A new 6-story school building of the University of San Jose- Recoletos(USJ-R) was blessed and inaugurated this November.
The opening ceremony was purposely held on November 17 because it is the feast day of Nuestra Señora De La Salud, to whom the building was dedicated.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma graced the ceremony with University President Fr. Cristopher Maspara of the Order of Augustinian Recollects.
The Father President described the inauguration of the building as a notable chapter to the institution as part of its commitment to provide quality education and holistic formation to students.
“This ceremony also symbolizes the institution’s growth and commitment to provide quality education and holistic formation to our students,” he said.
The edifice was built as a response to the influx of senior high school students who have chosen to study at USJ-R since more students also mean more classrooms are needed.
During the groundbreaking activity held in October last year, Fr. Maspara also said that the building is an expression of optimism, hope for the future and a celebration of another accomplishment for the school.
According to Campus Planning Head Engr. Neil Rom, the building rose on a 1,700 square meters area. It is located in between the Our Lady of Consolation building and St. Ezekiel Moreno building.
The building stands exactly on the spot where the old canteen area used to be in Basak Campus.
Also present during the ceremony were the lay administrators, faculty members and representatives of Vios Architects and EGI Construction, the building designer and contractor respectively.
In the new edifice, there is a canteen on the ground floor. The library and offices are located on the second floor while the laboratories are on the third floor.
There are seven (7) laboratories in the building for Robotics, Speech, Math, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Earth Science.
The fourth to the sixth floor is allocated for the regular lectures. There is a total of 30 classrooms within the three floors.
Moreover, there is a rooftop which will be used for Gymnastics and Physical Education classes.
In the previous semesters, the senior high students occupied classrooms in the main campus and Basak.
At present, USJ-R has over two thousand senior high school students. Of this number, the biggest chunk of the population enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
It is followed by Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), and Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) tracks.
Fr. Maspara thanked the Provincialate of the Order of the Augustinian Recollect (OAR) and the members of the Board of Trustees of the University for giving their approval to the project.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Palma said that he hopes that may the name of the new school building serve as a reminder to the students and faculty that taking care of one’s health is an essential factor in fostering learning. He added that he would also love to see more edifices, shrines, chapels or parishes be named after the Lady of Health.
Written by Lorraine Mitzi A. Ambrad
