Historical Background

The School Seal

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Officers (Board of Trustees)

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Historical Background of Maryhill College

The year 1973 ushered the transition of Maryknoll Academy’s administration into the hands of the laity from the Maryknoll sisters, and finally changing the school’s name into Maryknoll Academy in 1976. The lay people of Lucena City in this year too the helm of the school administration from the Maryknoll sisters who first run the school from May, 1938. 

            The first lay Board of Trustees was composed of Dr. Pablo J. Nañagas, Atty. Raul A. Manalo, Manuel M. De Vera, Atty. Anselmo O. Regis, Most Rev. Alfredo Ma. Obviar, Most Rev. Jose T. Sanchez, Sister Camela Cecilia, Mr. Enrique M. Sandoval, Dr. Jose N. Ocampo, Dr. Patrocinio P. Reynoso,  Mrs. Lydia L. Ignacio, Atty. Mario A. Milla, Mrs. Prudencia E. Villasenor, Dr. Hilarion B. Buenaventura, and Mr. Vicente A. Tolentino; and, first administrators namely: Miss Lourdes C. Glinoga, Directress, Mr. Victor Panopio, High School Principal and Mrs. Corazon Z. Belarmino, the Grade School Principal were chosen by the Maryknoll sisters headed by the last school directress Sister Ancilla Marie Tansey, with the blessings and approval of Bishop Jose T. Sanchez, then the Bishop of the Diocese of Lucena, on the basis of their professional capabilities and trustworthiness as endangered by their long association with the Maryknoll sisters. The  Board of Trustees was composed of Most Rev. Ruben T. Profugo, D.D. Msgr. Mariano P. Melicia, Msgr. Atilano Oracion, Rev. Fr. Pergentino Casiño, Mrs. Mercedes Barcelona, Dr. Lourdes C. Glinoga, Engr. Jose T. La’O, Atty. Ariosto M. Llamas, Dr. Cesar A. Villariba, Mrs. Milagros O. Carlos, Mrs. Milagros E. Esmilla, Mr. Ricardo S. Pascua, Engr. Virgilio S. Salay, and Miss Ernestina M. Zaballero. The  school administration was composed of Dr. Lourdes C. Glinoga, Directress/High School Principal; Mrs. Lourdes B. Espejo, Vice Principal; Mrs. Adoracion L. Venzuela, Grade School Principal; Mrs. Mercedes P. Ariles, Vice Principal; and Ms. Gregoria P. Macaraig, Budget Officer. 

            Fr. Ulric Arcand, a Canadian Priest who belonged to the Parish Foreign Mission Society, Bishop Alfredo Versoza of the Diocese of Lipa of which Lucena was then a part in 1938, and Don Daniel Marquez, a civic spirited citizen of Lucena worked together in the establishment of Maryknoll Academy which was initially  named the LUCENA CATHOLIC SCHOOL. Fr. Arcand conceived the idea, Bishop Versoza approved it and Don Daniel Marquez donated the first P20,000.00 to construct the P30,000.00 Maryknoll Academy buildings located in the periphery of St. Ferdiand Cathedral right in the heart of Lucena City. By their inspiration the entire Lucena community supported the construction of the school building with Fr. Arcand contributing even his personal funds from the sale proceeds of his French stocks and bonds.

            Thus in 1938 the first Maryknoll sisters arrived. They were Sister Mary de Chantal, superior, together with Sisters Maria Conseption, Matthew and Maura Shaun.

            In establishing the school, the Sisters offered three objectives, namely:

1.      To lead souls to God.

2.      To train the minds of the youth entrusted to them by providing them with a solid Catholic education that would fit them for life to come.

3.      To form a lay apostolate among the youth would fearlessly and intelligently keep the faith alive and realize their responsibility  to share it with others. 

The Lucena Catholic School as Maryknoll was first called, admitted 250 students from Kindergarten to First Year high school . Within three years there was more than 200% increase in enrollment. By 1941 there were 600 students.

The outbreak of World War II on December 8, 1941 forced the school to close in March 1942. The Bureau of Private Education conditionally released the first graduate in that year. The Maryknoll sisters took refuge in the Assumption Convent in Manila until they were brought by the Japanese to the concentration camp in  Los Baños, Laguna from were they rescued together with Fr. Arcand by the American liberation forces in 1945.

In May 1945, the Maryknoll Sisters- Sis. Miriam Thomas, superior, Sisters Maura Shaun, Maria Conception, Claver, Ancilla Marie and Maria Cecilia returned to Lucena where they found the school premises-sister’s convent and school building intact though stripped completely of school equipments as a result of the occupancy as military headquarters of the Japanese.

In July 1945, the school re-opened under the name MARYKNOLL ACADEMY with an enrollment of 563 students who had to provide their own books and chairs (improvised benches and packing crates).

Within the first three years after the war, Maryknoll expansion program in the Philippines took off swiftly. And Maryknoll in Lucena was a beneficiary of the expansion program.

In 1947,Sister Maura Shaun as a superior introduced the fencing of the perimeter of the campus covering the large tract of land around St. Ferdinand Cathedral bounding the lengths of the block of M.L. Tagarao and Allarey Streets, and a portion of the block on Granja Street. The landscaping with Ilang-Ilang and Flame trees and the laying of the cemented walks was undertaken and supervised by Sister Marie Antonette.

In Aug. 1953, Sister Robert Marie at the helm of the administration introduced the addition to the old building of 4 classrooms, a school office and a teachers’ room.

In  June 1956, Sister Stephen Marie as School Principal, launched a fund raising campaign and constructed a new grade school annex, augmenting it further in April 1958 by the construction of a new wing of eight classrooms, 2 lavatories and a school clinic. The landscape was further improved with the planting of Cherry Blossoms and more flame trees.

From 1959 to 1962 Sister Carmen Eser was the principal of the school and was succeeded by Sister Joseph Aileen who stayed for the next six years.

In January, 1968, Sister Ancilla Marie Tansey  became the Principal of the High School Department, while Sister Carmen Dolores was the principal of the Grade School. In 1969, as Directress, Sister Ancilla Marie made possible the construction of 3 story concrete annex with three large classrooms on each floor; a new sister’s convent; covered walks, a school store; and a renovated school canteen.

In 1975, the PTA donated the school the considerable sum of P50,000.00 which was raised from its fund raising project called the “Queen of Hearts Contest”, an activity that is annually held on celebration of the school’s foundation anniversary. This donation made possible the construction of one-story concrete Kindergarten Building beside the school canteen which was ready for use the succeeding school year in 1976.

Spurred by the fervent awareness that Maryknoll Academy of Lucena City can metamorphose into a quality school even without the Sisters, the lay administration submitted the High School Department to accreditation by the Philippines Accrediting Association of School Colleges and Universities in February,1974. On June 10,1976, the High School Department was granted initial accreditation for three years by PAASCU. Maryknoll has enjoyed the status of an accredited school since then.

It was in 1976, the period when the school was enjoying the accredited status that Maryknoll was officially named MARYHILL ACADEMY.

May 1980 saw the construction of another 2- story building aptly called the lay administration building. The small savings of P120,000.00 from the building fund spurred the lay administration to build this new wing  of the initial incomplete structure of roof and columns. But even before the opening for the school year 1982-1983 classes saw the completion of one classroom for the Grade School, the gift of PTA 1981-1983, a total cost of P30,000.00. This building of 3 classrooms was completed in June 1989.

To be able to accommodate the increasing number of enrollees the High School Department will be transferred to a 2 hectare school site in Ciudad Maharlika, Iyam, Lucena City in school year 1996-1997.

Today, the legacies of the Maryknoll Sisters stand as towering monuments for anyone to revivify the past years with memories. Today, there are still plans to be considered. Many school facilities such as auditorium and gymnasium are needed to meet the increasing demands of contemporary education.

As Maryhill Academy enters each new year, she looks back with wonder at the trials she triumphed over, confident that nothing insurmountable with Maryknoll Spirit, with Maryknoll tradition.