A Short History of the QCHS

A noble goal and a statesman's dream were the very seed that gave birth to this first public secondary school in Quezon City. Named after this city whose namesake is considered as the Father of His Country, it was envisioned to provide secondary education for the children of workers and residents of Barrio Obrero.

The idea of a public high school in this city was nurtured in a meeting of the officers of the Kamuning Elementary School Parents-Teachers Association in 1947. No less than City Mayor Ponciano Bernardo inspired, motivated, challenged, and later on endorsed the establishment of a high school in this part of the city. For its part, the association solicited funds, sponsored beauty contests and benefit shows, and out of the funds raised, the high school eventually took shape.

At the start, the school consisted of a modest four-room building that housed 155 students, and seven classroom teachers headed by its principal, Mr. Quintin C. Pantaleon. It was at this period that the students, teachers and school administrators laid the groundwork of what was to be a more expansive educational fountainhead. The students experienced varied enriching activities like athletics, self-government, and the publication of its official school paper, "The Capitol."

Barely five years after its founding, Quezon City High School established several annexes, namely: Roces Annex in 1951, La Loma (E. Rodriguez Jr. High School) in 1952, Cubao (Ramon Magsaysay High School) and Quirino High School in 1953, San Francisco (Don Mariano Marcos High School) in 1954, and Galas (Carlos Albert High School) in 1955.

Upon the death of Mr. Pantaleon in 1956, the torch of responsibility was passed on to Mrs. Conmemoracion M. Concepcion, who introduced to the school the educational innovations she learned abroad. Those changes proved useful to the students and to education. Among them was the organization of Homeroom P.T.A.s which turned out to be an instant success.

Meanwhile, due to the increase in enrollment because of the passage of City Ordinance No. 7909 providing free tuition to children of low-income families, other annexes had to be established. These were the Novaliches and Roxas annexes.

In 1965, Mrs. Concepcion was subsequently promoted to Assistant City Schools Superintendent for Secondary Schools. She was succeeded by Mrs. Monicacia de la Cruz, then principal of Quirino High School. Mrs. De la Cruz's task was to see to the completion of pending projects like the construction of the prefabricated building, a six-room, two-storey building, and a concrete fence. Some of these projects were fully completed during the tenure of her successor in 1971, Mrs. Isabel C. Tinga, who came from Novaliches High School.

 

 

 

 The 10-year tenure of Mrs. Tinga is remembered for the variety of school-community activities that were interesting, enjoyable, and enriching. For one, QCHS became the pilot school in community development, the venue of an agro-industrial fair that showcased the goals and projects of the government under the "New Society." It was during this period when the school boasted of its cultural groups (dance and choral), and "The Capitol" romped away with the championship in the National Capital Region Press Conference in 1979. The years also marked the construction of another six-room two-storey building for the freshmen.

In 1981, following the Division policy of reshuffling school heads, Mrs. Tinga was assigned to E. Rodriguez Jr. High School while Mrs. Lumen G. Velasco was assigned to QCHS. Mrs. Velasco continued the cultural revival program of Mrs. Tinga, an effort which paid off in terms of winnings in division, regional and national levels of the choral group competition. In 1982, the QCHS Choral Group was national winner in the KKK Choral Competition. The CAT Model Platoon likewise reaped honors in competitions and tactical inspections.

While working for the school's development program, Mrs. Velasco saw to the repairs of school facilities, worked for the construction of a 10-room two-storey building that housed some classrooms, the administrative office, library and property room, and sought the assistance of the alumni to give due recognition to deserving teachers. The latter resulted in the Lansigan-sponsored yearly search for the QCHS Outstanding Teacher which started in 1986. To date, there have been four such teacher awardees. In addition, the school has a track record of having three teachers named by the QC Jayceerettes as Outstanding Teachers in their respective areas; five master teachers chosen during Mrs. Velasco's term, and several other teachers named for their special services or recognized for their dedication and commitment to the teaching service.

The school envisions itself as a showcase for a premier high school in the city and the task of making it so rests on every administrator, teacher, personnel, and student.