As it celebrates its 35th anniversary, Saint Dominic Savio International School continues to maintain its goal of providing quality education.
Dr. Jovita Berdin Augusto, School Directress and Principal, explained that she established the Saint Dominic Savio Learning Center (SDLC) on June 8, 1988 to fulfill her dream of providing excellent education for children.
Then located at a one-room apartment at 253 R. dela Cerna St., Lapu-Lapu City, it started as a preparatory school for children aged two to six with two teachers, an artist, a school nurse and a teacher’s aide taking care of 52 students. Its student population grew after it produced pre-school graduates who, after a year or two stay in school, became readers and fluent English speakers.
The school then expanded in response to a demand for the opening of the elementary level a few years later, and then junior high school and finally, senior high school in 2016. At its peak, the school’s student population reached around 800. The school transferred to Sangi New Road, Pajo Lapu-Lapu City after it acquired a property in the area.
Dr. Augusto recalled that the school enrolment went down to 500 during the financial crisis in 1998.
“We were able to rebound from 1998 to 2010 started to grow a little. And in 2007, we started another campus in Cordova with an initial enrolment of 90 children. Before the pandemic we had 375 students. Now, we’re only 304,” she added.
Through all the difficulties the school had faced, she stressed that the school continued to build on its reputation of providing quality education. “We are able to survive through the discipline that our employees had in terms of simplicity and being realistic with what we have. And we can still continue our mission to teach and make Saint Dominic very resilient,” Dr. Augusto pointed out.
At the same time, the school was able to be updated with the latest trends in education because of the networking provided to the school as a member of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines. “The networking kept us afloat. It kept us relevant,” she said.
The school also has campuses in Tingo, Olango Island and Cordova and has started operations of its newest campus offering senior high education in the southern town of Dalaguete, Cebu.
According to Dr. Augusto, even before the Dalaguete campus opened this month, they already had an assured enrolment of 150 students. She added that the school also plans to open a larger campus in Cordova in three years.
She explained, however, that Saint Dominic is facing a lot of competition in Lapu-Lapu City. When the school started there were only five private schools, but now there are 120.
Dr. Augusto, however, stressed that Saint Dominic is unique as the school “really care for every child that comes to our school.” While the school follow the No Child Left Behind policy of the Department of Education, she explained that the school ensures that the education given to the child goes beyond what was required.
The teachers are required to identify who among their students need intervention. After they are identified, the teachers have to conduct remedial classes for them every day from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
At the same time, the parents are informed of their child’s progress and are encouraged to do their part, helping their children learn their lessons.
Dr. Augusto maintained that the target should be all their students should be capable of moving to the next grade level. For the Saint Dominic school directress, teachers should be child-friendly, have the mastery of the subjects they teach, and the flexibility to adjust to each child.
Success in providing education will be achieved through collaboration between the school and the student’s family, she said.
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