Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu - Mandaue City 5.54

Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu , originally known as Sacred Heart School for Boys, is a private, Catholic, college-preparatory, K-12 school run by the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. It was established in 1955. Its curriculum includes a Chinese language program.On March 4, 2010, the Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart School for Boys unanimously approved the changing of the school's name to Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu. Previously, its name was Sacred Heart School of the Society of Jesus or Sacred Heart School – Jesuit. It is the ninth Jesuit school in the Philippines to bear the name Ateneo. Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu aside from providing academic excellence also serves as a bridge between the Filipino and Chinese Filipino communities through Christian education that accepts not only Chinese Filipinos but also students who have no Chinese roots.HistoryThe seed for the establishment of a Jesuit-run school in central Visayas was planted in 1953. Fr. Paul O'Brien, then the superior of all Jesuits belonging to the former missions in China, was approached by the Catholic Chinese-Filipino community of Cebu City regarding the possibility of establishing a school that has a Chinese language program in its curriculum for the education of their children.Once approval was secured from the Superior General of the Jesuits in Rome, the school initially operated as an affiliate of San Jose-Recoletos. The Fathers of San Jose Recoletos generously provided it with their Principal and a contingent of lay faculty members.In 1955, Sacred Heart School was officially established as an independent school, built along Gen. Maxilom Avenue, Cebu City, with Fr. Francisco Heras, S.J., one of the Jesuits expelled from Communist China, as the first rector. The school was an all-boys institution.