ARA-AL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Ara-al Elementary School is one of the remote schools in the Division of La Carlota City that is blessed with the gifts of nature. It is situated in the mountainous area and is in the eastern portion of La Carlota City, 14 kilometers away from the city proper. It has an area of one hectare ( 10,000 square meters ) donated by two generous land owners namely Juan Araneta and Rafael Alunan . Originally, the name ARA-AL was taken from the combination of their family names; ARA from Araneta and AL from Alunan, thus ARA-AL was finally born.
The school was built before the war and is the landmark of the barangay. During the Japanese occupation in the Philippines, many prominent residents of the city sought refuge in the place because it was very far from the Japanese garrison, thus it was considered a safe place for evacuation. It was only after the liberation in 1944 when the repairs were made and the school was rebuilt through the initiative of late Congressman Carlos Hilado. It was given formal recognition in the year 1963 and cater 22 pupils under the first principal of the school. Presently, it has one building for the library and principal’s office with 28 classrooms. There is an extension of Nipa hut classroom at Sitio Nailab for the Kinder and Grade I pupils which was started last school year 2012- 2013 with a multi- grade classes. The lot has an area of 200 square meters offered by Mr. Ereneo Cahilig. Most of the school’s total population are children of farm workers and under – employed parents whose economic status fall below poverty line and is coming from far flung sitios namely; Nailab, Nalup-an, Guintubdan, Nalupitan, Gama, Mansibanga, Trece, Binoy, Makat-I and even parts of Bago City like Had. Fenix and Ilabu. Apparently, as you enter the school campus, you will feel the coolness and freshness of the air that welcomes everyone. The library building delighted their senses with its elegant style, well painted walls and imported toys and books courtesy of Books for the Barrios Foundations Inc. through Mrs. Nancy Harrington from California USA. Ecologically, you will notice and experience the balance of nature as you roam around the school campus. They will be fascinated with the beauty of different plants in the Botanical Garden, the art of landscaping, the healing-scent of the Medicinal Garden, the silent voice of nature thanking for saving and giving them importance in Bio – Park, the chant of hungry mouth fed with harvested crops from the Food Production Area, the core value of being Makabansa and respect for the national hero is manifested at the Rizal Park and the usefulness of garbage at the school’s Material Recovery and Facility Area. The school possesses almost everything an Environment –Friendly School should have. Year 2003 and 2004, the school was adjudged 2nd runner-up for two consecutive years for the rural category in the ‘’ Search for the Cleanest and Greenest School “in La Carlota City. For school year 2004-2005 the school actively participated in the search for Most Environment- Friendly School in the province of Negros Occidental – a program of Negros Occidental government to give due recognition to schools who have shown greater participation and remarkable contribution in the promotion and sustainability of environment- friendly practices in school. It successfully received a plaque and a cash prize of fifteen thousand pesos (Php15,000.00). For school year 2005-2006, the school was one of the Semi-Finalists in the said search and won fifty thousand pesos (Php 50,000.00). For two consecutive school years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, the school participated in the ‘’Search for Most Environment- Friendly School ‘’ in the province of Negros Occidental and successfully won the plaque of recognition and One Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 100,000.00 ) being the Champion. Year 2009, the school represented the Region VI in the ‘’National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Initiatives”. Year 2010 – 2014, the school was adjudged as ‘’First Place in the Clean and Green Competition–School Category during the City Environment Week Celebration. Year 2013, the school received a certificate of recognition as First Place (Regional Level) in the 2013 National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools and represented the Region VI in the National Level. Year 2014, the Province of Negros Occidental awarded the school a cash prize of Twenty Thousand Pesos (Php 20,000.00) and a Bronze Seal on Good Environmental Governance in recognition of our exemplary performance in the protection and conservation of our environment. The succeeding year, the school step up to the next level as it received the Silver Seal on Good Environmental Governance. With the cooperation of the pupils, parents, teachers and all the stakeholders, the Division of La Carlota City and the Office of the City Mayor awarded us a ‘’Gold Seal of Excellence’ and a cash prize of Fifty Thousand Pesos (Php 50,000.00) in recognition of the excellent and meritorious school performances in Access and Internal Efficiency, Quality and Relevance and Management of Educational Services for two (2) consecutive school year, SY 2013-2014 and SY 2015-2016. This June 2016, the school received a plaque of Special Exemplary Award during the City Environment Week Celebration as recognition and acknowledgement as a sustained Good Environmental Governance in the Search for the Most Cleanest and Greenest School for 3 consecutive years. On June 24, 2016, the school was awarded the Gold Seal during the Seal of Good Environmental Governance, Province of Negros Occidental and a cash prize of Forty Thousand Pesos (Php 40,000.00) at the Bacolod City. Ara-al Elementary School will keep on striving in the pursuit of quality education to produce graduates who are not only academically conscious but ecologically conscious individuals as well. In one way or another, our advocacy to our environment helps minimize the hazardous effects of environmental problems bombarding our Mother Earth. Our school serves as a model, a transparency that no matter how busy, let’s take an effort to serve our nature, it’s our irreplaceable resources, our treasure to keep for life. Thus, the school administrator, teachers, parents and pupils vow to commit ourselves to join in the environmental search, not for the fame but for the preservation of Mother Earth for the benefit of the present and future generations. |