HISTORY

Pres. Sergio Osmeña, Sr. High School:  A History Retold

On August 16, 1961 by virtue of the decentralization policy of the Department of Education (then under the leadership of Secretary Jose E. Romero), in collaboration with the Manila Municipal Board, Santiago and Yangco Annexes of Florentino Torres High School (Manila West), unified and detached accordingly from its mother unit, as it gained autonomy, adapting the name, Thomas Earnshaw High School. The newly founded school is located in the street of Bulacan, initially were under the care of Head Teachers, Bartolome del Valle and Sixto Vera Cruz respectively.  Later that year, Mabini S. Gonzalez (1961-1977) took over the leadership as the institutions first school principal.

The school continued occupying the same site by way of a 50-year lease agreement between the City of Manila and the Santiago Estate.  The school started with15 sections each grade level (first year and second year) with a total of 1336 students served initially by 48 faculty members, and continue to sustain the increase in enrollment thereafter.

On July 2, 1962, by way of Resolution No. 4536 of the Manila Municipal Board, re-named the school as, President Sergio Osmeña, Sr. High School (PSOHS), honoring the fourth president of the country, after his death on October 19, 1961.  Gonzales then composed the school hymn entitled the Osmeña Hymn, and is being sung by students and alumni to date.  The first commencement exercise was held on March, 1964, three years after the school was founded.

In February 1963, the school paper, The New Horizon (English) was born, later that year, July 1963, Ang Bulalakaw (Filipino) came into existence.

The rapidly increasing population of the school marked the need for the immediate expansion.  By 1972, the school came in to be a cluster of four adjacent units, the main building (Santiago Bldg. in Bulacan Street), the Yangco Annex, the Home Economics Building (at Fidel Street), and the Prefabricated classroom complex at Earnshaw Street that caters both the Vocational and YDT Departments.

Upon retirement of Gonzales in 1977, Nuella L. Opinion (1977-1983) and Rosenda B. Hutchings (1983-1987) took over the helm of the school, respectively.  Both leaders, initiated projects and campaigns for better school buildings and wide space.  Hutchings on the other hand envisioned students as better achievers, by empowering the teaching force she was able to increase student participation in various academic and extracurricular activities.  

Two more Principals served in the school: Angela T. Belanio (1987-1988) and Adoracion C. Acuña (1988-1989).

During the leadership of Milagros M. Palomares (1989-1991) and Felcidad P. Quilala (1991-1992), petitions in search of a new school site jumpstarted.   The assumption of duty of Hon. Flaviano “Jhun” F. Concepcion, Jr. (1988-1998) of Batch ’65 as one of the District II councilors on February 3, 1988, provided a catapult for PSOHS community to search for a permanent school site.  Concepcion filed a resolution to the Manila School Board in 1990 that earmarked the budget appropriation for the expropriation of a 4,008 square meter lot in Pampanga Street.  However, it resulted into a negative setback due to the sudden realignment of the allotted budget, to pave the way for the construction of the now, Manila Education Center in Arroceros, Manila.

Basilio F. Florendo (1993-2010), serve as the school assistant principal in 1990-1991.  He returned in 1993 to assume the Office of the School Principal.  In 1996, Florendo ordered the shifting of school uniforms from the white shirt and dark blue jeans for boys and a unique flamingo pink jumpers and white blouse for girls; to the present white polo and navy-blue pants for boys and a simple pink skirt and white blouse for girls.

In 1997, Yangco Annex and the Home Economics Building were declared condemned by the Manila City Engineers.  Occupants of these buildings were crammed in Santiago Building notwithstanding its decrepit condition.

Despite the inferiority in learning spaces, Florendo managed to maintain the high scholastic standards of PSOHS in its pursuit of excellence in education.  The school remained at par in journalism, metalworks, athletics, scouting and remained a number one contender in the now defunct annual search of PMT/CAT Model Coy.

Conception filed another city ordinance, and in June 25, 1997, City Ordinance No. 7925 was approved by the City Council, emancipating an amount of thirty-eight million two hundred ninety-five thousand nine hundred and ten pesos (Php 38,295,910.00) to finance the expropriation of a property in Pampanga Street.  However, the construction of the new school campus was delayed due to an on-going court settlement case between the City of Manila and heirs of the expropriated lot until the actual construction of the school building begun in 2008.

The lease agreement between the City of Manila and the Santiago Estate was expected to expire on January 1, 2011; and with only less than a year left, Yolanda F. Tolentino (2010-2012) was assigned as the new school head.  In this new undertaking, Tolentino lead the school stakeholders to petition authorities and the Manila City Council to expedite constructions within the new campus site.

On December 16, 2010, students, faculty, alumni and other stakeholders bid farewell to the old PSOHS building, as it is was commemorated by a solemn flag retreat.   Then on January 2, 2011, a testimonial walk marks the occupation of the new campus were the new PSOHS currently sits with pride.  The new campus was formally inaugurated on April 13, 2011, graced by then Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim.

Chita G. Glorioso (2012-2014) took office in 2012 where she focused in bringing back the glory of the school.  It was during her time when Class of 2013, placed second in the 2013 National Achievement Test (NAT), Division Level, placing next only to Manila Science High School.  In 2014, with the goal of increasing the student population in mind, Glorioso undertook the challenges of opening a Senior High School (SHS) Academic Track with a lone strand in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).  Upon her retirement in 2014, Head Teachers, Dante B. Bermas and Enrique T. Vallejo took turns as caretakers of the school, respectively.

Roselyn D. Mujal (2015-2017) as a school head focused on the preparation of the school for the initial implementation of SHS, though, aside from STEM; General Academics (GAS) and Humanities and Social Sciences (HumSS) were likewise offered as an alternative strand, but only STEM was recognized by DepEd at that time.  In SY:  2016-2017 the first batch of Senior High School attended at PSOHS. 

June Hayden R. Sinson (2018-2019) was the youngest principal assigned to lead PSOHS. Sinson strengthened SHS by applying appropriate permits for GAS and HUMSS, likewise, introducing a new school SHS programs on Accounting and Business Management (ABM) and TVL-Home Economics (Bread and Pastry; Cookery), making PSOHS as the only school offering all Academic Tracks and a TVL-Home Economics in SDO-Manila in 2018. He then spearheaded the construction of two new buildings to cater the increasing enrollment of both Junior High School (JHS) and SHS expected to rise in 2019. 

Mayet R. Dela Cruz (2019 - 2023) as a school head focus on the academic excellency leading the PSOHS to a new a challenging phase due to Pandemic cause of COVID 19. New Normal approach and strategies were develop to enhance the learner and teachers through her leadership.

Pres. Sergio Osmeña, Sr. High School continue to grow as one of the premier Secondary School in Manila with its current 136 committed and dedicated workforce, where we make learning a lifestyle.