Collective Leadership and Governance! Community-Based Learning! Accountability for Performance and Results! Convergence to Harness Resources for Education!
Such are the astounding proactive mechanisms that made Agusan Sur National High School stands resilient in hurdling the joys and pains of the past, present, and even its future undertakings!
Like any other institutions with stories of their humble beginnings, ASNHS had also crossed some grounds before reaping astounding glories which gradually flourished to what it has now become and has been continuously recognized for its numerous awards, citations, and commendations in the divisional, regional, national and even in the international platforms.
The former Agusan del Sur Provincial High School (ASPHS) was the brainchild of Hon. Valentina G. Plaza, Governor of Agusan del Sur (1971-75) and the two mentors, the late Hon. Alberto A. Jubilan, and the late Hon. Teofilo E. Gelacio known as Datu Manggosawon, both former municipal officials of the municipality of San Francisco. The blueprint of forming the education institution was conceived after seeing their rapid influx of people migrating to San Francisco coming from nearby provinces.
On June 4, 1974, its voyage began as it was founded through the concerted efforts of the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur, Municipal Government of San Francisco and the office of the Schools Division Superintendent Mr. German Guazon under the administration of Hon. Valentina G. Plaza.
Only armed with the commitment to improve the quality of life through education, the just been established school had no facilities like the library, laboratory room, laboratory equipment, and had but few instructional materials. Moreover, it was temporarily stationed in the gym and in the Industrial Arts building of San Francisco Pilot Elementary School.
In its first year of operation, S.Y. 1974-75, ASPHS had only an initial budget of ₱20,000 each from the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur and the Municipal Government of San Francisco with 120 first year students and a teaching force of four.
The pioneer mentors included Mrs. Herminia Tiu, who was then the Teacher In-Charge, with Mrs. Virginia Cuizon, Miss. Gloria Quiamjot and Mr. Samuel Adlawan as part of the scroll.
After the completion of the three pre – fab buildings, the school transferred to its present site in the later part of school year 1975-76. One of its oldest buildings was named after the former Mayor Isidro V. Ventura who was appointed mayor by President Ferdinand V. Marcos during the Martial Law.
Since then, there had been a yearly increase of enrolment with the corresponding increase of teachers. Record showed that in the school year 1975-1976, there were 12 sections in the Second Year Level, and in the school year 1977-78, the first batch of 99 were commenced as graduates with 56 males and 43 females.
In 1987, the school was renamed after being nationalized through a Letter of Instruction (LOI-189) relieving the Provincial Government of its funding requirement to the school. The school was then known as Agusan del Sur National High School (ASNHS).
Upon the retirement of Mrs. Herminia A. Tiu on January 9, 2003, ASNHS voyaged with a new captain in the name of Mr. Leopoldo M. Pulido, Principal 1 though it was only a good seven-month stay.
Groomed to head a densely populated school, Mr. Teodoro N. Plaza took the rein as Principal II of Agusan del Sur National High School. Under his fifteen years in manning the province’s education flagship, ASNHS further established its reputation and continued to amass national and international recognitions and awards, giving a tag to ASNHS’s well-lived mantra “Our Best Always.”
It is also in his term when ASNHS was awarded Level 3 or in Advanced Stage in School – Based Management Level of Practice. Moreover, the Project Sterling Peer Accreditation Program for Public High Schools boosted Agusan del Sur National High School after having garnered a sustained Excellent Rating during the Cluster II Evaluation on August 8-9, 2011, division Evaluation on August 31, 2011 and finally Regional Evaluation on September 19, 2011.
After Doctor Plaza’s retirement, Mrs. Lorna P. Gayol, the Curriculum Implementation Division Chief (CID) of DepEd Agusan del Sur division, had a short yet meaningful servitude to the school as the Officer-in-Charge from October to December 2018.
After which, Marilou P. Curugan, a doctor of Human Resource Management, took over as the new ASNHS Principal. She was installed last January 2019. She continued the programs and projects of the previous administrators and had sustained the marathon of achievements that the school has been victoriously garnering.
These are but few of the sojourns that laminated in the ASNHS’s plight. Holding true to the DepEd mission, vision and core values, ASNHS shall continue to plunge its beam towards greatness: stronger, bolder, and more determined to conquer plights with stellar KRAs that don’t just settle for less but at its Best Always!
