Founded in 1906 by the Rt. Rev. Charles Henry Brent, the first Bishop of the Missionary District of the Philippine Islands under the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, Easter School prides itself as the first private school established in Baguio City.

During Easter Week of 1906, the school formally opened its doors to eight young Igorot boys who hiked seven days all the way from Bontoc, Mountain Province. They were later joined by three more boys from Bontoc and seven local boys. These were the pioneer pupils of the Christian institution, which later became home to many students alongside the educational ministry. The school also served as the center from which all-religious work of the Episcopal Church in Baguio and La Trinidad emanated.

The first Headmaster of the school was Father Samuel Drury, ably assisted by Deaconess Anne Hargreaves, a UTO worker from New York, USA. When Father Drury left in 1907, Deaconess Hargreaves took over and aware that girls should also be given the same opportunity for education, she opened the school to the opposite sex in 1909 that saw the establishment of the girl’s weaving room.

When Deaconess Hargreaves went on furlough in 1911, a series of administrative successors took over: Dr. Benjamin M. Platt (1911), he was responsible for composing the Easter School Hymn still sung today; Ms. Frances Bartter (1915); Dr. Platt returned in 1916; Mrs. Beatrice Chambers (1920); Ms. Winifred E. Mann (1924), she was responsible for including grade VII in the curriculum in 1926; Ms. Vaughn Keley (1926); Ms. Chevilette Branford (1928); Rev. Robert FR. Wilner (1929); Mr. Ezra Diman III (1938). Classes were suspended from 1942 to 1945 because of the Pacific war. The school children were evacuated to Sagada, Mt. Province. The sisters of St. Anne took care of the school children until normal operations resumed in Baguio City.

The first Filipino Principal, Mr. Esteban Bangaan took over in 1951. The school then was operated as an elementary school and earned full government recognition for its elementary course on June 15, 1953. When Mr. Bangaan retired in 1964 he was succeeded by Mr. Eusebio Botengan Jr.

The school expanded into a high school in 1964 and earned full government recognition for its secondary program on May 11, 1967.

Mr. Eusebio Botengan resigned in 1967. He was replaced by his brother, Mr. Ressurrection “Rex” Botengan. That year, the Grade VII level was scrapped from the curriculum. In 1969, when the Botengans had to leave for United States, Mrs. Cynthia B. Ano took over for 21 years until her death on January 29, 1991. During her time, the school’s population soared so facilities had to expand.

Under the leadership of Mrs. Cynthia B. Ano the school hurdled the rigid evaluation conducted by a team from the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities – Accrediting Agency Inc. (ACSCU-AAI). As a result, the Federation of Accrediting Agencies in the Philippines (FAAP) granted the school a three-year Level II accredited status in 1988, a distinction which has been reaffirmed several times.

School year 1991 brought forth younger and more ambitious school officialdom. Mrs. Marilyn L. Ngales, Principal-turned-President, stoked the fires of earlier dreams about having an Episcopal Institution of higher learning in Northern Luzon. This wish came to fruition in 1995 when the Commission on Higher Education gave the go signal for the school to offer tertiary programs. Consequently, “Easter School” was re-baptized ”Easter College.”

The College department started with focus on sharing its ideas and resources by creating and sustaining school and community-based programs mutually owned and shared, and intensifying capability building in the indigenous and developing communities through formal and non-formal education programs. Included in the formal education program is the opening of Bachelor of Science in Teacher Education, majors in Developmental Studies, Environmental Studies and Management (alternative programs).

In 2003, the school expanded anew with the opening of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

Summer 2004 marked another milestone in the history of Easter College with the changing of the guards. A new Board of Trustees was convened still headed by the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Central Philippines, the Rt. Rev. Joel A. Pachao. The search for a new college president ended at Trinity College of Quezon City (now Trinity University of Asia), a sister institution of Easter College.

Benjamin Reyes Yngente, Ed. D., a professor at TCQC was appointed by the BOT as the second President of Easter College. On September 3, 2005, after a year as Officer-in-Charge, he was finally installed as President in a solemn and impressive ceremony at the Holy Innocents Episcopal Church.

Under the new management, Easter College immediately instituted academic and administrative reforms and embarked on crisis management strategies and resource recycling which greatly improved the financial outlook of the college. Furthermore, face lifting of the buildings, renovations, provisions for new facilities and equipments, employee-realignment, faculty and staff development and faculty and student recruitment were all attended to.

Easter College, after a thorough review, has set a new vision and mission for the school, which is parallel to the V-M and goals of the whole Episcopal in the Philippines. It reads: An academic community rooted in the Holy Scriptures, strategically responsive to global and national realities, and significantly contributing to the transformation of its constituents into becoming responsible Christian stewards of industry and community.

The school also saw the institutionalization of a Special Education Program which is the school’s response to assisting children with special needs. The program caters to visually-impaired, developmentally-challenged and hearing-impaired children. This is now one of the laboratories of the practice teachers. 

Source: http://www.bsu.edu.ph/aboutus