Brief History of Holy Spirit School

Holy Spirit School in Ilang-Ilang, Quezon City, is one link of the chain of educational institutions owned and operated by the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (S.Sp.S.) all over the world. Moved by the spirituality and charism of its founder, St Arnold Janssen, the school began in the school year 1966-1967 with 24 little girls and boys. They were housed temporarily in the Convent of the Holy Spirit, along Poinsettia Road, also known as the Provincial Mother House. School year 1967-1968 brought the enrolment to a number six times that of the previous year. Meanwhile the construction of a school building began in Ilang-Ilang. Since one has to go up a flight of stairs from the convent to the new site, the school came to be called the "school on the hill".

On September 8, 1968, four classes could be held already in the new building. In December of the same year, the school was blessed. It accommodated Kindergarten, Preparatory, Grade 1 and Grade 2 classes.

Year after, another grade level was added and in 1973 - 1974 six grade levels were completed. The next year, Grade 7 was added which continued for three years. In March 1977, certificates were given to the Grade 6 and 7 pupils which eventually marked the end of Grade 7 because many of the Grade 6 pupils opted to go to first year high school.

Built in a quiet subdivision, Holy Spirit School has maintained a conducive learning environment. Under a three-story building, the succeeding years brought development in their facilities. Aside from Kinder to Grade 6 classrooms, it was able to house offices of the principal, treasurer, registrar and accounting, faculty room, learning resource center, science laboratory, guidance room , clinic, prayer room, ballet room, piano room, and facilities for home economics.

In the year 1993, the school extended the building into three floors to accommodate the growing needs in instructional program. It gave rise to a conference room, an audio-visual room and a computer room.

In pursuit of quality and relevant basic education, the school opened its doors to a preliminary survey by the Philippines Accreditation Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) on January 20-21, 1994. Result of the pre-survey was received on May, 1994. The following year was even more challenging because of the scheduled formal accreditation held on November 27-28, 1995. Bound together by faith, enkindled with zeal and commitment to service, the efforts of the whole community paid off when the school was given a certificate of accreditation for a term of three years.

Holy Spirit School has maintained a focus on its vision, mission and goals in the following years. High standards and expectations for faculty, staff and student performance were continuously established. As a result, PAASCU re-survey was conducted in January 1999. For the second time, the school's worth was recognized in April 1999 and was given Level II or a five-year accreditation status.

The strong dedication of the administrators, teachers and staff, and the active involvement of parents propelled the infrastructure projects of the school. A multi-purpose hall was constructed in 2002 as a venue for school programs, PE classes and other functions.

The auditorium on the 3rd floor was converted into three more classrooms. The business offices were transferred and renovated in order to deliver better services.

In 2004-2005, PAASCU once again granted the school with a five-year accreditation status.

In 2005-2006, another dream came true. The school opened its High School Program with two sections of first year. They occupied temporarily the classrooms in the grade school building while a five-storey building for the High School Department started its construction. The ground breaking of the new site was held on November 28, 2005 in honor of Blessed Maria Helena. In May 2006, the high school passed the evaluation conducted by the Department of Education and was given a permit to operate its entire secondary programs.

On April 15, 2010, PAASCU granted Holy Spirit School Accreditation Level II status for the next five years. Having blessed with a clean slate, the challenge to deliver quality education will remain to be the commitment of the administration, faculty and non-teaching staff.

The succeeding years gave rise to the improvement of the school's facilities like the construction of the 2nd floor of the Janssen Hall, the upgrading of the computer laboratories, the installation of television units in every classroom, and the beautification of the front garden.

In August 2013, the school was granted a certification by Fund for Assistance for Private Education (FAPE). This implies that HSS has complied with the standards of the Department of Education for secondary educational institutions.

In school year 2013-2014, HSS started accepting boys in all levels of the elementary. In January 2015, the school was visited by PAASCU for Level II re-accreditation. The result came out on May 15, 2015 and granted the school a period of another five years.

Year 2015-2016 is another milestone for the school when it celebrated its Golden Jubilee, a 50 years of commitment to excellence.

Through the years, Holy Spirit School has kept itself rooted in the spirituality of its founder. It shall continue to move forward in the realization of its VMG and shall seek further means of improvement in response to the call of the times.