Ateneo de Naga High School

the Naga Cathedral (now the Naga Parochial School.) On March 22, 1940, Fr. Francis D. Burns, S.J. was appointed acting rector of the newly-founded school. Ateneo de Naga formally opened in June 1940 with 100 pupils in Grades 5, 6, and 7 and 550 high school students. With Fr. Burns who was also the principal, were Fathers Bernard Lochboeler, Albert Grau, Gregory Horgan, Richard McSorley and Nicholas Kunkel. Later, Brother Sergio Adriatico also arrived. Assisting the Jesuits were 12 lay teachers. After a year at the convento, the elementary department transferred to Colegio de Sta. Isabel. In late 1941, the Ateneo community was preparing to occupy the new structures after the Christmas holidays. But on December 8, Pearl Harbor was bombed. The Japanese invaded the Philippines and on December 14 occupied Naga. The new buildings of Ateneo de Naga were turned into a military garrison. The Jesuits, except Bro. Adriatico, were dumped in the provincial jail, then transferred to the Bishop's Palace and later brought to other prison camps in Manila and Los Baños, Laguna. In 1945, Naga was taken back from the Japanese and immediately, extensive reconstruction work in the Ateneo campus was started. A new group of Jesuits arrived in 1946 to reopen the high school in June, with 888 boys. The principal then was Fr. William Hayes, S.J. In 1947, the school also opened a college department with 87 students. The decade of the fifties saw the school reaping awards in forensic, literary, academic, and sports competitions, both local and national. On October 26, 1953, the college became co-educational. Thirteen ladies were accepted into college. In the same year, construction of the gymnasium began. The sixties was a period of change. The Second Vatican Council called for renewal in the Church and involvement in the modern world. The worsening socio-economic problems called for every Christian to be responsible. The response of Jesuit schools was summed up in the watchword: SPES (which was latin for hope)--hope through a social-political-economic-spiritual renewal. It called for involvement. What followed was a time of restlessness and student activism, a time for demonstration and clamor for change. Around the four pillars, in the city streets, Ateneans joined their peers in denouncing injustices, whether by teachers in school, or by political leaders in the city and the nation. The Society of Jesus was not spared the crisis. As Jesuit manpower began to drop sharply, a layman had to take over the reins of the high school for the first time in Ateneo's history. Antonio Olin became the first lay principal. As the peso plummeted and inflation rose sky-high, the school's financial resources suffered a shock. With barely enough to stay alive, the Ateneo continued on a survival course. Martial law was declared on September 21, 1972. Ateneans -- students, teachers, and alumni -- were among those arrested and detained with insurgents in stockades and prison cells. The school was held suspect as a breeding place for subversives. Yet as the New Society began to take roots, the Atenean seemed to take on an indifferent, apathetic stance. The glory of victory in interscholastic competitions was no longer attractive as before; the honor and pride in personal achievements no longer drove one to the limits of one's potentials. The quality of students declined. How to explain this? Perhaps it was because Ateneo itself was no longer clear about what goals to aim for. Perhaps it was because the Jesuits themselves were not clear whether the school should stand for excellence in academics and character formation or for social involvement and reaching out to the poor and the oppressed. In early 1975, the Jesuits concluded their 32nd General Congregation in Rome. Clearly they defined their mission today: promotion of justice in the service of the faith . The Jesuit Superior General, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., thus instructed his men to evaluate all their works in the light of this mission, draw up their priorities, and make their decisions. The new watchword was: Men and Women For Others. In 1976, another layman, Sofronio Llorin, took over the reins of the high school. The high school conducted an institutional self-survey and, after three years of hard work at self-improvement, received formal accreditation from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU) in 1978. The principal at this time was Gregorio Abonal. In 1979, a year before its Ruby Anniversary, the First Board of Trustees was formed, holding the highest policy-making authority. The decade of the eighties saw a rapid growth and change in the Ateneo. Increase in enrollment was felt both in high school and college. After two scores of service, Ateneo de Naga remained and stood, determined to continue its unending support to its region and its nation. Once again, the Ateneans started to reap interscholastic awards on the local and national levels. The Ateneo CAT I Unit dominated the annual Peñafrancia Fiesta Military parade competition, winning year after year. The decade was also marked by the introduction of a new President, Fr. Raul Bonoan, S.J.,who has accomplished so much in so short a time. The 1990 was Ateneo de Naga's Golden Jubilee Year. Alumni from far back as the forties came back to the Ateneo for the Golden Jubilee Celebration. Through the Ateneo's history, some seventy-six graduates and students have joined the clergy and religious life: 344 for the diocesan clergy, 13 Jesuits, 6 for the priesthood in other religious groups, 22 sisters and one brother. In 1990, two priests alumni were ordained bishops: Bishop Benjamin J. Almoneda, Auxiliary Bishop of Daet, and Bishop Propero Arellano, Prelate of the newly-created Prelature of Libmanan.