NEWS RELEASE || 𝐒𝐭𝐚. 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐳 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥'𝐬 𝐆𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧: 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡, 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

BUTUAN CITY, July 21, 2025—𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗜𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗖. 𝗔𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮. 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝘇 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮. 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝘇, 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆—𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 (𝗚𝗣𝗣).

Sta. Cruz Elementary School has become a living classroom, cultivating not only crops but also knowledge, values, and wellness among learners. By integrating gardening into the school curriculum, pupils gain hands-on experience in agriculture while learning about sustainable farming practices and the nutritional value of fresh produce. This initiative is aligned with the Department of Education's Oplan Kalusugan sa DepEd (OKD), which emphasizes health and food security across public schools.

The school's 1.5-hectare garden, a once-idle land now teeming with vegetables and greenery, stands as a testament to how local wisdom, lumad traditions, and modern education can coexist and thrive. The produce from the garden supports the school's feeding program, offering fresh and nutritious meals that enhance students' physical well-being and readiness to learn. Looking forward, the school's ambitious plans to expand its program by procuring additional hydroponics materials and Gulayan sa Paaralan equipment, while also strengthening linkages with the community to ensure sustainability, are a cause for hope and excitement.

In support of these efforts, Sta. Cruz Elementary School has received vital technical assistance from division personnel, district supervisors, and engaged stakeholders. These collaborations have helped strengthen the school's implementation of the GPP, further positioning it as a model of agri-literacy, entrepreneurship, and environmental stewardship. The school's commendable practices, which have even caught national attention, are a source of pride for the community. The visit of former Secretary of Education Sara Z. Duterte, who recognized its impactful initiatives in promoting health, sustainability, and community engagement, is a testament to the school's achievements.

Through this initiative, Sta. Cruz Elementary School has undergone a remarkable transformation, not just in its physical environment but also in its educational landscape. It has become a hub of kauswagan (progress) where the bayanihan spirit flourishes and futures rooted in health, resilience, and community empowerment are continually being sown, inspiring all who witness this journey.

For more information, contact (085) 221-1151, 0961-737-0873, or 0915-808-4734. Website: www.caraga.deped.gov.ph; email: caraga@deped.gov.ph; pau_caraga@deped.gov.ph.

𝐄𝐍𝐃

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