By: Nobert S. Bermosa, Ph. D
Doña
Juana Chioco
National High
School is a public high school and is the largest high school
of the four public and private high schools in the town of Lupao, Nueva Ecija. It has a population of
nearly two thousand students and is much larger than the combined population of
the three other high schools in the municipality. The other high schools in the
town are Sacred Heart
Academy, San
Isidro High School
and Agupalo Weste High School.
It was once tagged as the largest barangay high school in the entire Central Luzon region or Region III.
Originally, it
was named as Lupao
Barrio High
School when it was established in 1966 through
the joint efforts of the then Municipal Mayor Tiburcio T. Santillana and the District
Supervisor, Mr. Cornelio Dela Cruz. This educational institution started with
three full time teachers and one part time teacher with one hundred
ninety-three students enrolled in the first and second years. The school was
under the jurisdiction of Lupao Central Schoo from the year of its
establishment until 1975. The pioneering teachers of Lupao Barrio
High School were Mr.
Charlito C. Realin, Rodrigo Corpuz, Melecio Villarosa and Mrs. Placida Gallardo.
In 1972, Lupao
Barrio HS transferred to its present site and it was renamed Lupao Barangay
High School and started
to progress through the aid and donation of the school lot by the former
governor of Nueva Ecija, Don Juan O. Chioco. Eventually, it was renamed as “Doña Juana Chioco High School”
in honor of the wife of Don Juan.
The school’s progress was further
realized when it received full support of the provincial and national
government. In 2011, the school received full recognition as a national high
school, thus, making it known as Doña
Juana Chioco
National High
School.
For almost five decades now of
service and providing quality education, the institution has 46 regular
teachers – three of which are master teachers, one secondary school principal,
6 head teachers, a guidance counselor, a disbursing officer, a bookkeeper and
three utility workers.
Past administrators of this
educational institution were: Mrs. Rufina Lim as Principal from 1966 to 1975
and concurrently the School Principal of Lupao Central School; Mr. Lazaro Patacsil
of Muñoz Provincial High School as Assistant Principal-in-charge from 1966 to
1969; Mr. Mariano Pagaduan as Teacher-in-charge from 1972 to 1975; Mr. German
Narag as Head Teacher from 1975 to 1978; Mrs. Lolita P. Medina as Principal
from 1975 to 1981; Mrs. Nenita C. Ballestar as Teacher-in-charge in 1976, as
Head Teacher III from 1981 to 1994 and as Principal from 1995 to February 2009.
Mrs. Obdalia C. Valmonte is
currently the school head of Doña
Juana Chioco
National High
School since April 2009.
Among the
teachers of DJCNHS who are now retired include Dionisio Q. Gattoc, Virgilio N.
Memita, Florida Aragon-De Guzman, Julita Baraceros-Muñoz {deceased}, Avelina S.
Orcales, Isabelita Memita-Mariano [deceased}, Belen T. Cruz, Nenita
Castillo-Ballestar, Eufrocino R. Fiesta, Lorendo N. Memita, Martha G.
Santillana, Rebecca M. Co and Lina D. Gaceta. Teachers who will be retiring
this 2012 are Zenaida Pagaduan-Quejarro, Lilia Dapon-Santillana and Mr. Philip
F. Uy. Mr. Victoriano M. Santillana, utility worker for more than 30 years,
will be retiring this year too.
Others who also served as
teachers of Doña Juana Chioco National High School include Elena Cachero, Dr.
Sixta U. Fernandez, Bella Baldevarona-Eugenio {deceased}, Lorna C. Diaz, Anita
Pagibitan-Gonzalez, Filomena Aguilar, Helen Criste, Filipina Apostol, Arlyn
Basa, Menardo Fernandez {deceased}, Purita M. Torio {deceased}, Remedios
Paraiso, Abella Jacalan-Suyat, Gina Fajardo-Aquino, Elizabeth P. Moscaya {now
teaching in CPNHS-San Jose City}, Percy S. Badiola {now head teacher of Llanera
High School} and Michelle C. Garabillo.
Graduates or alumni of this
school who are now part of the faculty include Leonida Hidalgo-Zamora, batch
1979 3rd honorable mention is currently the Head Teacher of Values
Education department; Leo Esteban, batch 1987 is a Math teacher; Maribel
Santillana-Paulino, batch 1988 class valedictorian is the Math Coordinator; Elizabeth
G. Timple, batch 1988 is a PLSB(TLE) teacher; Lucille Piedad-Tuano, batch 1999
class valedictorian is a TLE teacher; Lerma Domingo-Gorra, batch 1999 is
another PLSB(TLE) teacher; Jane S. Napoles, batch 2001 class valedictorian is a
Social Studies teacher; Ivory Felixmenia-Bautista, batch 2002 class
salutatorian is a Science teacher; Roselyn A. Almerol, batch 2002 with honors
is a MAPEH teacher; Geraldine V. Nones, batch 2003 2nd honorable
mention is a Filipino teacher; Peter Paul D. Gamit, batch 2003 1st honorable mention is a MAPEH
teacher; Gladyr Joan Viernes-Castor, batch 2004 is a Filipino teacher and Mariz
L. Calamanan, batch 2005 is a TLE teacher.
