Santa Barbara Catholic School

History

Santa Barbara School opened its doors in September 1950 under the leadership of Reverend Father Fulgence Petrie, pastor of Santa Barbara Parish. The school was supervised and administered by the Sisters of Mercy, with Sister Mary Redempta as the first principal. The school had an initial enrollment of 150 in grades K–4. It was temporarily housed in the convent, Santa Barbara Church, and in the nearby Girl Scout building, until the completion of a new three-room school building in 1951.

With generous financial support from Yigo Parish, construction on a permanent main school building began in 1958. Progress was interrupted, however, by the destructive Typhoon Karen in 1962. The main school building sustained major damages, and repairs were made with the assistance of the nearby military bases.

In 1967, a two-storey building housing 15 classrooms and a library was completed. Then in 1969, the older three-room building was converted into a cafeteria and restrooms facility. During that period, enrollment increased to 987 students. Four lay teachers were added to the staff to supplement the services of the Sisters of Mercy. Double sessions were held to accommodate the large number of students, with half attending in the morning and half in the afternoon. There was once again a need to expand the building. Four classrooms and a bathroom were added to the second floor in 1972, completing the main building and giving the school a total of 20 classrooms.

Santa Barbara School entered into a vigorous program for improvement and development of its academic programs and facilities when Sister Bernadette Marie Leon Guerrero took over the leadership of the school from 1981 to 1997. Much of the school’s present physical improvements and curriculum development were initiated and accomplished. She led the school through accreditations in 1983, 1989 and 1995.

During the 1983–88 period, the Msgr. Camacho Building and the Sisters’ convent were built. The former church was converted into the school’s gymnasium. The cafeteria was renovated and furnished appropriately to deliver services to the students, and all classrooms were air-conditioned. In August 1993, another building housing three classrooms, Guidance Office, Teacher Resource Center, Computer Room, Faculty Lounge, and a kitchenette was completed. The McAuley Center, housing the Administration Office, was built in 1995.

In the 1997–98 school year, Sister Jeanette Marie Pangelinan took over as the new principal of the school. The school integrated the Internet and World Wide Web into its curriculum, pioneering this technology among the schools on the island. In December 1997, Typhoon Paka wrought extensive damage to the school’s gymnasium. The following year, work on the complete renovation of the facility began, and was completed in November 1999. September 2000 marked the week-long celebration of the school’s Golden Jubilee. In the spring of 2001, the school underwent its fourth re-accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and received another full term six-year accreditation. ...

In the 2001–02 school year, Santa Barbara School officially changed its name to Santa Barbara Catholic School, to reflect and emphasize its Catholic identity in the community.

In the 2006–07 school year, SBCS underwent its fifth accreditation process and again received a six-year accreditation. After three years of planning, and in response to the increase in enrollment, construction began on Our Lady of Mercy Hall. The building houses 5 additional classrooms, and was dedicated and blessed on September 24, 2007, on the feast of Our Lady of Mercy.

In the 2008–09 school year, the school opened its pre-kindergarten program for four-year-olds.

Principals

1. Sr. Mary Redempta, RSM (1950–?)

Extracurricular activities