History

Welcome to
San Sebastian School, Inc.

In 1854 Fr. Jules Chevalier founded the Congregation, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) in Issoudun, France. He commissioned the members of this Congregation to be missionaries of God’s love. In this spirit and mission, the Congregation is not bound to any specific apostolate – but in whatever ministry they would be working, they should make known the compassionate love of God, incarnate in the Heart of Jesus. In the Philippines since the arrival of the MSCs from the Netherlands in 1908, they have been working in parishes, schools, hospitals, catechetics, media, indigenous peoples, and sectoral apostolate. The MSC parish ministry in the Philippines, almost always the establishment of a parish followed the establishment of a school for the work of evangelization and for making the Sacred Heart known and loved by the people. It was in this spirit that San Sebastian School in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija was conceptualized in 1952. The Parish Council believed that a catholic school in the parish was necessary. Due to various factors and difficulties, it did not materialize right away. After more than decade of pursuing the dream, the school was founded in 1965 during the time of Rev. Fr. John A. Boere, MSC. The first Board of Trustees composed of Mr. Alejandro Judan, Dra. Jovita Caparas, Mrs. Eusebia Vda. De Medina, Mr. Norberto Gabriel, Rev. Fr. John A. Boere, MSC as the president. They signed the Articles of Incorporation on February 1, 1965. It was notarized on the 10th day of February 1965 in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, and registered to the Security and Exchange Commission as Muñoz Academic and Technical Institute (MATI) San Sebastian, Inc. Dr. Jesus E. Perpinan, the Director of the Bureau of Private Schools, inspected the school and issued the permit to operate on July 5, 1965. Instead of MATI, it was named San Sebastian High School. With the opening of Elementary Department in 1986, it became San Sebastian School, Inc. The first regular classes started on July 19, 1965 with 96 first year students housed in the Catholic Center Muñoz (Knights of Columbus Building). The first principal was Mrs. Bernarda Ruiz Laurena who was at the same time the Registrar and contact officer with the parishioners. The pioneering teachers were Mr. Warlito Villamoya, Mrs. Lydia Arenas, Ms. Norma Mingala, Ms. Evelyn Gonzales, and Rev. Fr. John A. Boere, MSC was the first school director. In January 1966, the preparation for the construction of a new school building started on the 4-hectare site, which is located along T. Delos Santos St. of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on January 20, 1966, the Feast day of San Sebastian, Patron Saint of the Parish. The solemn blessing of the new school building happened on August 19, 1966. It had five standard classrooms, four offices, library, clinic, music room, audio-visual room, science laboratory room, conference room for teachers, canteen, and comfort room. School year 1967-1968 another building with five classrooms was added to house the incoming enrollees. In 1968, the Religious Sisters, Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart started to work in San Sebastian school. The first ones who came were Mother Mary Ignatia, Sr. Mary Lydwina, and Sr. Marie Rosalie. Their presence and expertise helped a lot in the academic and spiritual formation of the students. To address the need of some students, the evening High School was established in 1970 through the joint initiative and effort of the municipal council and the community. It lasted until 2010. The Elementary Department of San Sebastian School was opened during the school year 1986-1987. The Kindergarten started in the school year 1989-1990. This was thru the initiative of the school director Rev. Fr. Nicholas B. Gito, MSC and the High School principal Sr. Lydwina B. Dionisio, FDNSC. In 2009, Fr. Diomedes A. Burgos, MSC proposed to the Provincial Conference of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart the creation of the MSC Schools’ System. It is the networking of MSC Schools throughout the country that aims primarily the adoption to its curriculum and other undertaking to essentially put in place the MSC spirituality and charism. Without difficulties it was unanimously approved by the Conference where Fr. Burgos was given the appointment to become the first Superintendent of the institutionalized School system. When Republic Act No. 10533, also known as Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 was passed into law, the school community prepared and labored intensively for the offering of the Middle School or the Senior High School. The teaching staff were retooled especially at Grade 11. The Senior High School building commenced its realization in 2015. The academic personnel, more particularly the principal, Norlyn Lazaro-Sebastian worked hard for the approval of the permit to operate the Senior High School. In 2016, San Sebastian School, Inc. was granted the permit to offer academic tracks with three specialized strands: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), HUMSS (Humanities and Social Sciences), ABM (Accountancy, Business and Management).