A VISIT AT CLAA (CENTRAL LUZON ADVENTIST ACADEMY) FOR THE ANNUAL FAMILY HEALTH CAMP.

A VISIT TO CLAA (CENTRAL LUZON ADVENTIST ACADEMY

Last May 20, 2023, the Central Luzon Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist community celebrated the FAMILY HEALTH CAMP at Central Luzon Adventist Academy (CLAA). This place is located on a very secluded farm in Floridablanca, which is almost the farthest town of Pampanga. Coming from Bulacan, it was a three-hour travel journey there. So, we had to wake up early around 4:00 AM to prepare and be on the road at 6:00 AM because we want to get there in time for the Sabbath worship.

It was my first time visiting CLAA, and my first time experiencing what FAMILY HEALTH CAMP really was about. When we got to the venue, we were greeted by lines of tall green trees, and very simple yet clean school structures. Inside the school field were campers who spent the night there. Hundreds of tents were set up, and there were makeshift kitchens where campers cooked their meals during the 3-day camp.

We arrived just in time for the Sabbath service and the speakers were Sister Jade Hintay and Pastor Nico Francisco. They both gave very poignant speech about how to keep a Christian family healthy physically and spiritually. After the church service, we took some group pictures and then we had our potluck lunch at the open field. When lunch was over, I asked my friend to give me a tour of the place because I know that she studied in CLAA and some of our companions were considering enrolling their kids here.

Walking around the place, I realized that this is a boarding school surrounded by hectares of green fields. Based on the information I gathered, Central Luzon Adventist Academy was established in the year 1984 run by the Seventh Day Adventist. This school provides an ideal training ground for students to learn how to live independently. Here, one learns how to wash their own clothes, make their own beds, manage their time wisely, and clean their own room without any privilege of helper assistance. There is no status level here. Everyone eats the same kind of healthy food (vegetarian meal) at scheduled times. If you are late at the cafeteria, there will be no special treatment for you, and you will have to wait for the next mealtime.

Boys and girls live in separate dormitories. They also have provided free housing for the working students (these are the students who work part-time in the cafeteria, office admin or fields to help support their tuition fees).

When it comes to academic learning, their curriculum is at par with other middle schools, and they are big on sports, music, and art developments. Aside from academics, they do extracurricular activities such as hiking, trekking, volunteering in a nearby orphanage, medical missions, concert tours (if you are a member of the CLAA Harmony – school’s official choir), etc. Moreover, they have a no phone policy during school days, which allows students to focus more on their studies and have more time to improve their social skills. Students enrolled here develop high skills and grow up to be good Christians.

Parents who want to invest in quality education for their children should consider this institution. There are many boarding schools out there and this by far is one of a kind in good way.