Saint Jude Catholic School

Infobox_University
name = Saint Jude Catholic School 天主教崇德學校 Paaralang Katolikong San Judas

|thumb|Saint Jude Catholic School]
motto = "Witness to the Word in the World"
established = July 1963
type = Private
affiliation = Roman Catholic, Judenite, SVD
Director = Rev. Fr. Jerome A. Marquez, SVD
Principal = Rev. Fr. Lino Nicasio, SVD
city = 327 Ycaza St. San Miguel
state = Manila
country = Philippines
address = 327 Ycaza St. San Miguel, Manila
students = approx. 3300
staff = 238
campus = Urban, 2.5 hectares
colors = Green and White
free_label = School Hymn
free = SJCS Hymn
mascot = Jude the Knight and Judy the Knight
nickname = Judenites
website = [http://www.sjcs.edu.ph www.sjcs.edu.ph]

Saint Jude Catholic School (天主教崇德學校), ("Tagalog:" Paaralang Katolikong San Judas) is a Roman Catholic private preparatory, elementary and high school located in Malacañang in the district of San Miguel in Manila, run by the Society of the Divine Word. It is the oldest campus of the Saint Jude Catholic Schools, a system composed of 2 Judenite institutions in the Philippines. The high school draws inspiration from the life and works of the institution's patron saint, Saint Jude Thaddeus. The school was founded by Chinese Priests, Rev. Fr. Peter Yang, SVD , Msgr. Peter Tsao, SVD and Msgr. Tchou.

It is one of the few basic education institutions in the Philippines to receive a 5-year accreditation, the highest possible level, for both the Grade School and the High School from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities. It received its eleventh re-accreditation since, on September 7, 2007.

It is one of the most respected and prestigious Chinese-Filipino high schools in the Philippines. Saint Jude is consistently ranked as one of the top high schools in the Philippines. Polls frequently rank it in 2nd place, behind only Philippine Science High School. The current School Director is Rev. Fr. Jerome A. Marquez, SVD and is currently serving his fourth term.

History

Saint Jude Catholic School was opened in July 1963 by Fr. Peter Yang, SVD. While immersing himself with work among the parishioners of St. Jude Parish where he served as assistant parish priest in the late 50s, Fr. Yang saw the need to reach out to the Chinese community and shepherd them into God's fold.

Together with his co-founder, Mons. Peter Tsao, SVD, who was then parish priest of St. Jude Parish and with Fr. Charles Tchou as Prefect of Discipline and six teachers namely Ms. Rosa Chua Esteban, Ms. Josefine Uy, Ms. Angeline Onglatco, Ms. Rogracia Sunga, Ms. Corazon Sevilla and Ms. Amelita Simon, they started the hard work of building the school and establishing a reputation for excellence. Fr. Yang served as its first principal with Mons. Tsao as its first director.

Its early years saw an enrollment of one hundred ninety-two (192) boys and girls in the preschool and first grade levels complemented by a teaching force of nine (9) teachers. Realizing the value of preserving the Chinese cultural heritage, a curricular program was designed adopting the prescribed curriculum for Filipino schools with the addition of Chinese Language and Arts. Out of the remnants of the Riverside Hospital during the Japanese occupation rose nipa-thatched school houses which provided the first classrooms for the Judenites.

Academics

Admission

Admission to Saint Jude Catholic School is very competitive. All students enter Saint Jude as nursery students, having themselves accepted in the admissions process. Statistics and reports show that the acceptance rate is usually at 12%. Transfer students are not accepted.The Saint Jude Education has two important elements: Personal Formation and Academic Formation. Most of its alumni are outstanding students of top universities like De La Salle University, Ateneo De Manila University, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, and University of Asia and the Pacific. Fact|please give a reliable source for this assertion.| ()|date=September 2008

Core Values

Saint Jude Catholic School puts emphasis on these values:
* Excellence
* Discipline
* Commitment
* Service
* Christ-Centeredness

As an educational institution striving for greatness, Saint Jude Catholic School requires its students, teachers and personnel to have these values.

Academic Year

The academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is divided into two quarters. The first semester starts in June and ends during the last week of October, while the second semester starts in November and ends on March of the following year. There is a semestral break between semesters, a Christmas break from late December to January, and a summer break in the months of March, April and May.

* First Quarter: June - August
* Second Quarter : August - October
* Third Quarter: November - December
* Fourth Quarter: January - March

Notable Alumni

*Jonathan Aldric Chua ('07) - Graduated salutatorian from Saint Jude Catholic School and was the only Filipino to garner an honorable mention last 2007 at Hanoi, Vietnam, in the International Mathematical Olympiad, the most prestigious international mathematics competition in the world. [http://www.imo-official.org/participant_r.aspx?id=15744]

*Annabellee Chua ('07) - Graduated Valedictorian from Saint Jude Catholic School and was the one who bested all other University of the Philippines applicants from the School Year 2006-2007 batches from all over the nation, to top the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT). [http://www.up.edu.ph/upnewsletter.php?i=455&archive=yes&yr=2007&mn=7]

*Ronnel B. King ('03) - Graduated Summa Cum Laude and the highest average from their batch at the Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor in Arts degree in Psychology

*Willard Cheng ('00) - He was Editor-in-chief of the high school paper, The Judenites; was also former editor-in-chief of the Ateneo de Manila University's official publication, the Guidon and current ABS-CBN News reporter. [http://www.quezon.ph/781/readers-respond-2005/] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABS-CBN_News_and_Current_Affairs]

*Edwin Lacierda ('79) - Legal counsel and co-convenor of the civil society group, The Black and White Movement. A graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, he is a Constitutional Law Professor at the Far Eastern University Institute of Law and the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Likewise, he is a much sought after legal resource person for the major Philippine television networks, ABS-CBN, GMA-7 and ANC News Channel dealing with current political and constitutional issues. [http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=113329]

*Fr. Peterson Tieng, LRMS ('87) - He is the only Judenite priest who currently serves in the Philippines. Besides being the Parish Priest of Damar Immaculate Conception parish, he is also the spiritual director of the national organization, the Filipino-Chinese Catholic Youth [http://www.dioceseofcubao.org/clergy.htm]

*Fr. Jarvis Sy, OP ('82) - He is the first ever Catholic Priest produced by St. Jude Catholic School. He is currently a missionary to Taiwan and has also been working as a formator, professor, lecturer and spiritual adviser for mainland China. [http://www.sjcs82.org/]

*Vivian Lee Tiu ('78) - Graduated Valedictorian from Saint Jude Catholic School, Summa Cum Laude '81- De La Salle University Liberal Arts Accelerated, Master of Arts in Industrial Psychology '86- Ateneo De Manila University, Executive Vice President for the Human Resources Management Group of the Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company or Metrobank [http://www.metrobank.com.ph/about.asp]

*Federico Sandoval II ('80) - 3-term Congressman from the City of Malabon, Municipality of Navotas. He was named one of the Ten Most Outstanding Congressmen of the 11th Congress by Graphic and Philippines Free Press magazines thrice. [http://www.i-site.ph/Databases/Congress/13thHouse/personal/sandoval-personal.html]

*Tim Yap ('94) - Judge of the MTV TV Series "MTV Supahstar: The Supahsearch" (2004); co-owner of socialite club the Embassy; Former columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He is also a model, an eventologist and a TV personality. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1753934/]

*Sherlyn de Guzman ('98)- Graduated Valedictorian from Saint Jude Catholic School. She was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 2002. She was part of the Filipino-Chinese Catholic Youth who recorded the nationally released records, Songs for Worship and Songs for Worship 2-- collections of mandarin Chinese translations of Filipino Church Music. She has also recorded the "Hindi Kita Malilimutan" album with the Bukas Palad Music Ministry. [http://www.bukaspalad.com/pages/products.php?type=album&id=13] [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:aYCsJmD-rMQJ:www.admu.edu.ph/ateneo/www/SiteFiles/File/Publications/President/pb_2003jan.pdf+%22Sherlyn+de+Guzman%22&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=ph&client=firefox-a]

*Marilyn Uy ('94)- Graduated Valedictorian of Saint Jude Catholic School. Along with de Guzman and other fellow FCCYers from SJCS, she recorded the Songs for Worship and Songs for Worship 2 albums. She was also part of its production staff and has previously served the same role in the The Best of Bukas Palad Songbook Volume 2. She has also served as an Assistant Instructor in the John Gokongwei School of Management of the Ateneo de Manila University. [http://209.85.175.104/search?q=cache:aYCsJmD-rMQJ:www.admu.edu.ph/ateneo/www/SiteFiles/File/Publications/President/pb_2003jan.pdf+%22Sherlyn+de+Guzman%22&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=ph&client=firefox-a]

*Grant Cheng ('99)- He was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines in 2005. He was part of the first batch of Star Scholars of the De La Salle University and graduated with the highest distinction given to their batch that year, the Br. Gabriel Connon Award. [http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/offices/mco/publications/newsletter/volume37/no08/]

Activities

Saint Jude Catholic School has numerous recognized activity groups, including Christian Communities (Knights of the Altar Society, Christian Life Community, Judenites Chorale Ensemble, the St. Jude Chapter of the Filipino-Chinese Catholic Youth, a national organization), Student Governments (Student Councils), Performance Groups (Drama Guild, Dance Troupe), Publications (The Judenites), and Sport teams (Basketball, Volleyball, Swimming, Table Tennis). Saint Jude also has the only Drum, Bugle and Marimba Corps in all of the Filipino-Chinese Schools. Citizens Army Training (CAT) and the Scouting Movement are unique disciplining experiences that high school students can enjoy and learn from.

Service

Part of Saint Jude Catholic School's programs is social community service. Nursery students, grade schoolers and high schoolers are encouraged to donate necessities, such as canned goods, school supplies and clothes, to poverty and disaster stricken areas. High schoolers are sent on outreaches to interact with kids in various underprivileged areas.

Retreat

Recollections and retreats are treasured moments in the life of a Judenite. In Grade 6, students have a recollection before their graduation. For high school students, each year level's recollection period varies. Freshmen and Sophomores have a one day retreat where they can get to know more about each other. Juniors get a chance to get closer to God and to their classmates with an overnight retreat at the OCDS House of Prayer retreat house at New Manila. The Seniors caps off their Judenite journey to greater understanding of themselves, God and their brothers and sisters with a three-day retreat at the SVD Retreat House at Tagaytay.

Sportsfest

Family Day

Family Day was an activity that started in the school year 2005-2006, where parents and family members of students are invited to join their children to this half-day special event of bonding, fun, learnings, and worship. This is done for the purpose of nurturing family life.

Athletics

Saint Jude offers a variety of athletics programs for members of its community, consistent with the ideal of a sound mind in a healthy body and with the Judenite tradition of forming well-rounded individuals. Athletics in Saint Jude are part of a selection of co-curricular activities available to its students. Saint Jude fields over twelve teams in six different sports. Students are not required to take part in organized athletics, but many do. The teams are selected on a competitive basis.

Saint Jude considers commitment as the theme of its athletics program. Saint Jude requires its students to have rigorous focus and devotion to the team. The biggest, and maybe the only, incentive of an SJ student-athletes in making a commitment is the privilege of carrying the school flag in interscholastic athletic competitions. In the same way, the school is committed in supporting its student-athletes, as stated by the school's athletics program coordinator. The school requires all student athletes to maintain a certain level of academic performance as a requirement. Through this, its athletes do not lose sight of their studies.

Saint Jude Catholic School has been known to be competitive in various athletic fields. Judenites garner top places in various competitions.Athletics are not only available to current students, they also extend to the alumni community. Every year, the SJ alumni compete in several tournaments of various sports. Everyone, including the public, may use Saint Jude's sports facilities upon obtaining permission to do so from the school.

Basketball

Badminton

The Saint Jude Badminton team, known as the Raqueteers, has been the three-time defending champions of the Metropolitan Amateur Sports Association (MASA) and have had great results in bigger tournaments all over Manila. The team was formed more than three years ago and have gotten stronger each year. The team is composed of mostly high school students. The athletes are known for their dedication, hardwork and perseverance to do better each tournament.

Swimming

The Saint Jude swimming team, the Green Mariners, has consistently been the flag-bearer for Saint Jude Catholic School for the past years. The swimming team has won countless championships and earned numerous awards. The team has produced not only the best athletes, but also some of the best students in campus. As of 2003, the Green Mariners Team has been making waves all over the pools in Manila. The team was accustomed in bagging championships in Filipino-Chinese swimming tournaments leaving them with no real competitor.

The Green Mariners later expanded their team to a club, the Manila Torpedoes. The Manila Torpedoes Club competed with tougher swimming teams around NCR that earned their swimmers some experiences through stiff competitions.

The said team was abolished around 2006 due to some unfortunate incidents, internal conflicts and unparalleled management since the school changed its sports coordinator.but still continued it's greatness in the pools. The school revived a new team in late 2007. which did not perform any better the old team. The Green Mariners Team have evolved into an independent swimming team, not linked to any schools, but it is still making waves since it has swimmers competing in Palarong Pambansa and other NCR-wide swim meet.

Cheering

The Saint Jude Cheering Squadron are the three-time defending champions of the Tiong Lian Cheering Competition. The Seniors Cheering Squad has represented the school every year.

Campus

The Saint Jude Catholic School campus in San Miguel houses four buildings in its 2.5-hectare lot. These include the Prep School Building, the S.J. Building, the Fr. Peter Yang Building and the new Fu Shen Fu Building. The Saint Jude Parish is also part of the Saint Jude Campus.

Sports facilities on campus include a basketball stadium, badminton and volleyball courts, covered courts, ping-pong tables and a workout gym. The basketball stadium has a seating capability of 1,200 people and a regular sized court that can be used for sporting events, and other activities. The new Fu Shen Fu Building was finished only on December 2006. It houses a volleyball court and 3 badminton courts, a fully air-conditioned chapel, three floors of computer labs, a dance practice facility, a multi-purpose room and also includes the residences of the priests/principals.

Awards

* 2006 Tiong Lian Cheerdancing Competition Champion
* 2007 Tiong Lian Cheerdancing Competition Champion
* 2008 Tiong Lian Cheerdancing Competition Champion

References

External links

* [http://www.sjcs.edu.ph/ Official Website of Saint Jude Catholic School]
* [http://www.sjcsaa.com/ Official Website of the Saint Jude Catholic School Alumni Association]
* [http://www.sjcs82.org/ Official SJCS Batch '82 Website]