A Story Retold: History of HSES

By: Mrs. Fe B. Maruhom

A popular saying says, “Change is inevitable.” As time goes by, changes are observable—people’s surname and feelings change; infrastructures may gone or added; and the environment change. Everything changes and so does Holy Spirit Elementary School (HSES). Let us take a look.

 Through the efforts of the pioneer settlers of Veterans Village, Diliman, Quezon City, the Holy Spirit Elementary School came into existence.  Pingkian, was then the name of the barangay.  Because of the proximity of the newly established school of the Holy Spirit to the place, these people decided to rename it “Barangay Holy Spirit.”

 HSES started its operation as an annex of Culiat Elementary School in School Year 1981-1983.  The first batch of Grade One pupils were housed in a building owned by a private association in the barangay and the first teacher to handle this class was Mrs. Myrna Aldeguer, a retired teacher at present. Due to the influx of residents and school children, there was a need to build a structure to accommodate the increasing population of the school; hence, a three room school building was built, the same site where the Mathay Building now stands.  Therein, the classes for School Year 1983-1984 formally operated.

 As years passed by, the population doubled in number.  More teachers came in the person of Mrs. Erlinda Bernales, Mrs. Edna Atienza, Ms. Florna Linda (now Mrs. Florna Garcia), Mrs. Angela Turda, Mrs. Lilia Quilates, Ms. Paz Belen V. Gonzales and Mrs. Erminda Apolinario.  The named teachers were considered as the pioneer teachers in this school, with Ms. Gonzales as the teacher-in-charge.

 From 1981 up to the present, HSES were supervised by eleven     principals namely Mrs. Lilia Lagdamen (1981-1984), Ms. Paz Belen V. Gonzales (TIC 1984-1986; Principal, 1991-1995), Mr. Rosario Barrios (1986-1990), Mr. Benito C. Beran (1990-1991), Mrs. Darna C. Dimaya (1995-2000), Mrs. Myrna N. Evangelista (2000-2004), Mr. Paulino M. Medrano Jr. (2004-2006), Mrs. Dorotea R. Eseller (2006-2013), Mrs. Cecilia C. Alba (2013-2016), Mrs. Zenaida A. Mallilin (2016-2019), Dr. Cesar B. Retes (2019 - 2022) and Dr. Emely M. Pelobello (2022 - 2024).

    From one teacher, two rooms and less than fifty pupils in 1981, the HSES now has 209 teachers, 76 classrooms and about 8,000 enrollees (as of October 2023).  HSES offers classes like Kindergarten, Grades One to Six, Special Education (SPED) and Madrasah/ALIVE (education for Muslim students).  The Madrasah/ALIVE class started its operation in 2005 while SPED class in 2014.

    For more than three decades, HSES underwent different constructions and improvements to adapt to the growing numbers of enrollees.  The school now has nine buildings and two covered courts. Three of them, Silid-Pangarap 1, 2 & 3 buildings are sponsored by AGAPP Foundation (Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-asa at Pag-unlad).

   Alumni of the school namely Maria Cristina Bernadette G. Degocionan, Judith C. Dongon, Mislanao B. Maruhom, Rochelle F. Pinkihan, Joan Jean P. Quilates and Cristine Galvez became teachers themselves and are now part of the HSES faculty.