Christmas came early for the students and teachers of Pedro E. Candido Memorial National High School in Hernani, Easter Samar, as they received a fully furnished two-story, 10-classroom school building from SM Prime and Global Hope Foundation, through SM Foundation, last September 27.
This school building is more than double the usual size of an SM school building—normally a two-story, four-classroom structure only—to cater to the big population of PECMNHS. The school caters to the 11 barangays of Hernani plus its neighboring barangays.
Present at the event were Global Hope Foundation Founder Dr. Yong Cho, Hernani Mayor Amado Candido, DepEd Education Program Supervisor Robert Guira, SM Supermalls Vice President for Operations-Visayas Michelle Leslie Llanos, SM Foundation Executive Director for Education Linda Atayde, and other officials and representatives from SM, its partners, and the local government.
The new building came with 500 armchairs—some designed for left-handed students—complete with teachers’ desk sets, wall fans, blackboards, wall clocks and restrooms in each classroom. The building will be used by Grade 9 pupils on the ground floor and Grade 10 on the second floor.
Special features of the building are the PWD ramps and toilets, emergency-ready features like emergency lights at both staircases, and fire and earthquake alarm bell.
At the ground floor is a music hub—the first in all SM Foundation school building donations—where the popular musical talents of PECMNHS students can be further honed.
Currently, the school has six school buildings that are occupied by almost 1,200 students, with 40 to 45 students per classroom; before it was up to 60 students per classroom.
According to PECMNHS Principal Noemi Villarino, with the new SM school building, the existing classrooms will now be decongested, giving students a better school environment that is conducive to learning.