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Leyte National High School (Filipino: Mataas na Paaralang Pambansa ng Leyte) is a secondary school in Tacloban City, Leyte.

History[edit]
Leyte National High School first came to life in November 1903, as a Provincial High School, an outgrowth of the provincial school that was intermediate in nature, with G.W. Satterthwaite as its head. Eventually, this became Leyte High School inaugurated in June of 1905. Mr. Sattethwaite became its first principal and his teachers were Americans, namely: H.E. Latson, Dr. Elmer, Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter, Mr. Chamberlaine and Mr. Holman. In March of that same year, after giving rigid examinations, 15 out of 40 students became its first graduates.

Leyte High School was transfered to Tacloban in 1906 and classes were conducted at the capacious Municipal Tribunal where the supermarket now stands. This time, W.E. Marquardt was its principal and his faculty members were: H.E. Latson, Howard L. Jones, Gerardo Palami, and Mrs. Ethel Fiske, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Wright, and Mrs. Marquardt.

In March 1907, the first commencement exercises took place. It was also in this year that the first library was established through the collaborative efforts of both teachers and students. The teachers donated books while the students took janitorial jobs and handed out their salaries for the purchase of books. Through the efforts of Mr. Marquardt and the provincial board, an appropriation of P80,000 was generated for the provision of a school site and two buildings – the Fiske Hall and the Sherman Hall.

Both were inaugurated on July 4, 1907, which event included three-day festivities of a reception and dance, a procession, a theatrical entertainment, and an athletic meet.

The girls had been receiving training in housekeeping, sewing and cooking for as early as 1903 but it was in 1909 that the trade department was organized. Aside from the ones mentioned, this department also contained farming, trade, and teaching. The province provided the school with 26 hectares for the students’ agricultural training with Mr. Andres Sevilla, the first agriculture teacher. Because the land was a wilderness, Mr. Sevilla had a hard time in transforming the land into a farm land, however before he died in 1912, the farm was well established.

The importance of the trade department was so recognized in that same year, 1912, it was separated from the high school and was set up as a different school The Leyte Trade School, formerly known as the Leyte Institute of Technology now the Eastern Visayas State University.

In 1913, more improvements were seen – red and black became its official colors. The province donated an athletic field, which consisted of a quarter mile track, diamonds for baseball and indoor baseball, courts for basketball, tennis and volleyball, and a grandstand that cost P2,000 with a seating capacity of 500. This den was the site for the 1913 East Inter-Visayan Meet.

Students situated outside the municipality were accommodated in dormitories.

As the years passed, the need for trained Filipino teachers was felt. It is with this that first Provincial Normal School was organized. The three schools comprised the Leyte Trade School, Provincial Normal School, and Leyte High School, used a common site. It was not until 1954 that the Provincial board divided the area among the three schools with the province retaining the athletic ground. The Friske Hall, the Sherman Hall and the dormitories were given to Leyte Normal School, while the Gabafdon Building built in 1916, was the only one retained by Leyte High.

The Leyte High School followed the General Course, which exposed the students to both academic and vocational subjects.

A new educational plan, the 2-2 Plan, was adopted in SY 1955-1956, November, and Leyte High School was made an experimental school. This time, students took up vocational and academic courses in the first and second year. In the third year, they were allowed to choose whether they would wish to take up a college preparatory course technical-vocational course. In the technical-vocational department, the students had various subjects to specialize in. At first poultry and swine, and home economics were offered. Later on, ceramics, agriculture, tailoring, dressmaking, poultry, raising, cooking and cosmetology were included. Changes were also observed in the subjects of each year level.

In 1960, Leyte High School with all its real and movable property was donated to the City of Tacloban in Resolution No.534, s. 1960.

In 1973-74, a project co-sponsored by UP-DEC-NSDB was started at the Leyte National High School. It was named the Leyte Research and Development High School, the experimental project sought to organize talented youths into special classes to follow a special curriculum designed to meet the needs of high stability student with very strong programs in science, mathematics, social studies, and arts music. The R&D experimental project started with 2 freshmen sections in 1973-74. The following year three experimental sections on the freshmen level were opened, in 1975-76,4 freshmen sections were opened and in 1976-77, the number of sections totaled to thirteen from the first to fourth year.

Truly, the quest for continuing curriculum development never ceases. The think-tanks for educational development are always on the lookout for a curriculum that would enhance the students’ mental and menial skills. And so, in SY 1989-1990 the Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP) was launched. In this new curriculum, academic electives were abolished and the 40-minute period was back. Electives have been retained though in Technology and Home Economics, Character Education was replaced with values education. Integration in the teaching of all academic subjects was seen.

Once again, to keep abreast with the worldwide modernization in science and technology, another experimental project was initiated in SY 1993-1994. Through the sponsorship of the department of Science and Technology, The Engineering Science Education Program (E.S.E.P.) came to be.

In this new curriculum, students who have passed the entrance examinations and interview with high ratings were made to undergo another to determine who would qualify for the ESEP classes. Four sections were allotted to this curriculum from the first year and up to the fourth year.

Subjects included earth science for the first year; research with no credits earned for the second year; Advance Biology, which centered on Genetics and Research I for the third year; then Research II for the fourth year. In mathematics, the first and second year students have the general course, but in Mathematics III these sections have Trigonometry, while fourth year mathematics include Analytic geometry, Differential and Integral Calculus, Values Education had been eliminated, while all other subjects had been retained.

Students who didn’t qualify took up the SEDP curriculum, but homogenous grouping was also observed in the first 10 sections (including the ESEP) and the remaining sections observed heterogeneous grouping.

The science department now boasts of modern technical facilities for instruction like a wide screen television with CONSTEL tapes, overhead projector, and the latest models in microscope, centrifuge, slide projector, molecular models, metal wares and glass wares for experiments. These were donated by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Science Teaching Instrumentation Center (NSTIC) and JICA.

The vocational and home economics department later were fused into one and become the Technology and Home Economics department (T.H.E.). All students, whatever their curriculum is have the choices. For first and second year, they take up THE I and THE II. Specializations are taken in the third and fourth year. The students can choose from various courses offered by the school, which are: For Home Technology – culinary arts, clothing and related arts, cosmetology, housing comprehensive education, and entrepreneurship.

Then again, to widen its scope in mass education, the Leyte National High School had been chosen to pioneer, the Special Education (SPED) classes. For over a decade now, the school has been conducting literacy and vocational training for less abled individuals – the hearing impaired and the visually impaired. They are taught Basic English and Mathematics, vocabulary enrichment, and practical skills development. Furthermore, His and Vis who have the ability and capability have been admitted to regular classes in the last two years, giving them the chance to be with the normal students. Teacher interpreters who have undergone trainings are assigned to interpret for them.

Later, another program has been introduced – the Special Program for the Arts (SPA). Again, first year enrollees who passed the interview and entrance examination were given another test to qualify. As the title suggests, students who qualify are those who have the aptitude for the arts. Aside from the basic subjects on the SEDP, students under this program have humanities as well, aside from their individual specialization on theater arts, visual arts, media, vocal instruments, creative writing and dance. For this initial period, only two sections with 42 students each have been admitted.

To date, Leyte National High School spouses four curricula – BEC, ESEP, SPED, and SPA. This just goes to show how this institution has proven its versatility over the century.

Moreover, this institution has trained numerously notable personalities that to mention only a few would be a slight to others of equal eminence. Consider revising therefore, that Leyte National High School is the home of people par excellence.