Assumption College San Lorenzo

Sister Marie Eugénie Milleret de Brou (later canonised as Saint Marie-Eugénie de Jésus; 1817–1898) established the Congregation of the Religious of the Assumption in Paris on 30 April 1839 as a means to make a Christian transformation of society through education.[5] The order arrived in Spanish colonial Philippines in 1892, and at the request of Queen María Cristina, consort of King Alfonso XII of Spain, they established the Superior Normal School for Women Teachers in Intramuros in 1892 which pioneered women education in the Philippines. Among its first alumnae were Rosa Sevilla de Alvero, Foundress of the Instituto de Mujeres; Librada Avelino and Carmen de Luna, who founded Centro Escolar University. At the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the order ceased operation of the school and returned to Europe.[1]

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.

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]

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).

• • Graduates from the AC-HS move on to pursue higher education at the following colleges in the Philippines such as De La Salle University, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and also abroad.

• Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• Bachelor of Science in Psychology
• Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education Major in Early Childhood Education
• Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English
• Bachelor of Communication major in:
  • Media Production
  • Advertising
  • Performing Arts
  • Digital Content and Management

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Corporate Business
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in International Business
• Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship
• Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship with Specialization in Tourism Management
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Marketing Management
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Human Resources Management
• Bachelor of Science in Accountancy
• Bachelor of Science in Management Accounting

The college is part of the Women's Consortium of Colleges which includes St. Scholastica's College Manila in Malate, La Consolacion College Manila in Mendiola, College of the Holy Spirit Manila in Mendiola. St. Paul University Quezon City, and Miriam College in Katipunan, Quezon City.