THE Notre Dame University welcomes more senior high school students as Fr. Emile Laquerre, OMI Building opens this School Year 2026-2027.

Oblate Educational System and NDU Board of Trustees members, university administrators, building contractors and engineers, NDU senior high school faculty and staff, along with the working committees, representatives from suppliers, and institutional partners witnessed the ceremonial pre-inauguration program on May 7, 2026, at the building grounds.

During the pre-inauguration program, candles that symbolize the institution’s core values of faith, integrity, respect, excellence and service were ceremonially lit, followed by the messages given by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Oblate provincial superior Fr. Gerry Gamaliel S. Delos Reyes, OMI, and NDU President Fr. Francis Efren C. Zabala, OMI, DMin.

Father Delos Reyes emphasized in his speech that the work in progress was a symbol of the commitment of the OMI Founder, St. Eugene de Mazenod, through NDU, to educate the young generation, and that this effort was achieved through the combined work of the community towards one vision.

“Behind these walls are countless stories of sacrifice, planning, support and dedication from administrators, benefactors, teachers, parents and many others who believed that our students deserve the very best,” Fr. Delos Reyes said.

In his speech, Fr. Zabala shared some of the SHS faculty’s memorable experiences of traversing from one building to another over the past years.

“Thank you so much to the faculty, staff and administrators of the NDU-SHS Department for your heroism and dedication. Finally, you now have a place you can call your home,” Fr. Zabala said.

The four-storey building, upon its official opening, will house not only the laboratories, offices, audio-visual room, classrooms, dance studio, and band room for the senior high school students but also the technical-vocational programs rooms offered by the university through the Office for Social Development.

As the construction steadily moves towards completion, administrators, faculty and staff continue to accept enrollees for the upcoming school year.

Fr. Emile Laquerre, OMI Building is set to fully operate on June 17, 2026 for the opening of classes.