By Maria Viktoria M. Viado

As the Green and Gold community opens its gates this school year, it welcomes the newest members of the herd – the Far Eastern University Senior High School (FEU-SHS) students – in the threshold of a brand-new home and a chapter of change.

FEU-SHS emerged from an oasis known for its excellence in academics, eminence in sports and distinct culture and arts. Extending its remarkable legacy, the senior high school serves as another avenue for the University to rear a younger breed of Tamaraws.

As the hybrid campus of both high school and college, everything was put under the microscope to make sure FEU meets the needs of the first batch of SHS students - from the programs to the facilities - as it opens its first senior high campus.

One of the university’s well-known Art Deco structures, the Nursing Building, which was recently tailored to the standard of the Department of Education, currently houses the little Tams. To accommodate everyone, some rooms of the Education Building also serve as headquarters for learning.

Still, despite the refashioned rooms and upgraded amenities, FEU-SHS made sure that they preserve the architecture and style of the original lair of the Tamaraws.

“Even here in the NB [Nursing Building], the atrium and the deco tiling were enhanced because there is already a standard on what would be allowed in FEU, even the color scheme and office furniture. In terms of structure, rest assured that there is no major deviations,” FEU-SHS Executive Director Regina Sibal confidently said.

Whilst the old but gold aesthetics in the facilities are retained, it is also infused with modern innovations to adjust to the contemporary. Having a technology-assisted learning is said to be a major step up for this senior high campus.

“We need to strike a balance with our past and how to integrate technology that it does not overthrow culture,” Sibal remarked.
This is a major check for the baby Tams. That is why when they took their first step inside the campus, some SHS students observed that the environment is seemingly a fusion of culture and modernity.

“The FEU-SHS building is technologically advanced in many ways compared to other universities and high school campuses. I find it astonishing because of the cleanliness and orderliness of the building. In my opinion, this school would be a great educational environment for the new generations of students. I just love how the building was built and renovated. It is undeniably beautiful,” uttered by Joefred H. Dojoles Jr., Grade 11 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) student.

However, this majestic home is not for the young Tamaraws alone, it is meant to be shared with their seniors. Being boxed in the same environment with the college students might be a glitch, but of course, there is no reason for the herd to reach a divide.

“Challenge is the shared facilities. Some of the facilities are still gonna be used by FEU Manila. But at the end of the day, we are a community and this problem is something we can easily resolve within. But of course [we still] establish that identity in whatever we have,” Sibal shared.

Being true Tamaraws means embracing the newcomers in the Green and Gold land and yes, embracing the Big C - change. But as the FEU community continuously expands, the University maintains it distinct mark, preserving its treasured masterpieces but never forgetting to welcome innovations as well.