Tagum City National High School

Tagum City National High School (TCNHS), formerly known as Tagum Community High School, is a public high school in Tagum, Davao del Norte, Philippines. It was founded in February 14, 1967 to cater to students from Tagum City and the province of Davao del Norte.

History


Tagum Community High School was founded in June 1967, enrolling 68 first-year and 54 second-year students. The first graduation ceremony took place in March 1970.

The conversion of Tagum Community High School into Tagum Municipal High School was accomplished through a resolution, which was accepted by the Municipal Council on February 14, 1972. The increasing student population led to the construction of classrooms at the old Municipal Gym, presently known as Freedom Park.

In the 1976-1977 school year, PTA President Manuel Suaybaguio Jr., with the assistance of Gazmen-Tan, spearheaded efforts to secure a permanent school site. A 20,003 square meter lot was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Climaco Maurillo, and Tagum Municipal High School relocated to its present location on October 4, 1982.

In 1986, Superintendent Teofilo Gomez requested the municipal government to donate the site to the Department of Education and Culture (DECS). The approval was granted during the tenure of Superintendent Prudencio Mabanglo and Mayor Victorio Suaybaguio Jr., resulting in the issuance of a land title on June 19, 1989.

Tagum Municipal High School (TMHS) gained recognition as one of the two secondary schools in the Division of Davao for the Engineering and Science Education Project (ESEP) Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology. This acknowledgment led to the introduction of Special Science Classes (SSC) and further enhanced the school's reputation as a science-oriented public high school.

TMHS received support from the cooperative GPTA and assistance from national and local officials.

Since the school's foundation in 1967, many PTCA presidents have contributed in the modernization and progress of the school:

The conversion of the Tagum Municipal High School to Tagum National High School took place in June 1998 with the help of city officials and the present mayor.



On February 14, 2006, on its 39th anniversary, under the leadership of Mayor Rey T. Uy and the Department of Education, Tagum National High School was converted into Tagum City National High School, becoming the premier secondary education institution in the province of Davao del Norte.

As of 2007 Tagum City National High School has become one of the tourist spots of Tagum City.

Curricula
The school uses two curricula, the RBEC Curriculum (for RBEC students) and the SPSTEM (Special Program for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Curriculum, both using the zero-based grading system for each period. In June 2010, the school shifted academic focus to the newly implemented 2010 Secondary Education Curriculum (2010 SEC), to be implemented in SY 2011–2012.

SPSTEM curriculum
Since STEM students are encouraged to proceed in engineering, scientific and mathematical courses in the college level as part of the mission of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the SPSTEM curriculum is a science and math-inclined curriculum.

In tenth grade, students produce research papers and project proposals, and are encouraged to represent the school in division, regional and national science fairs, and then can proceed to compete in international science fairs.

Elective subjects are added to the students' load to emphasize science and mathematics, especially in the field of research and statistics.

RBEC and other curriculum
As of October 2012, this curriculum went obsolete for the next four school years, as the Grade 7 students were given a new curriculum in response to the K–12 program.

Student organizations
The student body is governed by the Supreme Student Government (SSG), with elected officials administering on a student-level system; elections are annually held before the current school year ends. The SSG is under the supervision of the school administration through an appointed SSG adviser.

Tagum City National High School has many clubs in support of its curriculum program, most notably the TCNHS Dance Theater Guild (DTG), Philippine Society of Youth Science Clubs in the Philippines (PSYSC-YISC), Visual Arts Guild (VAG), TCNHS Conexus Harmonia Chorale, TCNHS Rondalla, Press Corps, and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and Girl Scouts of the Philippines – TCNHS Chapter.

All clubs are governed by officers, with each club president reporting to the SSG as a requirement. In turn, the SSG helps each club in their activities and school-wide efforts.

Student publications
The school's official publications are The Mover and Ang Galaw-Diwa. The paper is released once every school year, usually at the start of the second semester, when the National Schools Press Conference ends. Both publications are noted for their straightforward delivery of news articles and editorial columns, and have won many division, regional and national awards as one of the best school papers, notably in 1997 and 2003.