Immaculate Conception Catholic School (Umingan, Pangasinan)

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Immaculate Conception Catholic School is a diocesan, Catholic school in the heart of Umingan, Pangasinan that offers pre-school, grade school, high school and college preparatory courses under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urdaneta in the Philippines.

History

In 1948, Rev. Fr. Hidulfo Gabriel y Pontilla, parish priest of Immaculate Conception Parish Church of Umigan, Pangasinan, founded an institution of learning called as Immaculate Conception High School located nearby the church wherein its first class building was the house of one known as Doña Yayang and the period of 1948 and 1949 was its first academic school year. December 8, 1948 was the date of its first foundation day celebration. On its first commencement exercises, dated April 1949, there were three candidates confirmed as graduates by the founder and school director together with the first school principal, Mr. Salustiano R. Rollolazo.

Sometime in 1950, the members of its Board of Trustees and Board members who are the administrators of said institution, by their own expense, constructed a new school building located adjacent to the church and at the parcel of land owned by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Urdaneta (formerly Lingayen), and were declared, by virtue of law, as co-owners of the building thereof. This was the very first moment the school got to have formal classrooms to be called as its own.

On June 24, 1993, a Deed of Donation over the school building was executed by the Board of Trustees in favor of the Roman Diocese of Urdaneta, stating, among others, that:

• They voluntarily cede as members of said Board of Trustees upon the conversion of said institution from non-sectarian to sectarian school; and,

• They voluntarily cede, transfer and convey by way of donation the above-stated building in favor of the Donee Roman Diocese of Urdaneta.

Rev. Fr. Manuel G. Baraan, (SY 1991-1998) the school director at the time of donation, moved to amend the name of said institution from Immaculate Conception High School to Immaculate Conception Catholic High School in reason that said donation carries with it the effect of turning over the absolute ownership and operation of the school to the Diocese of Urdaneta.

On the 8th day of April 2001, ICCHS School Director (SY1998-2001) and Diocesan Schools Superintendent, Rev. Fr. Adolfo T. Paroni Jr., unveiled the perspective of the new proposed three-story school building and took the effect the groundbreaking and laying down of the cornerstone. The construction of the proposed structure started on the same year under the directorship of the former assistant director at SY 1998-2001, Rev. Fr. Cirilo P. Mayugba who was the succeeding director at SY 2001-2004. On August 15, 2001, by Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval, the word “high” was stricken-off from the name of the institution for the very justifiable reason, that is, the school were no longer be exclusive for high schools because the same has applied a government permit for the opening of its pre-elementary and elementary courses. Pre-elementary started at School Year 2002-2003 with only five pupils and the following school year Grade I opened. After the ground floor of the new building has been finished, Fr. Mayugba partially demolished the historic old building built by the Board of Trustees, and gathered the high schools to the new one. The retained rooms of the old building were, then and there, and up to the present, used both by the pre-elementary and grade I.

Under the school director, Rev. Fr. Hurley John S. Solfelix, Grade II was then offered to public at SY 2004-2005. Grades III & IV and Grades V & VI simultaneously at SY 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, occupied the new elementary buildings built by then the director. For the meantime, one of the buildings designed for elementary is now temporarily occupied or borrowed by high schools and faculties and these facts would not have negated nor altered the directors plan should the high school enrollees did not boosts its number. Thirteen pupils from elementary graduated last year were the first products of Immaculate Conception Catholic School’s designed pedagogical program, through constant effort in achieving its goal of educating the children and youths. There would have been no Immaculate Conception Catholic School that have stood for 59 years had not founder, the late Rev. Fr. Hidulfo Gabriel y Pontilla and the Board of Trustees, Members, and Incorporators, rendered efforts, hardships and sacrifices for the accessibility of education they sought.

On the SY 2010-2011, Most Rev. Jacinto A. Jose, transform the administration of diocesan schools to the centralization system under the Commission on Diocesan Schools. Fr. Adolfo T. Paroni, Jr. was appointed as the Superintendent of Diocesan Schools and at the same time as Principal of Immaculate Conception Catholic School.

On the 6thday of May 2011, Mr. Rey A. Pascua was assigned as the new ICCS Principal and Most Rev.Jacinto A. Josetook over as the new Diocesan Schools Superintendent with his assistant superintendents.

Today, ICCS holds the distinction of having produced Umingan's most successful and prominent people and families including politicians, businessmen, architects, engineers, honor students and topnotchers.

References