AIIAS held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 20, 2023, to officially inaugurate the new high school building for the AIIAS Academy.
The vision started to materialize substantially in 2019 when the AIIAS Board and the Administrative Committee under the leadership of Dr. Stephen Guptill (AIIAS president 2006-2019) envisioned a school that would house the growing population of AIIAS Academy students who then were attending school in rooms located at the AIIAS Gymnasium. Since the Philippine education system legislated the adjustment of high school completion from grade 10 to grade 12, the need for a new academy complex grew. Fundraising began earlier in the year and by November 15, 2019, a groundbreaking was held to signal the beginning of construction.
Significant donations came in from the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters, the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) of Seventh-day Adventists, the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD) of Seventh-day Adventists, and the Chinese Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists. Additionally, the project was blessed by the generosity of several anonymous donors, as well as from faculty and staff and other friends and families connected to AIIAS and AIIAS Academy.
“Thank you to God, the Father of us all for His graciousness in bringing all these wonderful generous-hearted people together in making this project happen,” remarks AIIAS President Ginger Ketting-Weller as she integrated the importance of Micah 6:8 in her acknowledgment speech. “We will seek him to enable our AIIAS Academy and students to ‘do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God’,” continued Weller.
The new high school building houses classrooms that can accommodate up to 30 students, spacious laboratories, a common area, a computer lab, a maker space, a music room and a library. It has also made history in being the first building at AIIAS equipped with an elevator, making it a PWD-friendly facility.
“The completion of this building has brought together all our K-12 students under one campus. That’s a major step for AIIAS and its Academy. I see for the future that our science labs and our MakerSpace [will] become really front and center for the strong math, science, and engineering focus of the school. Of course, we’ll keep our biblical foundation,” says Jim Weller, Principal of AIIAS Academy.
A piece of water-cut marble can be found in the high school building’s entryway, commemorating two books that are buried in the physical foundation of the school: The Bible opened to Psalm 127:3 which says, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it”, and a quote from the book of Education by Ellen G White that was opened to page 30, “In the highest sense, the work of education and the work of redemption are one, for in education, as in redemption ‘no other foundation can be laid than has already been laid, that is, Jesus Christ.”
“These books will serve as the foundation to the continuing Adventist education that will go on in this building,” continues Weller.
The event was supported in attendance by AIIAS Academy students, parents, and teachers, and AIIAS administrators, faculty, and staff. Among the guests who participated in the ribbon cutting were officers from Chinese Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists, NSD, and SSD. Special guests also included Dr. Hope Zhang, president of China Adventist Seminary along with other representatives of the Chinese Union Mission; Dr. Diana P. Topacio, Department of Education Consultant Chief SGOD of Cavite Province; Atty. Ian Aaron Anarna, Legal Advisor of the Office of Silang Mayor. Representatives from the Association of Barangay Chairmans (ABC) of Silang, Cavite also graced the occasion.
Ribbon-Cutting Participants
(Pictured from Left to Right)
- Daniel Jiao, DMin, President, China Union Mission
- Leni Casimiro, PhD, Chair, AIIAS Academy Board and AIIAS Education Department
- Elmer Brofas, Director, AIIAS Physical Plant
- Jim Weller, PhD, Principal, AIIAS Academy
- Ginger Ketting-Weller, PhD, President, AIIAS
- Stephen Guptill, EdD, President 2006-2019, AIIAS
- Kim Si Young, DMin, President 2017-2022, Northern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists
- Bienvenido Mergal, PhD, Corporate Secretary, AIIAS Board; Education Director, Southern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists
- Augusto Dela Paz, Architect
