Our Story

Beginnings

Little Shepherd Integrated Montessori (LSIM) started operations in June 1986 with just 11 Kindergarten and Grade 1 pupils at the residence of its founders, Mrs. Rosalina Mondez Gadaza and her sister, Ms. Antonia Corazon Mondez. They were the teachers and administrators at the same time. To distinguish it from another private school and public schools in Lumban at that time, English was used as its primary medium of communication. As its operating strategy, Communication Arts in English as a core subject to which Science, Social Studies, and other subjects were integrated into.

Mrs. Rosalina Gadaza was a public school teacher for more than 20 years prior to operating her own private pre-elementary, elementary, and high school. She was the Grade V classroom adviser of Lumban Central School. Coming from a family of teachers, her father, stepmother, and other sisters were also public school teachers, it was but natural for her to obtain an Education Degree at the Philippine Normal College. To her, teaching was more than what the textbooks offer. She taught her students in the public school correct English communication by implementing speak-English hours when inside their classroom.

The decision to open LSIM was from her sister, Antonia Mondez. However, Antonia wanted to close it days after it was opened. Mrs. Gadaza was compelled to take it upon herself to continue and improve LSIM to what it is now. From merely 11 students, it now has more than 700 from pre-elementary to senior high school.

Challenges

On its second year of operation, LSIM students significantly increased to not more than 50. Word-of-mouth campaign strategy worked effectively. Parents were impressed with its Speak English and Reading programs. However, tuition fees were not collected efficiently and were insufficient to cover operating costs. Mrs. Gadaza was hands-on in all areas of operation: classroom conduct, teacher coaching, canteen operation and administration. She had started training its first teacher, Ms. Irma Gadaza Sanchez, a niece of her husband.

On its third year of operation, LSIM now boasted of 100 students. Mrs. Gadaza had just secured a loan from Philippine National Bank which she used to purchase a 300+ sqm lot along the national road in Lumban. It was to be LSIM’s first building. This time, more students are coming from neighboring towns. Again, word-of-mouth worked favorably. Mrs. Gadaza continued to oversee all areas of the school operation. Teacher count reached 4. Again, tuition fee was not sufficient to cover the loan and other operating costs. She had to opt for new loans.

The increase in the number of students vis-a-vis teachers and operating costs had continued on. In a span of 10 years, two more school buildings and a gymnasium were constructed. The constructions were funded by tuition fee income and additional loans which were significantly paid in the early 2000.

By 2009, when Mrs. Gadaza was already sickly, she had already entrusted LSIM’s operations to her eldest son, Jose Rene, who is a CPA, and principals, Teacher Irma G. Sanchez and Teacher Zeny T. Ragas. The teachers she trained have stayed on and have now been guiding the new teachers. The school has reached its highest number of students.