Alabang, Muntinlupa – De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ), in the presence of its distinguished guests from Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) broke ground on April 5, 2016 to mark the start of the construction of its Vermosa Campus in Imus, Cavite. Br. Bernard S. Oca FSC, DLSZ President kicked off the ceremony together with ALI President, Bernard Vincent Dy, and Anna Ma. Margarita B. Dy, ALI Senior Vice President. The DLSZ Board of Trustees, key administrators and parent representatives were present to witness the event.
Answering the needs of the 21st century learners, the DLSZ-Vermosa campus is set to ignite the spark of each Lasallian student as it continues to provide a world-class, learner-centered environment that produces lifelong learners who are reflective, creative, critical thinkers and problem-solvers in a transformative and innovative learning environment. It is envisioned to be a trailblazer in technology-supported learning in Philippine education through “next generation blended learning (NxGBL)”. This kind of learning is the incorporation of the use of technology into classroom teaching and learning. NxGBL involves the blending of face-to-face instruction, multimedia and mobile devices to enable dynamic and personalized learning processes so that students will be able to develop innovation skills.
DLSZ will continue to uphold a dynamic learning community through its existing student programs in the fields of academics, science and technology, sports, arts and music. It will be a campus that promotes climate-conscious green architecture through its design. The new campus will have three primary zones: The Academic Zone, the Sports Zone and the Cultural Zone. Each zone will be surrounded by vehicular and pedestrian paths as well as natural landscaping.
The Academic Zone will house four (4) educational structures: The Administration Building, The Junior High School, The Senior High School and The Spark. For the first phase of construction, the Senior High School Building (Grades 11 and 12) will be built to house 28 modern classroom facilities, academic laboratories and support facilities for both students and faculty. It will provide open spaces for students to learn beyond the four walls of their classrooms and flex their creative muscles to think outside the box. These open spaces aim to inspire curiosity and promote the attainment of developmental and holistic learning.
In order to transition to the full implementation of the Senior High School program, “The Spark”, a five-storey building, will be built to cater to the needs of the students as they pursue the Academic Track and Arts and Design Track. Under the Academic Track, the school will offer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), ABM (Accountancy, Business and Management) and HUMSS (Humanities and Social Sciences). The Spark is envisioned to be a dynamic avenue for educational explorations and discoveries. This will be reflected in the modern laboratories designed for individual and collaborative projects.
For the second phase of construction, the Junior High School Building, Administration Building and the Sports Zone will be built. There will be a sports complex that will include a FIFA certified track oval and soccer field, two softball fields and an Arena that will house various indoor courts, lecture rooms and an outdoor roofdeck lap pool. Lastly, on its third phase, the Cultural Zone will comprise various art and community-related facilities. These facilities include a 1,500-seater Performing Arts Theater, the Campus Chapel with Community Center and the Parking and Sports Pavilion. The Performing Arts Theater will have state-of-the-art equipment and will be used for large school gatherings and events. The Campus Chapel will feature a weaved “basket” building skin and will be open to the public for regular Sunday Masses.
In the future, DLSZ hopes to transfer the Br. Rafael Donato Night High School (BRafeNHS) Program in the Vermosa Campus to accommodate more students who are financially-challenged but would want to benefit from quality Lasallian education. This move is also one of DLSZ’s visions in ensuring that Lasallian education is more accessible to a greater majority of students in southern Mega Manila.
DLSZ is a member of De La Salle Philippines (DLSP), a district-wide network of 16 Lasallian schools in the country. For 37 years, it has been producing outstanding Lasallians who are responsible citizens in the service of Church and country. According to its founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle, the main purpose of every Christian school is to rear children in accordance with the teachings of Christ as found in the gospel. Thus, DLSZ, as an academic community, fosters not only academic excellence but also the spiritual and moral maturity of the individual.
The DLSZ-Vermosa campus will continue what has been started in the DLSZ-Alabang campus, that is, to offer Lasallian excellence in education thereby developing globally-ready students. The DLSZ-Vermosa Campus will open its doors to Grades 11 and 12 by June 2017.
