Catholic Elementary School honored with 2026 Most Inspiring Small School Award
By Myrna Bermudo
The Sta. Rafaela Maria School, a small neighborhood elementary school in Sabang, Naga City, was recognized by the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) with the Most Inspiring Small School: Innovation in Faith Formation Award at the CEAP National Convention in Cebu City, Sept. 24.
According to school principal Sr. Aline Barde, ACI, the school offers children holistic education through faith and values teaching. “Holistic education fosters academic formation, coupled with moral and character building and compassion to those in need,” she said.
At the heart of the school’s educational principles is the daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Primary school students, especially those in Kindergarten, visit the chapel for adoration or prayer for ten minutes; thirty minutes of daily prayer for pupils in the intermediate class.
Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon noted that this is a distinct quality of the children who study at Sta. Rafaela Maria School. “The children have developed the habit of regularly going to the Blessed Sacrament to pray by themselves, and the parents are also given formation.”
With students mostly coming from underprivileged families, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or ACI, allows a flexible payment system sustained by faith-filled community support. This means monthly pledges or contributions depending on the family capacity.
“Parents appreciate how they can avail of quality Catholic education based on their capacity, on how they can share not only financial contribution, but also their talents, time and resources. We have a feeding program everyday here in school. This year, we also started lunch for our 100 malnourished students,” Sr. Aline said.
Students are also taught to be compassionate and to help those in need. They save one peso a day for their Christmas reverse caroling, when students visit poor families and sing them Christmas songs and share gifts, mostly grocery items.
To Sr. Aline, this makes the school and its pupils part of a community and a family-oriented school.
The mantra of the ACI sisters is “Love first, then Teach”. “A child needs to feel loved before she/he will be interested in the lessons for the day”, Sr. Aline said.
When asked what the recognition meant for the school and its community, Sr. Aline says that it is a blessing and an affirmation of one’s vocation to be a Catholic educator. “It also affirms that though we are a small school, we create impact on our students, especially in their interior life. It highlights the way we teach values education and how we form children in the Catholic faith.”
This year, the school celebrates its 32nd foundation anniversary, with two ACI sisters, 15 teachers and 2 personnels.
“Indeed, the greatness of a school is not measured by its size, facilities or resources, but by the hearts of those in the community. This is where we experience, in the heart of each one, God’s grace, God’s love and God’s mercy,” Archbishop Alarcon said.
The Sta. Rafaela Maria School was chosen by CEAP for its innovative teaching style, inclusion and community impact through daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, parish involvement, environmental stewardship, and tuition-free initiatives sustained by faith-filled community support.
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