its goals. Its concern for its parishioners did not just focus on the young and adolescents. The school has become sensitive to the needs of the adults who could not afford to attend regular classes in the high school. So in 1969, SJA in cooperation with St. Joseph Parish, established the High School Evening Classes for Adults (HEFA).

In the 1980’s major changes in the school’s physical appearance were done. The buildings were transformed and patterned after the structural design of the Las Pińas Bamboo Organ Church. The Diamond building, which at present houses the auditorium, the high school library, and the laboratory, was built in 1982. Later, the school insignia was changed into one featuring the world famous Bamboo Organ. These we owe with all gratitude to the selfless efforts of Fr. Mark Lesage, CICM, and Fr. Leo Reiner, CICM.

When Msgr. Allen C. Aganon took over as Director in 2000, renovations, improvements and expansions were made. Facilities like comfort rooms, canteens, clinic, library, including the faculty rooms and different offices were renovated and improved. To meet the demands of technology, photocopying machines, computers, internet, communication lines (telephones and facsimile machine) were made available. In the year 2001, the school logo was changed into one that features the image of St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and bordered on top by the famous Bamboo Organ. The school uniform was changed to green to conform with the colors attributed to St. Joseph. The Drum and Lyre Band was established to hone talents in music and to represent the school in various programs. In December 2002, the department of athletics, under Msgr. Jovito M. Mejino supported by the SJA Alumni Association, unveiled the school’s official athletic logo “Hammerheads”.

Under the auspices of Msgr. Albert A. Venus and Fr. Enrico S. Salazar, S.Y. 2005-2006 swept off the record with numerous changes that occurred. One of these is the construction of the new building which started in March, 2005. The newly-built building is a four-storey building which houses the canteen on the first floor; the high-tech Smart Room sits on the second floor; the Library occupies the third floor and the Science Laboratory is on the fourth floor. This is a major change after the construction of the SJA Hall (formerly known as the SJA Gymnasium) in August, 2004. The old High School Library in the Diamond Building was converted into classrooms. A portion of it was allocated for the Publications Room and the Student Council Office.

Today, SJA continues to respond to the call for quality education by developing and molding its youth who will undeniably serve as pillars of community development and of nation building. It dedicates its services to the parishioners of Las Pińas and the nearby parishes.

For years now, the school and its graduates are soaring high to give glory to its name. We now see St. Joseph’s Academy as an institution every Josephian should honor and be proud of because it has gained its own place in the realm of education.