Holy Cross College History
Holy Cross Academy was 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 some civic-minded citizens of the town. The move was borne out of the left need to cater to the educational needs of young men and women through the provisions of opportunities for intellectual and physical growth as well as the inculcation of Christian moral principles and ideals. 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 school located in other towns.
The permit to operate as a secondary private school was granted by the Department of Education on July 1, 1945. Full government recognition was awarded in 1946. The school was renamed Holy Cross College (HCC) and a permit to offer college courses were secured from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports in 1985. Full government Recognition was received in 1988.
The High School is the pioneer of HCC. It started with fourth year class of six students temporarily housed at the Sta. Ana Parish Convent, through 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. They were the first successful graduates of the school in 1946.
In succeeding seven years, a fairly good increase in enrollment and fast growing interest of the community was noted which encouraged the founders to double their efforts and to acquire the needed resources in putting up a bigger permanent building for growing population. After some time, with the grace of the divine providence, a 7-room edifice was constructed on the lot voluntarily offered by the late Msgr. Fernando C. Lansangan located at Barangay Sta. Lucia, Sta. Ana, Pampanga. Towards the end of the school year 1954-1955, the building was successfully completed and all the needed equipment, furniture and other materials were produced. At the start of the school year 1955-1956, the school was transferred from the convent to its present site.
Due to the tremendous increase in enrollment starting school year 1957-1958 brought about by the supportive action of the community in patronizing the school, the school administration was motivated to exert more effort and time in generating funds for the gradual construction of more buildings with more classrooms to ease the problem on student accommodation.
The following buildings with more provisions for classrooms were erected; Quonset (1959), Annex I (1963), Concrete Stage (1967), annex II (1972), Annex III (1982), Annex IV (1988).
In the middle ‘80s, a further growth in population was again noted in all departments, which inspired the school owners to be more aggressive in the development of physical facilities. Through the joint effort and dedication of the officers and members of the incumbent Board of Trustees, a 3-room building for graders was constructed in 1989.In 1994 and 1997, two-story buildings were erected with 23 classrooms, which undoubtedly added to the prestige of the school as a fast growing college.
In three consecutive school years, there were additional structures that were constructed: SY 2010-2011 School Chapel and additional four (4) classrooms at the right wing of the High School building, SY 2011-2012 another four (4) classrooms were added to the center portion of the H.S. building. In 2012-2013, the new administration building was completed in August 2012.
Establishment of the Senior High School and College Department
The college started with four courses: Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED), Bachelor of Arts (AB) with majors in English and Mathematics, Bachelor of Science in Commerce (BSC) with Business Management, and a two-year Secretarial course. The Education course paved the way for the establishment of the Pre-Elementary and Elementary Department. In compliance with the K-12 curriculum, the provisional permit to operate the Senior High School program (SHS) was acquired in 2015.
With blessings of God Almighty, the school is gaining success as an Institution of Learning. The three departments are doing well in the performance of the inherent function. The college department, which started with a very small population, is increasing its enrollment coming from this town and its environs.
Plans were laid down for more courses offering suited to the demands of the time aside from the latest recognized education course. These were Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSE) with major in Mathematics, English, Physical Education, Filipino, Science and Values Education (1998) and Computer Courses: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) (1999) and Associate in Computer Technology (ACT) (1995), three months Building Wiring Installation, three months Consumer Electronics, three months Computer Maintenance and Software Development Course (2005), Ladderized course for BSCS- Two Year PC Operations, two year Programming (2006), a six month Professional Caregiving Course (2004), Nursing Aide, a one year course, Practical Nursing, a two year course (2006), and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (2007), and Hotel and restaurant Services, a two year Ladderized course in 2007, and B.S. in Hotel and Restaurant Management, a four year course in (2008) and Tourism, a two year course.
The school also offered short term course (three months duration): Bartending (NC level 2), Housekeeping, Tour Guiding and Travel Services, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology in 2010, Bachelor of Elementary Education major in Pre-school Education 2012, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy 2013, and Bachelor of Science in Accounting Technology 2013. In addition, the B.S. Development Communication, B.S. Psychology, B.S. Criminology, and Bachelor of Library and Information Science acquired the permit to operate in 2018. Also, B.S. Civil Engineering and B.S. Computer Engineering started its offering on July, 2019.