20 Questions:  Fr. Santos Mena

You can’t miss Fr. Santos Mena as he saunters down Xavier’s corridors flashing that toothy smile of his, reminiscent of Fred McMurray in “My Three Sons”. Mr. Robin Tong, Batch ’72

Money Matters

Excerpt #3

Although Kuang Chi’s tuition followed the levels of the best schools in Manila like Ateneo and La Salle , yet, given the small enrollment in the first year, tuition income couldn’t account for much. The fact that, from the very beginning, out of 170 students, 28 paid only one-half tuition and two no tuition at all did not make things any better. But there was hope that with the expected increase in enrollment in the following year, tuition fees would cover a good part of operational expenses. More

Unbearable pressure, Boys and only Boys

Excerpt #2

This was the situation in the month of March 1956, barely three months before opening day, and these were the rumors going around the gossip-mills in Chinatown when Father Desautels received a barrage of letters, suggestions, and unsolicited opinions predicting that, unless girls were accepted, the new school’s classrooms would be empty. More

December 15, 1955
Excerpt #1

December 15, 1955, a Thursday, was perhaps the most dramatic and most momentous day in the whole history of Xavier School. For the fateful deadline had arrived and Father Desautels and his friends were still hopelessly short of the 100,000 pesos needed by 5:00 p.m. that day. They had been working hard the whole week, wearing out the soles of their shoes going from store to store and from office to office in Chinatown, and had collected many pledges, but all the cash they had was 41,000 pesos... More