Vinzons Pilot High School

VPHS (Vinzons Pilot High School)

Vinzons Pilot High School (VPHS) a public High School in the town of Vinzons Camarines Norte Philippines, was found on 1946. When the Japanese left in 1945, the conception of having a high school in the town became a steaming issue of the period. Spearheading the idea were the late Cong. Esmeraldo Eco and ex-Governor Regino Guinto, who desired to bring secondary education closer and more reachable to the poor. Since there were no site and building yet to accommodate the possible enrolees, instruction had its infancy stage at the house of Atty. Guinto at Macmaster Street (now Anacleto Guinto) in latter part of 1946.

Vinzons Pilot High School is an integral part the of Department of Education educational system. As an organization tasked with the constitutional mandate to educate the Filipino Children and the youth, we foster and share knowledge, work to strengthen character. The restructuring of the curriculum is part of an ongoing effort to improve the quality of learning. We a focusing on the basics of improving literacy and numeracy while inculcating values across learning areas to make it dynamic.

Educating our children is primarily a local initiative. The quality of what our students learn depends on how teachers and students operationalize the curriculum. The school head and teachers know what their learners need and how these can be met.

Vinzons Pilot High School is one of some selected secondary schools in the country offering specialized curriculum recognized and approved by the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Education.

History

Five decades ago, secondary education in Vinzons was conducted at the then Camarines Norte High School in Daet, having the privileged few taking advantage of the opportunity. When World War II broke out, classes in the province were paralyzed, that momentarily grounded the students from Vinzons, but went through, when conditions became tolerable.

When the Japanese left in 1945, the conception of having a high school in the town became a steaming issue of the period. Spearheading the idea were the late Cong. Esmeraldo Eco and ex-Governor Regino Guinto, who desired to bring secondary education closer and more reachable to the poor. Since there were no site and building yet to accommodate the possible enrolees, instruction had its infancy stage at the house of Atty. Guinto at Macmaster Street (now Anacleto Guinto) in latter part of 1946.

At first, the school was christened Camarines Norte High School, Vinzons Branch, with supervision and regulation emanating from its mother school in Daet. The first batch of teachers who responded to the survey made were: Atty Rosario Zaño Sunga, Visitacion M. Pajarillo, Armando V. Pajarillo, Antonio Peñalosa, Pedro Ubaña, Anita L. Pajarillo, and Corazon de Jesus. Appointed teacher in-charge was Basilio Marindo.

Initially, there were 119 students (all in the first year) divided into four sections. Classes were held six days a week until the end of the school year. Apprehensive of the enrolment to swell the following year, more teachers were hired. Among them were Armando Ferrer, Amado Gonzales, and Victor Bautista was named teacher-in-charge. In July 1947, classes were transferred to the residence of Dr. Carlos Ascotia (the renowned lung specialist) in the same street.

School Site Purchase. Moved by the bulging school population, the PTA through the late Francisco Balon as president, arrived in a concensus to purchase a school site. Parents pledged P35 each to cover the cost in addition to the big chunk of tuition fee that was siphoned to the sale. Lots at the outskirts of the town were popular choices. First to sell was Mariano Balce his 2.4023-hectare lot for P1900 on March 9, 1948. An adjoining lot of Dr. Godofredo Pajarillo with an area of three hectares was sold one week later on March 16, 1948. On July 3, the lot of Rafael Mago followed suit for P861.00. Then on July, a 2.5-hectare lot owned by Abdon Salvacion was purchased, and finally, on March 14, 1949, a 1.5 hectare lot owned by Manuela Buenavista was sold for )1200.

The Transfer. By the middle of 1948, the transfer of the school to the new site was effected. A barong-barong first served to house the different classes. Adjustment period in the beginning was tough, parents, teachers, and students worked together to uproot the coconut trees and bamboo jungle to give way to expansion and development. Months later, through ex-Congressman Eco, a three-room-semi-permanent building was constructed. The innovations sent better impression to the students of the town studying at Camarines Norte High School. Subsequently, they trooped back to Vinzons and got enrolled as fourth year students. Enrolment swelled in an inverse proportion driving the school administration to hire additional teachers.

The First Commencement. On April 29, 1949, the people of the municipality witnessed the first commencement rites of a one-section class (the Vinzonian transferees from Camarines Norte High School) having Faustino Icatlo as valedictorian and Artemio de Mesa as salutatorian. And in 1950, the pioneering 80 candidates for graduation received their diploma with Felicidad V. Rasco (retired principal of Sabang Elementary School) as the valedictorian of the batch.

Eduardo Asis, the principal then was replaced the following year by Ricardo Caballes (1950-1953). But before Santiago vacated the administrative seat, he was able to train and groom Emma B. Ferrer. Ferrer as well as the teachers and students joined hands to develop the lateral frontiers of the school site. The prospect of constructing more classrooms was in Ferrer's mind. To expedite the seemingly second phase of the expanded campus garnishing, she sought the help of her late husband to solicit assistance from the provincial government for heavy equipment and manpower. Before the decade was over, the school counterpart of the Wenceslao Q. Vinzons monument was erected in a conspicuous spot in the school ground.

The Pilot Insertion. In 1971, a pivotal incident happened that somehow spiced the schol's glorious image. A group of students in the likes of Pureza LIbrando, Eulenia Rasco Nolasco, Heide Lita Rigodon Balce, Joel Visitacion, Maria Balce, Noel Ferrer, and Nora Aguilar all passed the State Scholarship examination. Due to the impressive academic performance of these students, the word "PILOT" was inserted in the school name. Thus, the following year, Vinzons High School was addressed VINZONS PILOT HIGH SCHOOL.

Ferrer was succeeded by the younger blood Jose C. Galleta who got installed as school head on October 2, 1989. Galleta who is a holder of Master of Arts in Math Education degree had been a member of the school's teaching staff since 1968 and rose from the rank as classroom teacher, teacher-in-charge, and school principal.

On August 6, 1993, teh multi-purpose Student Pavillion was built near the schol gate (solicited by GARBO of Vinzons) form the CDF of Congressman Emmanuel Pimentel. On July 6, 1994, the groundbreaking of a mini park at the back of the JICA building took place having the Congressman, his wife, and Atty. Manuel Manlapaz of PENRO doing the honors of seedling planting of hardwood trees.

Further Growth Ahead. Truly, the "facelift" VPHS underwent through the years is not marked by a period. It looks forward to future growth and development for a healthy secondary education in the community. With the national government, local government, the NGOs, the PTA, and the cooperative citizens around, Vinzons Pilot High School will never be alone in bringing quality education to the young with enthusiasm and dedication.

Vision

Premier center of education. For the people of Vinzons and the nearby Communities and a symbol of quality and excellence in the conveyance of education and services in order.

• to develop students who are functionally literate, socially and morally responsible, and genuinely nationalistic, available and committed to lead the country to the threshold of sustainable development;

• to produce science and technology graduates who are responsive to the technical demands and advancements of the contemporary times;

• to cultivate the potentials of aesthetically gifted students as excellent artists with renewed spirituality and profound commitment to the preservation and enrichment of the filipino culture and heritage.

Mission

Vinzons Pilot High School has the overall mission of education it provides to all of its students and to the broader community. As a learning institution, its members foster a deep and shared understanding of the school's MISSION and GOALS Thus,

• we shall commit ourselves to instill quality basic education that is equally

imbued and equitably accessed for a creative and critical thinking and a holistic-lifelong learning;

• we shall nurture a family of competent, committed, and compassionate

teachers who adhere to the highest standards of competence and ethics;

• we shall continue to improve our educative services, facilities and resources, ever mindful

of our role to develop the personality of our students and to render these the best possible way;

• we shall establish a strong partnership with the community to be

nourished as a source of support for educators' work, as a way of effectively extending the educational program of the school into the family, and as a means of enriching the institutions' contribution to the learners' growth.

Educational Credo Our Philosophy about teaching profession is based on the premise that the child should, be in pursuit of knowledge in pursuit of the child. A teacher should strive to be an open and caring role model, and active listener, and a warm sensitive person with whom students can communicate. One should keep structures flexible and simple, challenging and creative. It is important to promote and respect individual growth and difference. Learning as a journey should be process-oriented rather product oriented. Guessing, divergent thinking, and risk taking should be encouraged as part of the creative processed. Trust, respects, support, and high expectations need to be apportioned to all students. Understanding unique diverse needs and differences in the learning modalities requires the ability of all educators to apply a variety of instructional strategies within the curriculum in order to maximize learning potentials. Educators must continually work towards holistic and humanistic education. Instilling self-confidence and responsibility along with the joy of learning and lifelong thirst for knowledge are the greatest gifts a teacher can provide.

School Committees

►School Governing Council – The chief advisory body on policies governing the academic program of the school. It acts on matters pertaining to the following reasons: (a) student admissions, (b) academic standards (c) curriculum and instruction, (d) student welfare, and (f) faculty development. The School Governing Council is composed of the President of the General PTA, Chairman of the General PTA Board of Directors, one head Teacher / Department head, SSG Adviser, President of the Faculty Club and one Year Level Coordinator.

►Grievance Committee – This the chief advisory body to the principal on all matters pertaining to the dispute and legitimate complaints involving school personnel. It receives, considers, and take proper action on dispute requiring arbitration following established procedures on such matters. The committee consist of five (5) members from the teaching and non-teaching personnel chosen by the principal from among at least eight (8) persons nominated by the School governing Council (SGC).

►Committee on Planning – This Committee formulates the basic framework for a long range development plans for the following areas of school operations:

• a - Student Development

• b - Faculty Professional Development

• c - Social Concern / Outreach Program Development

• d - Physical Plant / Site Development

• e - Curriculum / Co-Curricular Instruction Development

► Faculty Professional Development Committee - This committee assists the faculty in the form of financial assistance, reduced teaching loads, thesis assistance, and attendance in seminars, workshops, and the like.

► Faculty Evaluation Board – The board acts on the performance evaluation of faculty members. It deliberates and decides on the annual performance evaluation and rating of the faculty members. It is composed of the Principal as the as the chairperson, Head Teacher of each learning area, Year level Coordinators of each year level, and such other person as may be designated on an ad hoc or resource person basis.

► Safety and Security Committee – sanitation, safety, and maintenance / repairs of buildings, ground facilities, beautification and physical order are essential factors in creating a conducive atmosphere fro teaching and learning. Cognizant of the importance of a safe and pleasant environment for education, the school has set up a Maintenance and Security Service under the direct supervision of the Supply Officer and Civil Technology teachers.

► Disciplinary Board – this board handles serious cases as recommended by the Year Level Coordinator. Such Cases may arise from violation of rules as contained in the school Code of conduct handbook. Generally, these cases involve suspension, explosion or separation from school. This is the highest body that makes decisions on serious disciplinary cases. The membership shall consists of: The Head Teachers of the MAPEH and Values Education Departments and one representative each from the year levels. Organizational Setup

There was no significant change in the organizational set-up of the agency.  The school remained headed by a Principal, assisted by the Head Teachers/Department Heads.

The teaching force consisted of seven (7) Master Teachers, seven (7) Teacher III, fourteen (14) Teacher II, and forty two (42) Teacher I a total of seventy (70) teachers. Lending support are the non-teaching personnel composed of Administrative Officer IV, Supply Officer II, Accountant I, Disbursing Officer II, one watchman and a Utility Worker.

Administrative Staff

Filipino Department

Science Department

Mathematics Department

echnology and Livelihood Education (TLE)

Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) Department

Values Education Department

References

• Vinzons Pilot High School