Enrollment at Ateneo

Rizal entered Ateneo Municipal when he was barely 11 years old, four months after the
execution of Gomburza. His father decided not to send him at the Colegio de San Jose because of
the unhappy experience his brother Paciano had in the said school. Moreover, the mere
mentioned of the institution made Don Francisco remember the unjust execution of Father
Burgos, Paciano’s mentor. His father wanted to send Rizal to Letran but later on decided to have
him enrolled at Ateneo Municipal, formerly known as Escuela Pia,. Besides, Ateneo at that time
was the most prestigious college for boys owing to its great teachers.

June 10, 1872 – Rizal took the entrance examination at Collegio de San Juan de Letran.
 The exam covered: reading, arithmetic. Catholic Doctrines

Although Rizal passed the examination, he refused entry to the school because of the reason: he
was very frail and undersized for his age.

Father Magin Fernando: college registrar; who first refused to admit Rizal, but later on due to
unrelated event he admitted Jose on the institution.

Jose did not use the username Mercado when he enrolled at Ateneo. He registered as Jose
Rizal because his original surname had rung a bell to the ears of the authorities then due to
Paciano’sassociation with one of the leaders of the secularization movement, Father Burgos.
 The old Ateneo Municipal

The Atenean System of Education

Bachiler en Artes - six-year program that Ateneo offered. This entitled a student to academic title.
Five learning areas:
 Christian Doctrine
 Languages: Spanish, Latin, Greek, French
 History and Geography: World History and Geography, History of Spain and Philippines
 Mathematics and Sciences: Arithmetic, Geometry, Trigonometry, Mineralogy, Chemistry,
Physics, Botany, Zoology
 Classic Disciplines: Poetry, Rhetoric, Philosophy
The college also offered Vocational Courses:
 Agriculture
 Commerce
 Mechanics
 Surveying
Ateneo prided their self as the BEST School, and part of their training to the students they divided two
Groups namely:

The Roman Empire- students belonged here were the boarding students
Carthaginian Empire – students here are non-boarding

Academic Performance at Ateneo

 1872 – 1873 (First Year)
Latin Excellent
Spanish Excellent
Greek Excellent

1873 – 1874 (Second Year)

Spanish Excellent
Greek Excellent
World Geography Excellent

1874 – 1875 (Third Year)

Latin Excellent
Spanish Excellent
World History Excellent
History of Spain and Excellent
the Philippines
Arithmetic and Algebra Excellent
Greek Excellent

1875 – 1876 (Fourth Year)

Rhetoric and Poetry Excellent
French Excellent
Geometry and Trigonometry Excellent

1876 – 1877 (Fifth Year)

Philosophy 1 Excellent
Philosophy 2 Excellent
Mineralogy and Chemistry Excellent
Physics Excellent
Botany and Zoology Excellent
 Extra-curricular Activities at Ateneo

Religious Confraternities of Rizal

Apostleship of Prayer Sodality of our Lady Medal

Academic Societies

Spanish and Natural Sciences Academic Societies

Fr. Francisco Paula de Sanchez Old Picture of Convent School

(Rizal’s mentor in poetry) of Santa Isabel

Agustin Saez
Mentor of Rizal in painting

Romualdo de Jesus
Mentor of Rizal in Fine Arts
 Rizal in his fencing costume

Literary Works at Ateneo

POEMS

“My First Inspiration”

 Dedicated to her mother on her birthday

“Through Education, Our Motherland receives Light”

 Significant role which education plays in the progress and welfare of a nation
 Education knows how to tame barbarous nations – from savages create heroic fame

“To the Child Jesus”

 A Celestial King would rather choose to be a shepherd for his sheep than to be sovereign

“To the Virgin Mary”

 Mary was her spiritual fortitude/sustenance

 His anguish from death is set free because of his faith with her
Infulences of Schooling at Ateneo on Rizal

Rizal was conferred the degree of Bachiller en Artes on March 23, 1877. From being a boy, Rizal was
transformed into a mature individual- an individual basically Jesuit in form and orientation. For five
years, Rizal was able imbibe the Jesuit values of fairness, justice and reason (Capino, 1977). As a
consequence his internalization of the aforementioned values of the Jesuit school, the quest of Justice,
equality and dignity became his lifetime work.