Accomplishments
Outstanding Secondary School in Quezon City (2013) – honored at 2013 Gawad Parangal Award
Noted Alumni
Eugenio Torre: Philippine Chess Grandmaster
Angelo Reyes: Former AFP Chief-of-Staff and Cabinet Secretary under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
History
Ramon Magsaysay Cubao High School (RMCHS) is shaped by changes, trials and the commitment to provide quality education. Its five-decade journey led RMCHS to what it is now – a great school.
STARTING OUT
In the 1950s, there was a need to expand Quezon City High School. This paved the way for six new annexes. Cubao High School was one of these annex schools. The school was located at Epifaniodelos Santos Avenue (EDSA), near Cubao Elementary School.
Like any new school, this small annex had to find its place in the academe. From EDSA, the school was moved in 1958 to a building at the corner of Aurora Blvd. where it became Cubao High School. Fanny Enriquez was the school’s first principal. Just one year later, the school was relocated to another rented building at New Orleans Street.
GROWTH
The sixties was an era of fast growth for the school. Between 1961 and 1968, three annex schools of Cubao High School were established: Murphy; Hillcrest; and Ponciano Bernardo. When they became independent schools, they were named Juan Sumulong High School, Carlos P. Garcia High School and Ponciano Bernardo High School, respectively.
Cubao High School also grew. In 1962-1963, it opened its doors to older and working Filipinos for night school.
GETTING ITS OWN NAME
Cubao High School was renamed in memory of President Ramon Magsaysay on March 17, 1965 – a momentous event. This is the very same day the President died in a plane crash. The school was officially named Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School to be distinguished from the other Ramon Magsaysay High School in Manila. The ceremony was graced by well-known personalities led by Mrs. Luz Banzon-Magsaysay, former First Lady and widow of the late President Magsaysay.
MOVING TO A PERMANENT LOCATION
The end of the sixties gave light to the long-awaited site for the school. There was a huge increase in enrolment in school year 1968 -1969 so the school needed space. For a time, the first and second-year classes occupied rooms at the old City Hall building. Then in 1972, RMCHS relocated to the City Hall Building.
CONTINUING PROGRESS
Development during the seventies included converting former city hall offices into classrooms and centers; building department offices; and expanding the canteen and the library. Other changes were the Faculty Cooperative Store and the outdoor stage at the Physical Education grounds. The school began offering summer school in 1977.
A BURNING CHALLENGE
Fire burned down the main building on March 15, 1981. The school rented the Raval building to continue.
A new building was constructed one year after the fire and inaugurated on September 8, 1982 with then First Lady and Metro Manila Governor, Imelda Marcos.
MOVING FORWARD
The relentless efforts of its previous and present principals make the school home to thousands of students.
In 2006, Principal Sheridan Evangelista started her term. She escalated the school’s stature when it ranked 5th in the National Achievement Test.
Dr. Jossefina Perlado became principal one year later. Her motherly approach endeared her to students. Her administration launched Special Education for physically and mentally challenged students.
Principal Dr. Romulo B. Rocena encouraged the entire RMCHS team to become a great school. He campaigned for all students to succeed and for all teachers to be mentors. More interventions in the curriculum, student lives and staff development began. School-community partnerships were strengthened with a School Governing Council. The school’s services and facilities were improved. And most importantly, the search for the most outstanding teachers made a significant impact on the ischool’s performance in 2012-2013.
