Elevator Music: SLU Through the Years

See those buildings in the picture above? You might be wondering what those buildings are for and what they're called. Collectively, this group of buildings is called Saint Louis University, the main campus to be exact. Each of those buildings have their own purpose. One for engineering, one for medicine, one for law, etc. SLU is one of the top schools in Northern Luzon, Philippines.

SLU has been around for 100 years, with it celebrating its 100th anniversary this December 2010, just one month before it really turns 100, which is 2011. So, if you do the math, SLU began in 1911.

The SLU Centennial Logo

Before I share the details, let me tell how SLU began. After all, to know something better, you must know where it came from. So, let's begin.

During the 19th century, a certain priest from Belgium named Fr. Théophile Verbist founded the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, or CICM for short), a missionary congregation located in Scheut, a suburb near Brussels.

Fr. Theophile Verbist

During 1907, CICM missionaries arrived in the Philippines and settled down in Benguet, with a mission to Christianize the locals. In 1911, Rev. Fr. Seraphin Devesse established a small one-room elementary school, which he named Saint Louis School in honor of St. Aloysius de Gonzaga, the school's patron saint, for young kids. As time passed by, this small school grew and grew, eventually branching out into elementary, high school, and college. Many rectors and presidents of this institution have come and gone, with Fr. Jessie Hechanova as its current president. CICM also established other sister schools in different parts of Luzon, but our main focus here is in SLU.

Let's go back to the present. SLU is now a big school. Although, it is not just a school. It is an entire community of people with a common goal: to teach not only the usual topics at school such as math or science but also good morality and Christian values, since it is a Catholic school. I have to say, they're quite good at it.

Saint Louis University is known as the Light of the North. It has four core values: competence, creativity, Christian spirit, and social involvement. The school, in its teachings, have instilled these values into its 30,000+ students for the past 100 years. One of the unique "trademarks" of this school is its logo (as shown below). It's so recognizable, that just one look makes you say, "Ah, that person's a Louisian." What does the logo mean, anyway? Well, according to the official website of SLU:

"The colors of Saint Louis University are white and blue, the colors of the Blessed Virgin Mary. White symbolizes the earth and man. Blue signifies heaven and God. The big golden cross in the middle of the shield represents the Christian faith that the school aims to spread to all corners of the earth symbolized by the four small crosses.

Superimposed on the golden cross is the stylized lily that is associated with Saint Aloysius (Louis) de Gonzaga, the patron saint of the school. The big sword across the shield expresses vigilance and perseverance. The rugged mountains behind the sword signify the obstacles that SLU strives to surpass in bringing the light of truth in the darkness of ignorance.

The year 1911 shows the foundation date while the motto on the lower part of the seal, 'Sapientia Aedificat', expresses the belief of its founders that 'wisdom builds'."

The SLU Logo

Now, SLU is divided into 3: SLU-LES (Laboratory Elementary School), SLU-LHS (Lab. High School; the one where I am now) and Saint Louis University (formerly Saint Louis College). Based on personal experience, I really enjoyed studying in both SLU-LES and LHS. I plan to go to SLU (the college one), but that's beside the point.