Assumption College San Lorenzo (AC, Assumption SanLo, Assumption Makati) is a private, Roman Catholic basic and higher education institution exclusively for girls run by the Religious of the Assumption in San Lorenzo Village, Makati, Philippines. It was established by the Assumption Sisters in 1958 and named Assumption Convent. Assumption San Lorenzo is the successor of the closed school named Assumption Convent which was located along Herran Street, Ermita, Manila.
It provides education from pre-school, elementary, secondary, tertiary, to graduate level. The alumnae and present students of this school include daughters and granddaughters of Presidents, industrialists, politicians, actors/actresses and prominent figures in the Philippines.[1][2][3]
At the request of Pope Pius X, a group of anglophone Assumption Sisters returned to Manila in 1904; the Philippine Islands were by then already under American control. With the group of Sisters were Mother Helen Margaret as Superior, and Mother Rosa María Pachoud, Mother Esperanza Maria A. CuUnjieng, Madame Angela Ansaldo, Sr. Lory Mapa, Sr. Luisa Locsin and Sr. Bianca Rosa Perez Rubio who subsequently spent most of her religious life in the Religious of the Assumption in Asia. Originally an elementary and secondary school, the college was added in 1940. Its successors are Assumption College San Lorenzo and Assumption Antipolo.[citation needed]
Formerly found in the genteel enclave of Ermita, the school very much resembled the renowned girls’ schools of France and the rest of Europe, becoming a favorite amongst Manila's pre-War élite. It was considered a school for the alta de sociedad (high society) and there was no other value more emphasized than the French term noblesse oblige: “To whom much is given, much will be required.” The school was once at the corner of Calle Herran and Calle Dakota (now known as Pedro Gil and Adriatico, respectively), beside the old Padre Faura campus of the all-boys' Ateneo de Manila, where the brothers of Assumptionistas often studied. It was from this time when the so-called “Ateneo-Assumption” families sprung up, with entire clans exclusively attending either school. It offered subjects such as Spanish, French, language and reading in English, arithmetic, and religion, as well as manners and penmanship.[2]
During the Second World War, the whole school and the rest of the city were destroyed by heavy aerial bombardment in the 1945 Liberation of Manila. As with many schools, Assumption College resumed classes in quonset huts and in a battered auditorium in the ruins of the Herran campus. Mother Superior Rosa María and Madame Esperanza Maria A. CuUnjieng brought the school back to its feet and relaunched it in 1947 when the Reconstruction began, reopening in 1948. The Herran campus officially closed its doors in 1973. The former Assumption Herran campus and the adjacent Padre Faura campus of Ateneo were sold and today Robinsons Place Manila currently occupy these former academic campuses. .[2]
A vast and stately school with manicured gardens, lush plants and numerous trees, the Assumption Convent had school buildings in the neo-Gothic style which had high-ceilings and arcades. Possessing a very French, feminine aura, the convent school sported arched windows and corridors, partly hidden floral medallions, (specifically the fleur-de-lys common to the other French girls' school, Saint Paul University Manila), and even a lagoon with boats.[2]
The Herran Assumption also featured one of the most impressive school chapels in Manila. Neo-Gothic in design, the chapel featured arched, stained-glass windows and a comparatively small Gothic main altar. Students of the Herran campus still observed older practises of the Catholic Church, with students made to genuflect upon entering any place where the Blessed Sacrament was kept. In those days, students also signed for fifteen-minute shifts for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and they were excused from class while doing the Adoration. In the afternoons, the students with lacy white mantillas on their heads, filled the chapel for common adoration, ending the day with singing the Tantum Ergo.[2]
There were also the very distinct things done within the walls of the school that through the decades would have the virtual label of "Assumption". There were the Assumption tarts (triangular tarts topped with guava jelly), and the Assumption siomai, beloved by students because of how it tasted like those made by Ma Mon Luk, a famous noodle shop. There was also Assumption cottage pie, ground meat topped with mashed potatoes served at the refectory. Students wore the distinct Assumption uniform of a tartan skirt (the fabric of which was first imported from France[3]), sailor-collared shirts and a pin with a gold-coloured school seal. The lace-filled immaculately white uniforms called "gala dress" were reserved for more formal occasions such as Mass and Graduation Rites. Visiting guests had to contend themselves of speaking with the students in a parlour.[2]
Students played a ball game they called bataille and were taught to curtsy before nuns, specifically the Mother Superior whom they were taught to address as『Notre Mère』("our mother").[3] A lasting hallmark of an "Old Girl" is the school's conspicuous penmanship known as "Assumption Script". Letters are distinctly long with sharp elongated points, it is a precise cursive, with flourished majuscules and jagged tails. It was a source of pride, according to Gonzalez,[6] and a way of immediately identifying an Herran Assumptionista.[2]
Herran closure and San Lorenzo-Antipolo transfers[edit]
The school then expanded to its San Lorenzo, Makati campus, welcoming 180 students into its preparatory and elementary levels in June 1958. The following year, Assumption College San Lorenzo opened its doors to college-bound young women, and the college moved there in 1959.
After some time, the Herran campus was sold as the area was becoming a commercial and tourist center, not conducive to learning. In 1972–73, four San Lorenzo campus teachers were transferred to pave the way for merging elementary schools and secondary schools of Herran and San Lorenzo. In 1973–74, the Herran and San Lorenzo schools fused: the High School and the college were based in San Lorenzo while the Preschool and Grade School briefly occupied Herran, temporarily moving to San Lorenzo in June 1974.
The Grade School finally resettled in Assumption Antipolo along Sumulong Highway on 11 September 1974, with the Preschool staying in San Lorenzo. However, the distance between Antipolo and Manila became a problem, driving alumnae and parents to petition the college to re-open the elementary level in San Lorenzo. Grade 1 was re-opened in 1981 and starting school year 1988–89, grade levels were added until the San Lorenzo Grade School's first batch of seventh Grade students graduated in March 1993.
In line with the spirit of Vatican II, and in response to the call of the Church in the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines and the needs of the country, the Assumption in the Philippines has refocused their ministries towards the rural areas and the underprivileged sector, but without abandoning the education of the upper/middle classes.
Pre-school and Kinder: The Preschool program of the Assumption gives a premium to character formation and instills in students a love for learning and a beginning sense of social responsibility.
Gradeschool (Grade 1 to Grade 6): In the Grade School program, a well-rounded curriculum is delivered using brain-based instructional strategies. Students acquire knowledge and skills in real-life contexts, particularly through Project-Based Learning, Singapore Math, Science, and Social Studies inquiry activities, and design tasks. They learn about mindfulness, reflection, and prayer to build the foundations of a strong relationship with God. They are also given regular opportunities to interact with different sectors of society through Concrete Acts for Social Transformation (C.A.S.T).
Junior High School (Grade 7 to Grade 10): The Junior High School program forms students of character who excel academically, exhibit a growing sense of social responsibility, and enjoy a personal relationship with God. As in Grade School, learning continues to occur in real-life contexts with Project-Based Learning, inquiry activities and investigations, and design tasks. Enrichment programs in Math, Science, Writing, and Filipinos are offered, and students are given opportunities for collaboration and leadership.
Senior High School (Grade 11 to Grade 12): The Senior High School program is anchored on the goal of “Christianization of the intelligence” so as to form women servant-leaders who love their times and work for the transformation of society. The curriculum aims to instill a love for learning and passion for undertaking research by providing real-life, relevant, interdisciplinary, and student-centered opportunities to develop Prime Life Abilities. Students engage in a variety of authentic projects and activities such as the Research Congress, Science Innovation, Business Implementation, and Arts Curation and Production, Work Immersion, Inter-Faith Youth Camp and Model ASEAN Summit in order to prepare them for college/university and the workplace.
Assumption College Senior High School offers four strands: Accounting, Business & Management (ABM), Arts & Design (A&D), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Victoria Syquia Quirino, Victoria Quirino-Delgado[10] – former first lady; her father's official hostess in Malacañang. She was a senior high- school student at Assumption Convent when she moved to the palace.
Loren Legarda[11] – Senator, former broadcast journalist and actress
Bambi Harper[19] – cultural writer and socialite; former president of the Heritage Conservation Society of the Philippines; columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Fides Cuyugan-Asensio[20] – soprano; Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines Voice and Music Theater/Dance Department
Cherie Mercado - Former TV5 newscaster, former DOTr spokesperson
Boots Anson-Roa – award-winning actress, columnist, editor, and lecturer
Cory Quirino - television host, author, beauty pageant titleholder, and granddaughter of Philippine President Elpidio Quirino
Paraluman (1923–2009) – a FAMAS-award-winning Filipino actress
Ella del Rosario - multi-Platinum recording artist, radio/TV show host and movie actress, triple Aliw awardee and multi-awarded KBP music icon who revolutionized Filipino music with her country-popular Manila Sound recording hits
Gang Badoy[23] – founder of RockEd Philippines, radio and television host, feature writer, TOWNS (The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service) and TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) awardee
Bianca Manalo – celebrity, actress, model, and beauty pageant holder (Miss Universe Philippines 2009), graduated with a course of Bachelor of Communication major in Advertising and Public Relations
Leanne Mamonong and Naara Acueza (Leanne & Naara) – indie pop duo
Coleen Danielle Natividad - Founder of Food for Frontliners Philippines (Ginebra Ako Awardee 2020 [24] and COVID-19 Pandemic Hero), Forbes Woman, and Crown Asia 2023[25] Philippine Representative.
