TOMAS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
By Wendie C. Cagadas, Master Teacher I, and Walter Willy D. Batosalem, Teacher II
(Updated February 2021)
Sto. Tomas National High School (STNHS) is the biggest public secondary school in the Division of Davao del Norte. STNHS is committed for public service, culture of excellence, and in molding the youth to become responsible citizens, thereby contributing to the impr
ovement of better quality of life of the people that it serves. STNHS also takes pride for producing winners in the national competitions, quality secondary education graduates, and significant impact in the community. To date, just like the eagle in the sky, STNHS has been soaring high through its 55 years and beyond. The Humble Beginnings
The National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) was proclaimed under Presidential Proclamation No. 132 on March 9, 1955, and activated on May 2, 1955 under the administration of the late President Ramon Magsaysay. It has a total area of 9,836.408 hectares distributed land for the landless people. This resettlement brought settlers to the area and paved way to the creation of the town of Santo Tomas through Executive Order No. 352, s. 1959 by the late President Carlos P. This boom of migrants continued with the rise of population and almost 7 years later, the municipal and barangay officials thought and deemed it necessary to establish a public secondary school, the Sto. Tomas National High School. Fueled by the passion, commitment and dedication to support the improvement of life through providing access to education for the people, the Barangay Council of Tibal-og headed by the Punong Barangay Daniel M. and his Councilmen Pedro Roferos, Vicente Clavite, Francisco Geraga, Ernesto Miranda, Juan Bayoneto, and Ulpiano Agonias passed the Resolution No. 12, s. 1966 requesting the establishment of Sto. Tomas Community High School. District Supervisor Juan Estrada, Sr. and School Principal Alfreda Paglinawan of Sto. Tomas Central Elementary School (STCES), under the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) had closely worked and coordinated for the project. Mayor Feliciano Ganade of the Municipality of Santo Tomas also wholeheartedly supported the establishment of Sto. Thus, in July 1966, Sto. Tomas Community High School began its operation under the supervision of Estrada and Paglinawan. Two (2) years later, as approved by the DECS, it was recognized as a community high school pursuant to Republic Act 6054 to accommodate not only the youth in Barangay Tibal-og but also those enrollees from the neighboring barangays of Santo Tomas. In 1968 – 1969, the Division of Davao was established at Tagum. Tomas Community High School was then administered by Estrada and Paglinawan, who shared the management of the school. However, the school was under the supervision of its mother high school, Pantukan Provincial High School with Natividad Sarenas as the School Principal. Tomas Community High School offered first and second year levels with three (3) teachers employed namely, Lino B. Mariquit, Ludivina Aboyme and Samuel Santos. The building of the barangay high school was situated at the northernmost part of STCES; the site was then known as the old site campus of Sto. In 1988, Republic Act 6655, better known as The Free Public Secondary Education Act of 1988, had converted, renamed, and established all Barangay and Community High Schools to National High School, thus, Sto. Tomas Community High School is now known as Sto. Tomas National High School, the biggest high school in the Division of Davao del Norte. The Road to Acquiring the Bigger School Site
Sto. Tomas National High School is approximately 25 kilometers from the DepEd Davao del Norte Division Office at Mankilam, Tagum City. In early 1980’s, with the increasing number of the student population, Leopoldo E. Oani, the then school principal of Sto. Tomas Barangay High School has felt the need of having a bigger campus that could accommodate more learners. Also, upon the request of the parents who were residents of the town, Oani initiated the request to the Davao Penal Colony (DAPECOL) and it was backed up by the parents, community leaders, and other stakeholders in form of letters, personal appearance and verbal requests. Considering that the said site was a reservation of the DAPECOL under the Department of Justice (DOJ), Oani sought the assistance of Superintendent Vicente Aporong in facilitating the request for the school site and in the application of the above-mentioned grant in the Office of the President, Manila. Part of the requirements was an execution of survey and mapping to generate data to describe the portion of the reservation area intended for the school site. The survey was executed by Geodetic Engineer Blas S. Caberte on June 25, 1984.The school site was described as Lot 4710 (Portion), Cad 276, Tagum Cadastre, containing an area of 50,638 square meters and was certified by the Bureau of Lands, Region XI, Davao City on July 4, 1984. The fruit of their hard labor and ardent desire to educate the youths was finally attained when the Presidential Proclamation No. 2450 was signed by the President Ferdinand E. Marcos on September 2, 1985, hence, reserving the parcel of land for school site purposes of Sto. Tomas Barangay High School, better known in the present as Sto. For 34 years, STNHS utilizes the two (2) campuses to house all of the learners. The old site was intended for the Grade 7 students while the bigger campus was used by the junior high school’s Grades 8, 9,10 and special programs, and by the senior high school since its induction. By mid-2018, all stakeholders from the old site finally joined the rest of the STNHS family in the Menzi campus. Just recently, with the deliberate documentation and archiving of the school properties, it was realized that the total land area of the Menzi Campus was 65,874 square meters. School Administration Then and Now
Sto. Tomas National High School has been headed by different dynamic school leaders through the years which has also been instrumental in making the school more competitive. In its early days, the school was administered by the School Principal of Sto. Tomas Central Elementary School, Alfreda Paglinawan, with the supervision of the District Supervisor Juan Estrada, Sr.. Although they both shared the management of the school, it was also under the supervision of Natividad Sarenas, School Principal of the mother school Pantukan Provincial High School. After few years, Isabelita C. Jao served as the Teacher-in-Charge of the institution. When she took a maternity leave, Leopoldo E. Oani was put in-charged of the school management. Eventually in 1975, Oani was appointed as the Principal I of the school, making him the very first Principal of Sto. With his diligence in public service, Oani was promoted to a higher rank in Panabo (now Panabo City) in 1987. Pureza G. Pepito was then appointed as the principal from that year. She shared the management of the school with her Head Teachers Lucena M. Olmedo, Dr. Remegias G. Timonio, and Dr. Aser M. Samsona. In her more than two (2) decades of service in Sto. Tomas National High School, she rose to rank and became the Principal III of the school. Following Pepito’s retirement in 2004, Dr. Remegias G. Timonio, who was already promoted as a Division Supervisor, was designated Officer-in-Charge of STNHS for few months. He shared the school management with Head Teacher Teresita A. Gatoc. Gatoc soon replaced Timonio as the Officer-in-Charge. Like latter, she also served for few months only. In February 24, 2005, Dr. Aser M. Samsona, who was assigned some time at the nearby Balagunan National High School, was appointed Principal I of STNHS. With him, Gatoc and Hermilo Salubre hand-in-hand took care of the school’s management. After more than a year, Samsona was assigned to Asuncion National High School. Principal II Rosita T. Hinacay was then appointed to lead STNHS. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her health struggles four (4) months after her stint as a school head. Due to that, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Reynaldo M. Guillena was put in-charge of the school together with Head Teachers Salubre and Gatoc. Finally, in 2009 STNHS found a school head. Martina S. Marin headed the school as Principal IV until 2017. With her are the three (3) Head Teachers Gatoc, Salubre and Armando M. Olmedo. It was during her time that DepEd added two (2) more years in high school and opened the Senior High School. With that, Assistant Secondary School Principal Joseph Henry Tuna joined the management team, focusing on the supervision of the SHS. Lolita B. Novela was also added to the roster of the school’s Head Teachers. Over the years, STNHS grew from three (3) sections to an astounding 130 sections. From one (1) building with five (5) classrooms, the current location of the school campus now boasts more or less 30 buildings for classrooms and laboratories. From three (3) teachers, the institution now homes 202 teaching personnel and 12 nonteaching personnel. From few students, the population skyrocketed to almost 5,945 students, by 2020 – 2021. At the present, Sto. Tomas National High School is administered by Secondary School Principal IV Dr. Aser M. Assisting the principal is one Assistant Secondary School Principal in the person of Romeo D. Dugenio, two (2) Head Teachers, Novela and Bernard Eugenio, and one (1) Guidance Counselor, Teresa F. Bendoy.
