The Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) dedicated its brand-new secondary school building on January 20, 2023. The new facilities are located in a serene area of the AIIAS campus in Silang, Cavite, Philippines, near to the elementary school. The event drew more than 400 students, parents, faculty, and guests.
The new building includes classrooms for grades 7-12, previously located in former Sabbath School rooms connected to the gymnasium.
“The construction of this building is a ‘Coming Home’ for the entire K-12 system,” Jim Weller, AIIAS Academy principal and assistant professor of school leadership, said. “We’ve taught all 13 grades before, but in different locations across campus. So now we have our school in one location, built to serve students, instructors, and the community,” Weller emphasized.
The K-12 program covers Kindergarten plus 12 years of preparatory education. According to educational leaders, it seeks to prepare graduates for college and the workplace. This educational program, an international curriculum based on the Seventh-day Adventist North American Division standards, “provides a substantial advantage that is helpful for both parents and students,” leaders said. “It provides a wholistic approach to education dedicated to assisting its students in growing both academically and spiritually.”
Weller added, “One of the things that is important to me is that we want our whole educational program to be based on the Word of God and the vision of Ellen White for Adventist education.” As part of the dedication program, Weller said, during the pouring of the building’s foundation, a Bible and a copy of Ellen White’s book Education were buried within the school’s foundation as a symbol that the school will be built on God’s Word and the Spirit of Prophecy. The book was provided by the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD), the church region that encompasses the Philippines and a dozen of other Asian countries. It was left open at the page where it reminds readers that “the work of education and redemption are one.”
AIIAS is an institution of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. AIIAS Academy is part of that institution, educational leaders explained. “Its goal is to serve the children of faculty, staff, and students, and area residents who wish to access its special curriculum and approach to education.”
The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division news site.