MANILA, Philippines - On March 14, 2010, the Xavier School community witnessed the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new campus that will rise in Nuvali, a joint development of Ayala Land and the Yulo family, located in the former Canlubang Estate in Calamba, Laguna. The event included the laying of the time capsule, tree planting, and a symbolic release of doves involving Xavier School alumni from the different batches.
Set to open in June 2012, Xavier School Nuvali will offer the same brand of Xavier education but is envisioned as a school for 21st-century learning and leadership. In his message, Fr. Johnny Go, SJ, director of Xavier School, said, “Our dream is to form Christian leaders who are innovative, who do not merely ‘cross the bridge when they get there,’ but can build the bridge ‘when they get there’ simply because there are still no bridges. We hope to produce graduates who can grapple with and solve problems that may still not exist today.”
The idea of opening a new campus was initially proposed by several alumni who foresaw a growing number of enrollees from alumni families. The school in San Juan, already operating at close to peak capacity, may no longer be able to accommodate the increasing number of alumni children in the future, and limit the school’s capacity to reach out to new families and communities.
While the new school will be grounded on the same mission and vision of Xavier School, Fr. Go calls it a revolutionary undertaking because “not only will it take education to a new level, but also because 25 percent of the student population will be on scholarship.” In this way, the school not only expands its ministry to reach more underpriveleged students, but will also enhance its mission in education by integrating students from different socio-economic segments. Programs will be designed “to enable the presence of these scholars to have a transforming influence on the culture of the school as a whole.” Morever, the new school will be co-educational but will follow the co-divisional model. Boys and girls will be educated separately in selected classes, while providing ample opportunities for interaction.
The new campus sits on a 15-hectare property in Nuvali that is seven times the size of the Makati CBD. In its first phase, the main grade school building and part of the grade school gymnasium will be built. In its ultimate development, the campus will have buildings for primary, middle, and high school units, and will include a separate library building, auditorium, administration building, and provision for residences and dormitories. The plan also calls for two gymnasiums with different sports facilities, swimming pool, and two football fields.
It will be a digital school, equipped with the proper IT infrastructure to bring a whole world of resources into the classroom. It will also enable the school to promote 1-to-1 computer-based instruction that will develop self-directed learners.
A special feature of the campus will be its green environment. The campus is bordered by a deep-ravine river in the north and, along its western perimeter, part of the 17-km buffer zone that will be a forested bird sanctuary. The school was designed with sustainability in mind. Environment-friendly fixtures and systems will be in place. It is accessed primarily through the Mamplasan and Sta. Rosa exits along SLEX and situated in the center of Nuvali, touted as the country’s first eco-community development in the country.
Founded over 50 years ago, Xavier School has produced outstanding alumni who have contributed to society’s development in diverse ways. Fr. Go explains, “With its unique blend of tradition and innovation, Xavier School has consistently offered the best-designed learning environment and experiences to its students in the last five decades. In the process, it has produced numerous exemplary alumni: outstanding business and community leaders who have ‘let their light shine’ in different ways and different fields both here and abroad. The time has come to expand this mission and raise it to a whole new level.”
For school year 2012-2013, the plan is to offer the initial levels of Nursery, Prep, Grade 1, and High 1, then adding one grade school and one high school level every year thereafter.
For more information, contact the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) at 723 0481 loc 464 or email xsnuvali@xs.edu.ph.