Saint Louis College of Solano, Inc.

onstruction of a one-story building on July 15, 1935. The school had its first batch of elementary graduates in 1940. The school temporarily closed when the Second World War broke out. The heavy bombings destroyed Solano and razed the school down to the ground. Waffelaert again put up a temporary school building after the war.


1947–1973
In 1947, Fr. John Van de Steen became the School Director. He was the composer of the melody of the SLS Hymn. With him in the administration were Sr. Dominica Tumaliuan, the Grade School Principal, and Sr. Virgilia Soriano as the High School Principal. Joseph Van den Daelen, CICM, in 1948. By then, SLS was offering complete elementary and secondary courses. The school had its first batch of secondary graduates in 1949. The increasing enrollment necessitated the construction of more classrooms. A two–storey high school building was constructed, the left wing of the main building to the Elementary Department was completed, and construction of the Home Economics Building started. Hubert Dupont, CICM, took over as School Director in 1950. He adopted the slogan “Character Makes a Man,” and formulated the objective “For God and Country.” He completed the construction of the HE Building and constructed a frontal annex to the main building. He, too, opened the Saint Louis Trade School, the first Catholic Trade School in Nueva Vizcaya for vocational courses. George de Buschere, CICM, replaced Fr. Dupont in 1964. He constructed the left western wing of the main building to house the primary grades. The school ground was improved with sheltered bleachers constructed behind the church. At that time Sr. Celine Cruz was the High School Principal. Wilfred Deturck, CICM, came in during the SY 1967-1968. He undertook the project of painting the classrooms, and of a three-story concrete building for the seminary. Sr. Dorothy Ortega was the High School Principal then. The playground was widened and paved to provide a better place for PMT drills and PE activities. In 1971 – 1972, Fr. Jose Baute came in as acting School Director. Ines Sarmiento was the High School Principal and Sr. Rosario Solis as the Grade School Principal. During the SY 1972-1973, Fr. Marcelo Caers took over and converted the Seminary Building into Medical Clinic.

1973 – 1978
Fr. Joseph Van den Daelen returned to Solano in 1973 as Parish Priest and took over as SLS Director until 1978. Wilfred Vermeulen, CICM, the Assistant Parish Priest became the Acting Director in 1978-79 when Fr. Daelen took a year’s leave. At that time, the Revised Secondary School Program was implemented and the Saint Louis Trade School was closed. Vermeulen started the construction of a new Sister’s Convent where the Trade School stood. When Fr. Daelen was assigned as the President of Saint Louis University in April 1983, Fr. Vermeulen took over as School Director until 1996. Vermeulen put up the quadrangle, basketball and volleyball courts were paved, and the stonewall surrounding the campus was raised and provided with steel gates. Before the start of SY 1984-85, the Waffelaert Medical Clinic was converted into classrooms. The ground floor was refurbished to accommodate the school canteen. This paved the way for the conversion of the northern end of the Administration Building into the Principals’ (High School and Elementary) Office. New faces joined the faculty. In 1984, Mr. Benjamin B. Fernandez, the Elementary principal was designated Overall Principal, with Mrs. Felina R. Pating as Asst. Principal for High School and Mrs. Gloria R. Lucas as Asst. Principal for the Elementary Department. The increasing enrolment motivated Fr. Vermeulen to have a new school building be constructed. A three-story concrete building with 15 classrooms (Phase1) was constructed and inaugurated on February 15, 1992 in time for the 57th Foundation Day celebration. Mr. Fernandez was replaced in 1992 by Mrs. Rosita G. Alba as Grade School principal. In June 1994, Ms. Marietta V. Ramos was appointed Assistant Principal for High School. Mrs. Lucas replaced Mrs. Alba in 1995. Vermeulen left, Fr. Carlos Lindemans became the School Director from the SY 1996 – 1999. During his administration, Phase II of the new building was constructed. The school had Dental Clinic furnished with dental facilities. Computer classes also started. Miss Marietta V. Ramos became the High School principal and Mrs. Leticia G. Altre as Assistant High School Principal. Meanwhile, Mrs. Regina G. Batarao was appointed Grade School Principal.

1999 – 2006
The turn-over of CICM Administration to Diocesan Administration took place during the SY 1999-2000. Vicente T. Tiam, SVD, was assigned as the School Director by the Bishop of the Diocese of Bayombong, Most Rev. Ramon B. Villena. During his term, the school’s vision-mission was formulated and the Millennium Building was constructed. Food Lounge was put up, the stage was improved and the Adoration Chapel was made. A Retreat Hall was also put up in Calaocan, Quezon. Dorotea L. Bulan was assigned Assistant High School Principal while Mrs. Altre was appointed Grade School Principal.

2006 – 2012
SY 2006-2007 was the start of the administration of fr. Edmundo C. Beronio, Jr. notable physical improvements during his administration included the following: Putting up of Pre-school classrooms, Guidance and Counseling Office, the provision of canopy around the old Administration Building, the construction of the walkway that connects the Elementary and High School Buildings, the expansion of the Science and Laboratory Rooms, creation of the Clarion and Audio-Visual Rooms, renovation of the Library and the construction of the Diamond Jubilee Gymnasium.


2012 - 2019
Msgr. Vic Tugadi, HP was appointed school director of Saint Louis School and parish priest of Saint Louis Beltran Parish by Bishop Ramon B. Villena, D.D. during the general reshuffling in April 2012. Being Jesuit- trained, it was not difficult for the community and the school to sense that Msgr. Vic’s passion is to give greater glory to God. Guided too by the principle that the welfare of people is the supreme law, his first project was to purchase a new generator set that could provide sufficient electricity for the school and parish during brown-outs. Another basic need that he immediately attended to was to replace the worn-out sound system of the Church and the Gymnasium with state-of-the-art sound systems. Dilapidated and noisy steel armchairs were replaced with monobloc armchairs which were more comfortable. For the very first time in the history of SLS, general assembly meetings of the Family Council were convened at the start and end of the school year. In these meetings, parents are given an opportunity to be informed and be clarified about school programs and policies. Also in these meetings, parents and guardians are given a chance to present their concerns and directly ask questions to the administrators. In an effort to align the culture of the school with the vision-mission of DBCSA, Msgr. Vic intensified spirituality by introducing weekly celebrations of the Eucharist and spiritual recollections conducted by theologians- seminarians from San Jose Seminary in Ateneo de Manila University. Discipline among teachers, students and pupils are likewise a value that he desired to be taught in terms of punctuality and seriousness in implementing policies. Key positions in the school’s administration were revamped during the first year of Msgr. Vic in SLS. Feliciano Valdez Malaque was designated as High School Principal and Mrs. Marissa Galamay-Tiongson as Assistant HS Principal. Jonathan P. Pasion was designated as the Grade School Principal. S.Y 2013-2014 Mrs. Marissa G. Tiongson was designated as the GS Principal and Mrs. Altre as Assistant Principal and Academic Supervisor. With the aim of complementing the administration’s efforts in bringing Saint Louis School to greater heights, the Family Council through the able leadership of Mrs. Regina Valino-Valdez, initiated the construction of the mini- grandstand. This was blessed and inaugurated in February 2014. After more than a decade of existence, the school’s vision-mission was revitalized by its stakeholders through the able facilitation of Dr. Rolando Niño L. Agoncillo, Chair of the Educational Leadership and Management Department of De La Salle University. With the collaborative effort of the administrators, Family Council, Class Advisers, teachers, students and pupils, support groups and parents of the candidates, a Popularity Contest that aimed to raise funds for the new administration building was successfully done. Keenly aware of the need of students, faculty and community for a place of relaxation, a swimming pool and guest house were constructed and blessed on December 7, 2014. Named Villa San Ignacio, this facility has become an event venue for various occasions. The New Administration Building which houses the administrative and faculty offices and the library was blessed and inaugurated on March 15, 2015. In the summer of 2015, the pavement of the school campus which looked like broken glasses was replaced with new pavement. In the school year 2015 – 2016, Saint Louis School partnered with Ateneo de Manila University’s Jesuit Volunteer Program (JVP). Brother Jonathan Piguerra, a fresh graduate from Ateneo de Cagayan, was assigned to serve as Campus Minister, AVR Custodian, and classroom teacher. Saint Louis School was visited by PEAC Recertifiers on October 2015 and PAASCU Accreditors on November 26 -27, 2015. The school obtained an Above Standard rating by PEAC and PAASCU granted the school Candidate Status. In compliance with Provincial Capitol’s requirement and to intensify the security of the school, CCTV cameras were installed throughout the school campus. To improve the ventilation of the Diamond Jubilee Gymnasium, two propeller-type fans, the first in Nueva Vizcaya were installed. Darren Espanto, the total entertainer of ABS-CBN and pride of Nueva Vizcaya, staged a benefit concert on March 18, 2016. The proceeds of this event initially funded the construction of the SLS College Building.

2016
Saint Louis School restructured its academic departments after applying for Integrated Basic Education Accreditation to the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). For School Year 2016-2017 onwards, Mr. Feliciano V. Malaque was designated the principal of the grade school, junior, and senior high school departments. Tiongson started serving as the Coordinator of the Grade School department and Mrs. Leticia Altre worked as the Junior and Senior High School Coordinator. This school year also witnessed the establishment of the Student Development Fund (SDF)to support the co-curricular and extra-curricular activities of the school. Apart from the SDF, the school also created its Office of Student Affairs (OSA) to streamline its student development programs. Joe Hendrick F. Morales was appointed as the Student Affairs Coordinator. Also, this school year welcomed its first batch of Grade 11 students to its newly conceived Senior High School (SHS) Department. Prior to the opening of the Senior High program, the school admin rolled out and executed its plans to accommodate the incoming students. The pioneer batch had 230 students enrolled in Academic Strand: (Accountancy and Business Management [ABM], Humanities and Social Sciences [HUMSS], General Academic [GA], and Science and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [STEM] and Tech-Voc: Cookery and Commercial Cooking, Bread and Pastry Production for Home Economics, Technical Drafting for ICT and Electrical Installation and Maintenance for Industrial Arts.

2017
On his sixth year of being the director of Saint Louis School, Msgr. Vicente Emilio B. Tugadi, HP bared his accomplishments and new projects during the Family Council General Assembly, Sept. 16. Highlighting his list of completed projects is the 24-million peso 4-story St. John Marie Vianney building. The building the cafeteria on the ground floor, 10 classrooms on the second and third floors, Science laboratories on the fourth floor and a roof deck. To adhere to the recommendations given by PAASCU, the school crafted and implemented a new policy that increased the salary and benefits of teachers and staff of Saint Louis School Effective School Year 2017-2018. For the student populace, the school implemented the use of Gala uniform for male learners The Gala uniform which is being worn during Mondays has long sleeves with necktie complementing the existing gala for girls.

2018
After complying with the requirements set by the Philippine Accrediting Association for Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) on Nov 26-27, 2015, Saint Louis School is now on the next stage of preparations as it underwent the consultancy visit of PAASCU this April 2018. Aside from the PAASCU Consultancy visit, he Senior High School program of Saint Louis School passed with flying colors during the inspection made by the Department of Education. Evaluated on four areas, SLS-SHS received a rating of 3.93 with a description of “approaching excellence in practicing the standard.”

Also, with the completion of the St. John Marie Vianney building, the school also upgraded the Science laboratories of the school located at the fourth floor of the new building. Since the Diocese is still looking for a new Bishop, Parish priests and school directors under the Diocese of Bayombong will have an extended term to their assignments as there will be no reshuffling as announced during the Chrism Mass at the St. Dominic Cathedral, Bayombong. In the area of academics, Mr. Malaque, Saint Louis School Principal, after juggling his work as school principal and as a graduate school student, successfully graduated his doctorate degree from the prestigious De La Salle University- Manila. Also, one teacher in the person of Sir Christopher Bangad earned a Graduate Diploma from the University of the Philippine Open University.


2019- Present
Saint Louis School (SLS) made history after undergoing accreditation by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), April 11-12, 2019 and after weeks of waiting, the school received its PAASCU level 1 accreditation for three years last May 24, 2019. As Msgr. Tugadi, HP moved to Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish in Dupax del Sur, a proud son of the same town was appointed by Most Reverend Bishop Jose Elmer I. Mangalinao, D.D., as the new School Director of our beloved Saint Louis School. Rev. Romulo C. Felix, PhD. or Fr. Mulong as many people fondly call him, assumed the directorship of Saint Louis School, succeeding Rev. Msgr. Vic, effective July 2, 2019. Under his able leadership as Superintendent, the Diocese of Bayombong Catholic Schools Association (DBCSA) was revamped and was renamed as Diocese of Bayombong Educational System (DBES), making him the last top leader of DBCSA and first top leader of DBES. Prior to his assignment in SLS, he also served as School Director of Saint Mary’s Academy of Diffun, Quirino for seven years and Saint Mary’s Dupax, Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya. Young as he is, he is now positioned to bring Saint Louis School to greater heights with his dynamic student-centered and teacher-oriented brand of leadership and governance. Testaments and evidences to this is the recognition of SLS as the Center of Professional Development for Faculty, Staff, and students of the entire DBES. Among these were the first New Teachers’ Academy, DBES Teachers’ Congress, Diocesan Journalism Training, Diocesan Leadership Training, and various subject area seminars. For teachers’ professional development, four Hundred Thirteen (413) neophyte teachers from the different diocesan schools took part in the first DBES teacher congress held at Saint Louis School of Solano, Nueva Vizcaya on July 30-31 and Aug. 1-3, 2019. With the increasing population of learners, Rev. Felix, PhD, initiated the plan of constructing a new building for the Grade School Department. The construction of the four-story building was started last November, 2019. The groundbreaking ceremony highlighted the opening day of the SLS Intramurals 2019 and was led by the school administrators headed by the school director, Rev. Felix, PhD, Dr. Feliciano V. Malaque, school principal, Mrs. Tiongson, school coordinator and was witnessed by school faculty and staff, Family Council officers, student leaders, and project implementers.

2020
The Covid-19 pandemic drastically affected school operations since its outbreak and the implementation of lockdowns during the first quarter of 2020. True to its commitment to continuously providing quality Catholic Education, the school adapted various strategies to keep its operations afloat. Saint Louis School, together with its counterparts from the Diocese of Bayombong Educational System, crafted a Learning Continuity Plan and designed Learning Modules to be given to Louisian learners who embraced the Blended learning setup of the school. Since Face-to-face learning was disrupted by the pandemic, the school implemented Alternative Delivery Modalities like Modular Distance Learning and Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Teaching. Given the effect of the pandemic, the school piloted the conduct of Mobile Graduation for its graduating Grade Schoolers and virtual graduation for the graduating Grade 12 learners.

2021
To further strengthen its Blended learning modality, the school designed and piloted the SLS Learning Management System to cater to learners who prefer online learning. The modules were also revisited and enriched by all teachers and were mass produced for all Louisian learners. The school inaugurated its newly-constructed 4-story Grade School building on March 26, 2021, in time with the school’s 86th founding anniversary. The 4-storey building is the first major project of Rev. Felix, PhD, the current school director. Situated behind the Phase 2 building, the structure has 4 floors with classrooms, cafeteria, and play-rooms on the ground floor; classrooms, faculty room, and offices on the second floor; classrooms and a chapel on the third floor; and an auditorium on the fourth floor. The construction phase started back in September 2019. In the field of Academics, the school earned another significant milestone as its institutional outreach/ extension program, dubbed as PROJECT GUNITA, was awarded Champion in Gawad NVision: The Division Search for Outstanding Supreme Pupil Government and Supreme Student Government Organization, President and Teacher-Adviser competition-Makatao category. Apart from this recognition, Project Gunita also emerged as one of the top 5 in the 10 Best School, Family, and Community Partnerships 2021 sponsored by Panpacific University. Such feat was also commended by one senator and was featured in several news channels here in the Philippines and abroad, and trended on social media. The school piloted its drive-thru graduation to its preschool learners thru the initiative of Mrs. Diana Concepcion L. Bose, preschool teacher. The graduating Grade 10 and 12 students also had their virtual moving up and graduation programs respectively. For our administrators, the school coordinator, Mrs. Tiongson, graduated with her Master’s Degree Master of Education Major in Educational Administration from the prestigious Ateneo de Manila University. As the school is preparing for its limited face-to-face operations, various innovations are being introduced such as the provision of wash area, a new clinic with isolation rooms, and signages to remind all stakeholders that Saint Louis School is indeed ready for the New Normal Landscape of Education. Every School Year, SLS is reaping golden harvests with all the awards and recognitions it receives from various competitions at the different levels (Provincial, Diocesan, Regional, and National). Through the years, Saint Louis School is able to carry on with its Vision-Mission, as it lives up to the aspirations of its Founders…to give Quality Christian Education, and to develop responsible individuals who are committed to serving GOD, Family, and Country.