ABOUT US

Kidapawan City National High School is a “dream come true”.  Asst. Schools Division Superintendent, at the same time the Principal of Kidapawan Pilot Elementary School, Mr. Teofilo Handoc, dreamed that one day a quality public secondary school would be established in Kidapawan, a school that would cater to the students from all strata of society and would make education for the poor possible.

The move for the establishment of a public high school was unconditionally supported by Barangay Captain Dr. Armindo Ceniza and KPES PTA President Mr. Alfredo Samia.  They joined efforts and pooled resources with Mr. Teofilo Handoc and Mr. Godofredo Y. Icawalo.  They composed the nucleus of the movement and presented the problem to Mayor Emma B. Gadi who brought the matter to the Municipal Council for deliberation.  A Municipal Resolution to establish the first public high school in the Municipality of Kidapawan, Cotabato was passed with the support of Mr. Jose Tolosa, Sr., the Municipal Council Education Committee Chairman. 

Hence, Kidapawan Municipal High School was born.  It was opened in the school year 1970 – 1971.  It started its operation with three hundred students (300) from first year to fourth year, and nine (9) teachers under the supervision of Mr. Handoc.  The pioneer teachers were: Mr. Herminio Z. Nobleza, Acting Assistant to the Principal; Mrs. Helen T. Dayaday; Mrs. Ermilinda B. Portugal; Mrs. Eulalia M. Mares; Mrs. Susana L. Llerin; Mrs. Asteria P. Baquero; Mrs. Emilia R. Catulong; Mr. Florencio T. Portugal; and Miss Gloria V. Amigable. Classes were held under the community grandstand located at the Kidapawan Pilot elementary School Campus and in a two-storey 6 room old school building which later housed the principal’s office, library, guidance office, faculty room and four sections of the fourth year.   The first batch of graduates was twenty – four (24) determined students, who received their diploma in April, 1971.

The number of teachers increased to 13 the year after. Students paid tuition fees to the municipal treasurer’s office. For six years teachers got their salaries from the office and for six years too, the school was supervised by Mr. Teofilo Handoc, the principal of the Kidapawan Pilot Elementary School.  When he was promoted as District Supervisor, Mr. Bernardo Francisco took over until the appointment of Mr. Ricardo Z. Itutud as the first full time Principal.

In 1977 the school was renamed Kidapawan National High School after it was nationalized and the salaries of teachers were received from DECS through the regional office.  By virtue of Presidential Decree 1740 dated May 30, 1978, Kidapawan National High School acquired a 17,360 square meters lot behind the Health Center and Puericulture Center opposite Kidapawan Pilot Elementary School.  In 1979, the first school building with 5 rooms was constructed in the area. Later additional buildings were built but some classes remained in the elementary campus until year 1983 when all the students were accommodated in the high school site with some classes housed in temporary classrooms made of light materials. The number of teachers increased to 57 then.

School leadership underwent transition. After the retirement of the late principal Ricardo L. Itutud in 1991, Mrs. Elena A. Aspilla became principal.  During her term, the Science Curriculum class was opened in SY 1993 – 1994 to incoming first year students who passed the DOST test. There were 50 students who qualified, but this increased on the succeeding years.  When Mrs. Aspilla retired from government service in 1994, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Gloria M. Mudanza assumed as OIC principal for nine (9) months until Mrs. Nenita E. Rodriguez took over as Principal on January 1995.

As the years went by, Kidapawan National High School courageously survived the test of insurmountable problems lack of classrooms, chairs, textbooks, chalkboards, comfort rooms etc. Still the population grew bigger and bigger making the school campus so small for the big number of students.  The Parents Teachers and Employees Association and the Local Government officials jointly proposed to open annexes to ease the congestion problem. Truly a solution was found, because the population went down, however, insignificantly. Six annexes were opened, namely: Mt. Apo National High School (1995-96); Kalaisan National High School (1996-97); Saniel Cruz National High School (1999-2000); Juan P. Jalipa Memorial High School (2000-01); Spottswood National High School (2001-02); and Linangkob National High School (2003-04).  On June 2004, all annexes were separated from the main campus. 

When Mrs. Rodriguez was promoted to the Kidapawan City Division as Education Supervisor I for Filipino on January 31, 2008, Mrs. Rosalinda T. Lonzaga assumed office as Principal.   She addressed the chalkboard and armchair problems by using MOOE funds. On the other hand, the PTA, being always a reliable partner of the administration, helped in providing solutions to meet the growing needs of the school which could not be supplied by the MOOE. The Homeroom PTA, on their end, solved the comfort room problem by constructing one in the classroom.  What remain to be solved are gigantic problems of lack of classrooms, textbooks and other physical facilities that could help achieve quality education.

Last December 2008, the School Head, Mrs. Rosalinda Lonzaga was awarded as Most Outstanding Principal of Region XII because of her leadership potential and achievements.  Because of the SBM trainings she had undergone she was able to manage the school in collaborative and participative manner that resulted to the increase of the learning achievements. She developed a strong linkage that improved the physical facilities/ learning environment of the school thru “Brigada Eskwela” which caused the total transformation of the physical aspect of the school.  There was active support and involvement of the PTA and other stakeholders in different school projects under the leadership of the school head. Through the concerted efforts of the stakeholders and the principal, the school was rewarded with back – to – back national awards: the 2008 and 2009 Most Outstanding Implementer of the Brigada Eskwela (Big Schools – Secondary Category).

Generation of funds was ably spearheaded by the School Head that resulted to the construction of the toilets, the back gate, and the second phase of the construction of the two – room building.  The Covered Court has now a grandiose stage, toilets, dressing rooms, and bleachers completed slowly through the years.  The school grounds and buildings landscaping and repainting were also brought about by diplomatic and responsive fund raising supported by the stakeholders.

Through the initiative of the administration, many programs were availed, e.g. ICT Program and SPA.  School year 2009 - 2010, two programs were opened to cater to the different learning capabilities and skills of the students: the Special Program in Sports (SPS) and the Special Education Curriculum (SPED) for students with learning disabilities.  The Lanao Extension was also opened at the Lanao Central Elementary School mainly to accommodate the students living in the area.

On May 30, 2011, a reshuffling of principals in the division took place wherein Mrs. Vicentina B. Acuña was installed into office.  The change of administration had not hindered the implementation of existing programs and projects of the previous principal in any way.  Instead, she complemented the efficient execution of the activities and even augmented other programs she deemed necessary and beneficial to the improvement of the school. 

The physical aspect of the school was also enhanced. The perimeter fence along the frontage of the school was landscaped to add aesthetic beauty which can attract parents and students to continue their studies in the school. The sound system was also improved through the initiative of the KCNHSTEA and administration’s IGP.   After the evaluation conducted on the school’s water system, all pipes found leaking were replaced. Aside from this, the electric and water meters of all canteens in the campus were eventually separated from the main meters of the school which made a remarkable decrease in the water and electric bills paid by the MOOE.

Through the persistence of the principal, the School-Based Management (SBM) was enforced.  Records and pertinent documents were collated to show evidence of all the activities done by the school community.  An office was provided for this purpose.  As a result, the school was awarded as SBM Level 3 Best Implementer in the Division, and consequently, in Region XII.

On April 7, 2012, Mrs. Rosalinda T. Lonzaga was installed back as school administrator.  Not much adjustment was made. She continued to implement her unfinished programs and projects.  The ICT Program is now expanded into three (3) computer laboratories; and the Special Program for Sports (SPS) and the Special Education Curriculum (SPED) for students with learning disabilities are in their fourth year of implementation.  The KCNHS – Lanao Annex, opened at the Lanao Central Elementary School mainly to accommodate the students living in the area, is also in its fourth year.  The Open High School Program was also opened on SY 2012 – 2013 to address the needs of the Students At-Risk of Dropping-Out (SARDOs).  Her leadership capability gave way to the strict execution of school regulations and policies.

Because of the enhanced leadership of the principal and improved efficiency of the teachers, it resulted to the improvement of the promotion rate, repetition rate, drop-out rate, completion rate, graduation rate, and failure rate.  Through the efficient instructional supervision of the principal, department heads and curriculum coordinators, these performance indicators are expected to improve in the years to come. 

KCNHS has gone a long way from its humble beginning, and with the active and enduring support of the stakeholders, Kidapawan City National High School continuously strives to attain the vision, mission and goals of the Department of Education as it continuously aims to achieve improved learners performance, facilitate access to quality basic education and achieve produce holistic 21st Century learners.