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Philippine Science High School - Main Campus
Filipino: Mataas na Paaralang Pang-Agham ng Pilipinas - Pangunahing Kampus
Location
Map
Quezon City
,
Metro Manila

Philippines
Coordinates14°39′1.37″N 121°2′27.46″E / 14.6503806°N 121.0409611°E / 14.6503806; 121.0409611
Information
TypePublic specialized high school
Established1964
DirectorLawrence V. Madriaga
Grades7 to 12
LanguageFilipino, English
Websitemc.pshs.edu.ph

The Philippine Science High School - Main Campus is the flagship campus of the Philippine Science High School System. It was founded in 1964. It is located along Senator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue (formerly Agham Road), Diliman, Quezon City.

The Campus

The 7.5-hectare (19-acre) campus includes two main buildings, the Science and Humanities Building (SHB), and the Advanced Science and Technology Building (ASTB).[1] As of school year (SY) 2016–2017, a constructed extension on the back of the SHB (SHB-BEx) has been available to use by students and faculty. Since SY 2022-2023, a constructed extension on the front of the SHB (SHB-FEx) has also been available to use by students and faculty. The Science and Humanities Building is where majority of the classes are held and majority of the faculty units, namely the Biology, Chemistry, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Research, and Humanities Units, have their offices.[2] The Curriculum Instructions and Services Division (CISD) Office, Student Services Division (SSD) Office, Office of the Registrar, Office of the Director, and the school library were all located on the second floor of the same building until the availability of use of the Administration Building since SY 2022-2023, in which only the school library remained on the second floor of the SHB, along with the Humanities Units and the Guidance and Counseling Unit (GCU).

The Science and Humanities Building
The Administration Building

The Computer Science Unit, Art-Design-Technology Unit, Physics Unit, and the Management Information System (MIS) are located in the Advanced Science and Technology Building. Classes in Computer Science 3-5, Technology Preparation, Physics 2-4, Chemistry 3-4, and Biology 4 are usually held in this building. Grade 10 electives such as Computational Crafts and Mathematical Physics are likewise held in this building.

The campus also includes four dormitories. For SY 2023-2024, two are for boys and two are for girls, and they are subdivided in turn by class (one for Grade 9, 10, and 11 students, one for Grade 7, 8, and 12 students).[3]

Olympic-size swimming pool in the multipurpose gym

There are many recreational facilities on campus. One of them is a multipurpose gymnasium, which has bowling lanes, pingpong tables[citation needed], a dance room, basketball court and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Outside the gym, a football field, concessionaires, track oval, volleyball court, and another basketball court may also be found.

Classes

Admissions

To be admitted to the PSHS System, a prospective student must pass the PSHS National Competitive Exam. In order to take the exam, the student must belong to the top 10% of the graduating class. Around 20,000 applications are received each year. The top 240 students of the exam are guaranteed slots in the Main Campus. In case a student doesn't want to enter the school or wants to transfer to another campus, students from the waiting list are called up to be enrolled in the Main Campus in order to complete the 240 slots allotted by the system.[4] They are then divided into eight sections with 30 students or less in each section. After the first year of the batch, slots emptied by dismissed students or those who choose to transfer are then filled by new students who qualify via a placement exam given to students who belong to the top percentage of their batch in another school.[5] However, currently only up to Grade 9 students are allowed to be transferees. Afterwards, the remaining students are the only ones left who can graduate at the Main Campus.

Students from the Main Campus may transfer to other campuses. Students from the regional campuses may apply for transfer to the Main Campus. However, they must meet a grade requirement. Students outside the Philippine Science High School System may also apply for transfer to the Main Campus. However, they must take a lateral exam and must meet a grade requirement.

Curriculum

Students undergo through a curriculum which emphasizes the sciences and mathematics. During Grades 7–9, the students all have a unified core curriculum with a heavier load to their math and science subjects. For Grade 10, the same is true but they get to choose one elective subject. For the Specialization Years Program (SYP) or Grades 11–12, they get to choose a core science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) and an elective (all the core sciences, Agriculture, Computer Science, Engineering, Technology), along with their research and humanities subjects.[6] The core science chosen cannot be changed going into Grade 12, while the elective can.

There are also non-graded but required activities that students must finish before they finish Grade 12. These activities are the Science Immersion Program (SIP) and the Service, Creativity, Action, and Leadership (SCALE) program. The SIP is mainly done by incoming/current Grade 10, 11, and 12 students, while the SCALE program is done by SYP students.

Sections

The Main Campus has around 30 students in each class, with 8 classes per batch, in a total of about 240 students in each year level. The names of the sections in each year level are in accordance to a theme based on the major subject offered in that particular year level in the former 4-year curriculum. (Earth Science for Grade 7, Biology for Grade 8, Chemistry for Grade 9, and Physics for Grade 10). Each section in Grades 7-10 is assigned a Homeroom Adviser.

In the new 6-year curriculum, the sections of Grades 11 and 12 are based on the students' chosen core science and elective, along with the chosen difficulty of said sciences and Math. From there, 5 sections are given to each student:

Streaming

Streaming to Technology and Science streams began in June 1995. Only 2 sections out of the 8 in each 'batch' were chosen to be in the Technology stream.

Prior to 2005, incoming freshmen batches were required to take a streaming exam to determine their mathematics and sciences aptitude. Those who had rather high scores were put into the so-called "Technology Stream" and had a set curriculum that includes drafting and technology research. The "Science Stream" had art and earth science classes in the first and second years and had more leeway in choosing their electives, which include English and Filipino journalism, microbiology, microprocessing, and visual communications.

Starting from Batch 2009, streaming was abolished. Instead of having 90 students taking technology electives during the second year, based on the student's first year performance and desired stream, every student has a fair chance of experiencing both the science and technology stream.

Student life

Organizations

Many of the organizations in PSHS-MC are clubs. They may be divided into 4 categories:

Other organizations in PSHS-MC include, but not limited to, the following:

YMSAT and Humanities Weeks

The school annually holds a Humanities Week during November or December. During this week, students do various activities related to the Humanities Subjects (English, Filipino, Social Science, Values Education, P.E., Health, and Music). One such activity is the showcase of students' month-long rehearsed presentations for the annual Patimpalak sa Filipino, where Grade 7 students showcase Kilos Awit, Grade 8 students present Sabayang Pagbigkas, Grade 9 students do non-conventional music, while Grade 10 students perform interpretative dances. Other activities include the Pisay Debate Open, Human Libraries, and various talks related to the theme of the Humanities Week when the talks are held.

Aside from the Humanities Week, the school also annually holds a Youth Math Science and Technology (YMSAT) Week, typically during February or March. During this week, special science projects are presented by various year levels not only to the whole Philippine Science High School community but to some visiting schools as well. Brain Blast is also held during this week, with Grade 10 and Grade 11 students viewing the defense of various Science and Technology Research (STR) projects by Grade 12 students, the panelists mainly being PSHS-MC teachers who specialize in the specific topic of the STR project being defended.

School Fair

The school also holds a 3-day fair every school year during December or January. The management of the fair is usually delegated to one batch, typically the batch that is Grade 10 or 11 at the time of the commencement of the fair. Batch 2025 is managing the fair for SY 2023-2024. The management usually starts on the previous school year, as a lot of preparation is needed.

Various booths and a few rides may be seen through the course of the fair. On the night of the third day, a concert called Battle of the Bands (BOTB) is held, with various school bands and a few guest bands performing on stage and judges giving out prizes to the best school band of the night.

The names of the fair and its corresponding BOTB vary year-by-year and are based on a certain theme. On SY 2022-2023, Batch 2024 named the fair "Ephemera 2023" and its BOTB "Evanesce".

Notable alumni

Notes

  1. ^ Campus Tour, PSHS Main Campus website
  2. ^ Faculty Units, PSHS Main Campus website
  3. ^ "Dormitories". Philippine Science High School - Main Campus. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  4. ^ Freshman Applicants, PSHS Main Campus website
  5. ^ Transfer, PSHS Main Campus website
  6. ^ Special Curriculum, PSHS Main Campus website
  7. ^ "MARTYRS AND HEROES: Mariano Lopez". Bantayog ng mga Bayani Website. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2023-10-05.

References

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