In 1964 Justice Carmelino G. Alvendia, Sr. of the Court of appeals was offered to buy a school in its chronic stage of decay.
There was only one (1) section per year level with total school population of 89 students. This was even less than its enrollment in its first year of operation in 1953 – 92 students.
That was when Bago Bantay was a relocation area for squatters from Sampaloc and Intramuros ( Manila ), the very people that the Academy aimed to serve. But there was the big public school nearby, The San Francisco Highschool. Obviously, QCA was receiving scanty patronage from the people it aimed to serve.
But Justice Alvendia, an educator and an economist, was made of sterner stuff. He was a visionary. He saw in Quezon City Academy a bright future. He bought the school. He brought in new school administrators. And new teachers. In 1965, enrollment rose to 132. In the 1980’s, population peaked to an average 2,700 with 450 graduates, clear indications that patronage of residents of Bago Bantay, Project 7, Project 8, Sto. Niño, Pag-asa, Project 6, Balintawak, Bagong Barrio, San Francisco del Monte, West Avenue and other nearby areas has been won over by QCA. The vision of President Carmelino G. Alvendia has begun to materialize:
“A learning institution that provides quality education at the least cost and develop leaders in effective, creative and productive communication to meet the global competition of the next century.”
QCA students now talk of leadership and citizenship training as an integral part of their education in the academy, matter-of-factly. The fight for academic honors is very keen but healthy. Students are strongly proud of their school discipline in developing leaders. A student leader can be quoted in the proclamation before a gathering of parents and teachers: “Kami’y sumusunod sapagkat kami ang nagpapatupad.”
QCA has graduates who have topped professional board and bar examinations. The Academy has been receiving many reports that many of its students are either in the dean’s or president’s lists and many have been graduating with honors in colleges and universities, including the University of the Philippines.
But the vision of President Alvendia is one that has to be attained year after year. Students come and go. New students have to be trained into leaders. So, there is a continuing need for internalization of the vision. And the guidelines to follow in order to make the mission meaningful. Thus groups of students, teachers parents, alumni, and administrative officials participated in in sectoral workshops on how to attain the vision. Thus, sectoral or group mission statements and strategies for doing so were formulated, with the hope that with these guideposts on the road, the traveler can easily wend his way to the attainment of the vision sustained by the age-old-axiom: “Ang lumilingon sa pinanggalingan, nakakarating sa paroroonan.”
The Overall Mission of Quezon City Academy
“Direct its curriculum and programs to technology and community oriented projects and activities that should enhance moral and spiritual values, critical thinking and better livelihood opportunities to meet the educational challenges of today and life in the future.”
