One of the strongest typhoons to ever make landfall in recent history is Typhoon Yolanda that hit many parts of Eastern Visayas most especially Tacloban, which was named “ground zero” as it bore the brunt of the devastation. The typhoon also cost billions of damage in infrastructure, with buildings and schools razed to the ground.
Recovery has been slow, but many institutions are getting back on their feet, among them the school of St. Therese Educational Foundation of Tacloban, Inc. (STEFTI) that now seems to bear no trace of the destruction.
According to STEFTI corporate treasurer Romulo Añover, the school has remained resilient even in the face of the destruction with the hardship not a hindrance to rebuilding the school.
A year after the typhoon, the campus has continued to expand with the restoration of old infrastructure and the construction of new ones. STEFTI is also currently working on its master plan to offer senior high school and an improved academic track that includes accountancy and engineering.
Romulo recounted the harrowing conditions that the school met in the wake of the typhoon, with children crying at the thought that they had no future to look forward to. Initial estimates placed the period of recovery to three to five years. Despite the unfortunate turn of events, STEFTI was able to rise from the ashes with help from many individuals who wanted to rebuild the school.
The STEFTI staff also utilized the power of technology and social media to inform stakeholders about the school’s reopening earlier this year, with heartening results as 200 old students and transferees from different towns and areas showed up on the opening of classes.
Before Yolanda, STEFTI has been a user of Genyo – a learning platform that enables the administration to assess teaching and learning, as well as provide students and teachers access to a wide variety of multimedia, curriculum-based teaching and dynamic learning resources. However, budget constraints and the absence of Internet connection almost hindered the school from using the program.
Concerned that the school would be unable to use Genyo due to budget constraints, the administration discussed options with the Genyo team on how to go about the e-learning program implementation since we had no Internet connection.
Proactive and resourceful, the Genyo team introduced STEFTI to Genyo iXL, an innovative program where teachers and students can still enjoy most of the benefits of the e-learning platform even without Internet connection. The team arrived in June 2014 and found a way to do it through GenyoiXL, an offline version of the program. “They brought the content, loaded it in a server, and continued with the offline service,” Añover recounted.
Before pursuing restoration projects, STEFTI first participated in relief operations together with different non-profit organizations in the area. To extend help to victims, the school converted itself into an evacuation center. The endeavor was also supported by Red Cross volunteers who stayed in the facility to help take care of the typhoon victims.
“We were the only private school that opened our doors to our neighbors. About 50 families occupied our gym and rooms for almost a month,” Añover shared.
STEFTI was established in July 2001 under the leadership of Babylyn Duran, Tetett Mandreza, Poi Nalda, and Didits Palami. It was first named as “The Learning Place,” a tutorial center located in Zamora Street in downtown Tacloban. In 2002, the facility was renamed St. Therese Educational Foundation of Tacloban, Inc. and started offering pre-elementary and elementary classes. The high school department was later added in 2007.