Marist School Marikina: 25th year of its Evening High School Program
Marist School in Marikina, Philippines, celebrates the 25th year of its “Evening High School Program”, an educational Marist project that since 1995 has helped thousands of children and youth from depressed communities within the vicinity of Marist School and other poor communities in Cupang and Antipolo. To date the school has graduated some 5.000 students from 1999 to 2020.
For years, the desire to help the poor students, the “Montage” of today, had been one of the school’s perspectives, considering that it is part of the Marist Charism. In school year 1993- 1994, when the school was celebrating its 30th anniversary, the school president. Br. Brother Manuel de Leon, in one of its President’s Council meeting, raised the issue on how Marist School can concretely respond to its mission of providing quality education to the least favored.
In December 1993, Bro. Manuel had the opportunity to be invited to De La Salle, Greenhills in San Juan to observe the Adult Education Evening classes. The experience inspired him to push the idea and assigned a council member to gather more information from other schools offering the same program.
The following school year 1994-1995, the department furnished Marist School the checklist needed for all the requirements. Consultation meetings, revisions of the curriculum, ocular visits, took place until finally a one-year permit for a ladderized program was granted in May 1995. The education department also recommended to offer an afternoon shift instead of an evening classes program, thus the name Marist School Afternoon Shift Program.
On June 10, 1995, forty-seven boys and girls were admitted and started their first day of school under the tutelage of volunteer teachers coming from both the high school and grade school departments. Some Marist Brothers scholastics from MAPAC handled the Religion classes. Br. Dominador Santiago, the current provincial of the East Asia Province, was the first Religion teacher of Class 99. On June 21, 1995 at 5 pm the first Holy Mass was held in the open on the longest day of the year. On March 21, 1999, eighteen young boys and twenty-four young ladies graduated from high school.
Presently, there are 10 sections with 427 students. Over the years the school has trained several young people, who are now teachers, nurses, accountants, businessmen/women, bank tellers, guidance counsellors and other graduates coming from the afternoon shift.
Summary of the article written by By Ms. Christine Stokes