Holy Cross College History
Holy Cross Academy is the first private Catholic school established in Sta. Ana, Pampanga. It was founded on the memorable day of November 29, 1945, by the late Very Rev. Msgr. Fernando C. Lansangan, with the generous support of civic-minded citizens of the town. The move was born out of the need to cater to the educational needs of young men and women. This was done by providing opportunities for intellectual and physical growth and inculcating Christian moral principles and ideals to students. The establishment of the school was also a response to the urgent plea of many townspeople who, due to limited financial capability, cannot afford to send their children to schools located in other towns.
On July 1, 1945, the Department of Education granted the school a permit to operate as a secondary private school. In 1946, the DepEd awarded the school full government recognition. In 1985, the school secured a permit to offer college courses from the Department of Education, Culture and Spots. In 1988, it received full government recognition. The school was renamed Holy Cross College.
The high school is the pioneer of HCC. It started with a small class of six fourth-year high school students who completed the first three years of high school in either Arayat or San Fernando, Pampanga. The school was then temporarily housed at the Sta. Ana Parish Convent, thanks to the kindness of the Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Osmundo Calilung. The first batch completed their three years of secondary course either in Arayat or San Fernando, Pampanga. In 1946, the first batch of students graduated.
In the succeeding seven years, the administrators noted an increase in the number of enrollees and the fast-growing interest of the community in HCC. This encouraged the founders to double their efforts and acquire the needed resources to erect a permanent building to accommodate the growing population. After some time, with the grace of the divine providence, a seven-room building was constructed on a lot offered by the late Msgr. Fernando C. Lansangan. The lot was located at Barangay Sta. Lucia, Sta. Ana, Pampanga. Towards the end of the school year 1954-1955, the building was completed and all the needed equipment, furniture, and other materials were procured. At the start of the school year 1955-1956, the school was transferred from the convent to its present site.
The supportive action of the community for HCC brought about a tremendous increase in the number of enrollees, starting school year 1957-1958. Because of this, the school administration exerted more effort and time to generate funds for the construction of more buildings and classrooms.
The following buildings with more classrooms were erected: Quonset (1959), Annex I (1963), Concrete Stage (1967), annex II (1972), Annex III (1982), Annex IV (1988).
In the mid-1980s, further population growth was, again, noted in all departments. This inspired the school owners to be more aggressive in the development of physical facilities. Through the effort and dedication of the officers and members of the incumbent Board of Trustees, a three-room building for students was constructed in 1989. From 1994 to 1997, two-story buildings were erected. These buildings have a total of 23 classrooms, which undoubtedly added to the prestige of the school as a rapidly expanding college.
In three consecutive school years, there were additional structures:
•School Chapel (SY 2010-2011)
•Four classrooms at the right-wing of the high school building (SY 2010-2011)
•Four classrooms at the center portion of the high school building (SY 2011-2012)
•New administration building (SY 2012-2013)
Establishment of the Senior High School and College Departments
The college started with four program offerings:
•Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED)
•Bachelor of Arts (AB) with majors in English and Mathematics
•Bachelor of Science in Commerce (BSC) with Business Management, •Two-year Secretarial course
The Education program paved the way for the establishment of the Pre-Elementary and Elementary Department. In compliance with the K-12 curriculum, HCC acquired the provisional permit to operate the Senior High School program (SHS) in 2015.
With the blessings of God Almighty, the school is gaining success as an Institution of Learning. The three departments are doing well in the performance of their inherent functions. The college department, which started with a small population, has seen an increase in the number of enrollees from this town and its neighboring municipalities.
Plans were laid down for more program offerings that are suited to the demands of the time. These were:
•Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSE) with major in Mathematics, English, Physical Education, Filipino, Science and Values Education (1998) •Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) (1999) and Associate in Computer Technology (ACT) (1995)
•Ladderized courses for BSCS: two-year PC Operations, two-year degree Programming (2006),
•Six-month Professional Caregiving Course (2004),
•Nursing Aide, a one year course
•Practical Nursing, a two-year course (2006)
•Bachelor of Science in Nursing (2007)
•Hotel and Restaurant Services, a two-year ladderized-course (2007)
•Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management, a four-year course (2008)
•Tourism, a two-year program
The school also offered short term courses, with a three-month duration:
•Building Wiring Installation
•Consumer Electronics
•Computer Maintenance and Software Development Course
•Bartending (NC level 2)
•Housekeeping
•Tour Guiding and Travel Services
In the more recent years, HCC added the following in its list of program offers: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology in 2010, Bachelor of Elementary Education major in Pre-school Education in 2012, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in 2013, and Bachelor of Science in Accounting Technology in 2013.
In addition, the BS Development Communication, BS Psychology, BS Criminology, and Bachelor of Library and Information Science acquired the permit to operate in 2018. The latest program offerings are the programs BS Civil Engineering and BS Computer Engineering which were offered last July 2019.