HISTORY

For seventy years, the School has been serving the educational needs of the city’s District IV area but it has also become the sought after school of many students from Districts I and II. The school caters to poor and middle class families from its widening catchment area.

The school is in the midst of residential areas where socio-economic conditions are diverse. Within the vicinity thrives small to large business enterprises. Along Roces Avenue are assorted businesses including banks, restaurants, housing projects and hotels. It is also the home of DOTC’s main office and post office. The school is near Tomas Morato Avenue and Timog Avenue which are popular entertainment areas. Located along these two avenues are many fine-dining restaurants and bars. Discothèques, Karaoke joints and comedy bars provide patrons with all-night long recreation. In the South Triangle (the area bounded by Quezon Avenue (R-7), Timog Avenue (South Avenue) and EDSA) are the location of the head offices of ABS-CBN and GMA Network. Most Filipino entertainment shows are produced here, and it is also home to many Filipino celebrities.

The school is situated on Barangay Obrero. Despite the more than 115 business establishment in this area which includes, RAMCAR Philippines, it has five depressed areas and the home of seven hundred eighty families classified belonging to poor to middle class economic bracket. The Barangay across the school is Barangay Laging Handa, where ironically, most families are affluent. Below are some important facts about the areas where most of our students come from.

The school is fortunate to be in a community where generosity abounds. Many are willing to help the school by sharing their expertise to the school and the students. The industries within the vicinity could also be a venue for on the job training of the courses offered by the school.

Situated along Roces Avenue, Barangay Obrero, this City, the Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Vocational High School had its modest beginnings in the early 1960’s. Its original main building was a former market place of Kamuning which was used formerly Kempetai garrison during the Japanese era and as the office of the City Mayor of Quezon City just after the war. When the Quezon City hall built along EDSA where the site of Ramon Magsaysay Cubao High School is presently located, the building was converted into a school house and became one of the Annexes of Quezon City High School. Later named after the late Don Alejandro Roces Sr., it originally catered to first and second year students only

Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Annex became an independent school on September 15, 1961 and at the end of that school year, some 34 students were graduated. In school year 1964-1965, the school became recipient of the Colombo Plan machinery and equipment assistance. Within that year, a separate building was constructed to house the equipment. The Schools Division Superintendent, Alfredo J. Andal, issued constructions to the Head Teacher of this school to enroll students who would like to take vocational courses. Supervisors from the defunct Bureau of Vocational Education (BVE) came to the school to advise the school administration on the curriculum and the nomenclature of the different vocational subjects to be offered.

In the ensuing S.Y. 1965-1966, the school operated on a two-track curriculum, namely the college preparatory and vocational. Some male teachers were granted scholarships by the Colombo Plan and were trained in New Zealand, a country down south near Australia.

In 1969, the first batch of vocational students who successfully completed the four-year secondary vocational curriculum graduated. It was also the graduation of the last batch of college preparatory students. For SY 1970-1971, the school offered only the vocational curriculum. As such the vocational course offerings or shop work, were allocated three hours daily while the academic subjects were allotted credit units based on the New Secondary Trade and Trade-Technical Educational Curriculum as prescribed in Circular No. 16, s. 1958, as amended by Circular No. 37. s. 1960.

During the SY 1972-1973, the above cited curriculum was replaced by the Revised Secondary Education Program for Trade and Industrial Education Schools in accordance with Circular No. 8, s. 1973. Emphasis centered on broad exploration of occupational areas with the aim of providing students with a wide range sampling of the different clusters of occupation. Academic subjects taught were the same as those in the general high schools. An additional subject was Trade Drawing and Blueprint Reading starting in the second year up to the fourth year level. For shop work, vocational offerings were exploratory in the first year level. Starting in their second year, the students were made to choose their field of specialization. This goes on until their fourth year in school.

A new phase in the development of the school took place in 1981 when the Honorable Onofre D. Corpuz, Minister of Education and Culture, approved the change in name of this school to Don Alejandro Roces, Sr. Vocational High School in answer to a felt need of time then – the government’s thrust on total manpower development and in answer to the clamor by the City Government to have a vocational high school in Quezon City. This move made the school a special school on account of its type of curriculum and the curricular offering given.

The school administrators who painstakingly spearheaded the management and development of the school include the following: Mr. Eulogio Olegario; Mrs. Monicacia de la Cruz; Mrs. Severina Gonzales ; Mrs. Virginia Nedel; Mrs. Emma San Antonio; Mrs. Eladia Yabut, Mrs. Purificacion Zamora (first school principal who retired in 1975); Mr. Mario San Andres, Supervisor in-Charge, SY 1975-1976; Mr. Romeo San Juan (second school principal, SY 1976-1977); Mrs. Angeline Ferrer (third school principal, SY 1977-1978 to June 30, 1993); Mr. Exequiel V. Calixto (SY 1993- SY 1996- 1997). A significant development took place on July 1, 1993, when Mr. Calixtro was transferred to Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Vocational High School. His being a vocational education – oriented school principal gave a BIG hope and challenge to the school. During his term, freshmen underwent rigid screening procedure prior to acceptance. Aside from the regular students, out of school youth and adults were accommodated in the school under its Non- Formal Education Literacy cum Livelihood courses on a quarterly basis three nights a week. When it comes to facilities development, he initiated the construction of the Mathay Bldg., a 3-story 26-room school building fronting Roces Ave., SMILE Center, fishpond, Ecology House and the mini park; Dr. Sally Barcelona (SY 1997- 1998); Mr. Cresencio Viernes (SY 1998- 2000); Dr. Betty Cavo (SY 2000-2003). She initiated the school’s conversion into a Science- Technology High School (the proposal on its conversion was approved by the city council on August 8, 2000). With reference to the school’s Science- Technology conversion, DARSSTHS had conducted seven (7) pilot classes (first year- 4 and second year-3) under Science- Technology curriculum; Dr. Proceso Lera (April 20096- December 2006); Dr. Romulo Rocena (SY 2003- April 2006); Dr. Grace A. Tariman (December 2006- January 20, 2011). She started implementing the new curriculum- the Strengthened Technical- Vocational Program (STVEP); Dr. Maria Violeta M. Tupas was assigned by the Division Office to be the Officer-In-Charge of the school for 3 months since January 20 replacing Dr. Tariman who was transferred to Sta. Lucia High School. And in April 2011 Dr. Eladio Escolano, was assigned to the school. As TVE- Electricity major, he is aptly expert in TVE curriculum and has various proposed plans for such as providing on-the-job trainings for 4^th year students, making all TVE teachers TESDA NC II passers, and strengthening academic and Tech- Voc teachers’ partnership to integrate both fields in lesson planning. After six years and four months, Dr. Escolano was succeeded by Mrs. Angeline T. Torres, Principal III who was formerly assigned in Jose P. Laurel Sr. High School. After a few months, the inauguration of three buildings, namely, SHS Building, ALS Building and DARSSTHS Hall was conducted which also coincided with the groundbreaking of a 5-storey Tech Voc Building. All of these were requests of Dr. Escolano which were only finished when Mrs. Torres has started her service. The big event was attended by significant persons in the field of education and in politics such as Dr. Liling Briones, DepEd Secretary, and other undersecretaries, Congressman Sonny Belmonte, Councilors and Barangay officials of District IV. Educators in the Division of Quezon City as well as the elementary and secondary school principals also graced the occasion.

Over the years, the school has proven its excellence in academic and skills instruction as shown in its performance in the National Achievement Test. In the past years, it has been consistent of being rank two (2) among the public and private schools in Quezon City. In March 2016, it produced the first national female champions in Automotive during the National Festival of Talents. In the same national contest, the school’s contender in Special Program for Foreign Language (Mandarin) also emerged as the national champion.

The excellent education provided to its graduates has produced scholars, performing and honor graduates from the Universities. More so, some of DARSSTHS graduates have high ranks in various Board Examinations for various fields like Nursing, Midwifery, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Social Works and Interior Design.

In 2012, the school became one of the few school chosen to implement the Senior High School under DepEd’s Senior High School Modelling Program. In 2014, the school produced its first Senior High School Graduates and also was tapped as an early implementer of the Senior High School Curriculum along with three other identified schools in the country. As a SHS implementer, the school has become a benchmark for the implementation of Senior High School.

Since it has piloted the SHS program TVL Track, DARSSTHS has been receiving support from various stakeholders like the Japanese International Cooperating Agency (JICA) in 2015 and Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). To date, PBSP donated 10 desktop computer units and 5 laptops during the Brigada Eskwela 2019 for teachers and students’ utilization.

As the only school in the Division of Quezon City offering STVEP curriculum, DARSSTHS is always visited by foreign ASEAN educators for their benchmarking.