Bagong Silang High School

Bagong Silang High School in General Santos City was first established in 2017 and is one of the farthest indigenous peoples schools in the city. The community surrounding the school is completely composed of indigenous peoples, namely hailing from the T’boli and B’laan tribes. Initially, students would have to walk 14 kilometers to get to the school. The distance wasn’t the only hurdle for students; they would have some of their classes in the school’s makeshift gymnasium and as a result would sometimes get drenched when it rains. Dexter Tejedor, teacher-in-charge shares, “Mahirap talaga ang walang classroom kasi hindi ka makakapagplano kung ano yung dapat mong ibigay, bilang isang guro, na nararapat na matutunan ng mga bata.”

The groundbreaking for the HOPE classroom for Bagong Silang High School was particularly momentous–it was the 100th classroom that HOPE has built since committing to championing education. As of January 2022, the school has a student population of 106. This is a great feat considering they started with only 25 enrollees. The locals fondly call the classroom their own piece of “precious gold.” The bayanihan spirit seems to be infectious; one local farmer donated one hectare of his land to the school as he believes in the power of education. The classroom serves as a symbol of hope, inspiration, and a promise of a future that students thought they could only dream about. “Ito ay malaking tulong upang maboost ang spirit ng ating mga IP learners na mangarap at magkaroon ng magandang pananaw sa buhay para makapagtapos,” shares Sir Dexter.