Leonides S. Virata Memorial School
| Leonides S. Virata Memorial School | |
|---|---|
 The Official Logo of LSVMS | |
| Address | |
|
Beryl St., RTN Campus Rio Tuba Bataraza, Palawan Philippines | |
| Information | |
| School type | Private |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1986 |
| Status | functional |
| Oversight | University of St. La Salle |
| Principal | 1 |
| Staff | 10 |
| Teaching staff | 76 |
| Grades | Kinder up to Grade 12 |
| Gender | Male & Female |
| Age range | 5 to 19 yrs. old |
| Number of students | approx 1,200 |
| Average class size | 45 students |
| Student to teacher ratio | 1:45 |
| Medium of language | English |
| Language | Filipino, English |
| Hours in school day | ~10 hrs. (7:20 a.m. to 4:40 p.m.) |
| Classrooms | 34 classrooms |
| School colour(s) | Green & White |
| Athletics conference | Sportsfest |
| Mascot | Virata Hornbill |
| Publication | The Voice |
| Newspaper | The VOICE |
| Website | www.lsvms.com |
Leonides S. Virata Memorial School (LSVMS) is a Christian Catholic private basic education institution situated at Beryl Street, RTN Townsite, Barangay Rio Tuba, Municipality of Bataraza, Province of Palawan, Philippines. It is a De La Salle Supervised School with level two (2) status granted by the Lasallian Schools Supervision Office (LASSO), a mission arm of Lasallian Schools Supervision Services Association, Inc. Likewise, the school is operated under RTN Foundation Inc., a foundation of Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTNMC) and Coral Bay Nickel Corporation (CBNC). Furthermore, the school is named after Leonides Sarao Virata, a Filipino economist and former Secretary of Department of Commerce and Industry (now Department of Trade and Industry) during the time of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Virata, then, appointed Manuel B. Zamora, Jr. president of RTNMC. Throughout the years since its establishment in 1986, LSVMS has been a cradle of quality students and top graduates and alumni and an academe of most updated curricula and qualified professional teachers and instructors.
Brief History
When the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTNMC) started its full operation in 1977, one concern that needed immediate attention was the education of the children of the employees within its mining property in Rio Tuba, Bataraza, Palawan. To address this concern, RTNMC entered into a joint agreement with the Ministry of Education in School Year (S.Y.) 1978-1979. RTNMC constructed at its own expense within the RTN compound a modern school building consisting of ten (10) classrooms and other facilities and equipment for the operation of a public elementary school. The school under the management of the Ministry of Education was named Leonides S. Virata Memorial Elementary School (LSVMES). The following school year, Rio Tuba Barangay High School was also established with the assistance of RTNMC.
In 1985, plans were made to privatized LSVMES. Hence, in S.Y. 1986-1987, with six hundred forty-seven (647) students, thirty (30) members of the faculty, thirteen (13) classrooms, a library, home economics building, industrial arts building, kindergarten building with two (2) classrooms and a playground, and a faculty room, LSVMES became a private school under the exclusive supervision of the RTN Foundation, Inc. (RTNFI). On January 15, 1988, a resolution was unanimously adopted at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees of RTNFI that the school be named Leonides S. Virata Memorial School (LSVMS). Government Recognition Permits were then granted for the following courses: Pre-Elementary Course, Elementary Course; and Complete General Secondary Course.
In the company's desire to further improve the quality of education of LSVMS, the RTNMC management signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod City, placing LSVMS under the supervision of USLS. In 1990, LSVMS became a La Salle Supervised School and was converted into a Catholic Institution in 1993.
In S.Y. 1992-1993, the science building with three (3) science laboratories and a lecture room was constructed. In S.Y. 2005-2006, a two (2) story high school building with four (4) rooms was put up and in S.Y. 2007 - 2008, the TLE building with four (4) classrooms followed.
On August 30, 2013, the Leonides S. Virata Computer Lab with 51 units of 21 inch iMac computers and Mac Mini Server donated by RTNMC Chairman, Atty. Manuel B. Zamora, Jr., was inaugurated. Included in the 10 million donation of Chairman Zamora were 32 units of Samsung 40 inch LED TV, 32 units of Apple TV, and 32 units of iPad. At present, all thirty-eight (38) classrooms from Kindergarten to Grade 12 are installed with LED TV, Apple TV, and router.
On January 27, 2015, a Board Resolution authorizing LSVMS to offer the Senior High School (SHS) Program along the Academic Track of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Strand was signed and notarized. On September 18, 2015, LSVMS was granted government permit to operate the Senior High School Program effective S.Y. 2016-2017.
Thus, in preparation for the full implementation of the Senior High School in 2016 and onwards and to address the school's growing population, the School Board of Trustees approved the construction of the New High School Building with an estimated cost of 67 million on Parkview Street, Area C, RTN Townsite.
In compliance with the Lasallian Schools Supervision Office (LASSO) levels of engagement, LSVMS underwent Assessment Visits on October 7 and 8, 2010 for Probationary Status, October 3 and 4, 2013 for Supervised Level 1 status, and October 6 and 7, 2016 for Supervised Level 2 status. The next LASSO Assessment Validation Visit will be in S.Y. 2019-2020.
LSVMS which was primarily established for the children of the RTNMC employees has since then opened its doors to the community outside the townsite. At present, it has a total enrolment of one thousand five hundred sixty (1 560) students, 28.65 percent of these are non-company dependents. There are eighty-seven (87) school personnel, 41 percent are alumni.
Under the supervision of LASSO, LSVMS has undergone changes in all areas of operations: Administration, Faculty, Curriculum, Student Services, Spiritual Formation, and Physical Facilities. It continues to grow in its vision and mission of a globally competent community at the service of others.
References
- Leonides S. Virata Memorial School Student Handbook. (2017). Puerto Princesa City, Palawan: Petal Print Hub.