ALUMNI or NOT ALUMNI?

Haven´t been born and bred ad ili ay Fontok there are so much things and experiences that I wouldn´t trade for. As a miner´s daughter, I made sure that I spent every summer vacation id Fontok. My three older sisters and I have spent a year alone in Bontoc to study. We were enrolled to Saint Vincent´s School temporarily and our parents told us that we gonna be going back in Lepanto to continue our studies as usual. I was just 6 years old that time so I was in the Kindergarten. It was my first year experience on instruction based on exposure to surroundings and school atmosphere. I remember our teacher would aline us or let us form a circle and whipped our hand (our palms facing up) when ever we created some troubles. It don´t really matter who caused or who started it but what mattered most was that we will all receive the price for misbehaving, hehehe... Sya nan imas nan skwelaan, masapsaplit ta uray mid fasor. Nu mamingsan inlalaman si maám ngamin ay insaplit, hahaha... joke, joke lang...

That was a year of fond memories about beautiful Saint Vincent´s School. Never had I thought that when I moved to Saint Louis University during my college years, I happend to meet few of my classmates in Kindergarten. Of course, I was very happy to see and recognized them but they don´t recognized me, not even one of them. I could even read their minds saying, ¨sino ngata sya????¨ Just to make them believe that they were my former classmates, I asked my mother to send me my pictures during my kindergarten schooling and graduation at SVS. She did and so I showed to my freshman classmate in the college of commerce, Jerome Fakat, Jr. At least he was convinced when I showed the group photos and naming the other classmates I remembered. Finally, he asked with excitement.. ¨into ka kay sina ngarud? After two years from the college of Commerce, I shifted in the college of Human Sciences that´s where I became classmate with Geraldine Mina, another classmate in Kindergraten whom Arlene Palayoc introduced me.

The first person I met at the Mount Mary Dormitory library was Arlene Fanusan. I stole behind her in the library when she was filling up the information in the borrower´s card. There I was certain that she was the daughter of the principal, Mrs. Matilde Fanusan. I touched her on her back but Arlene didn´t pay much attention on me. But when I uttered, ¨Remember we were classmates in kinder-year 1977?¨ She frowned, later smiled. After a moment of silence she managed to asked my name. I replied cheerfully but she said, ¨sorry ngem haan ko nga malagip sika...¨ I then told her to wait so I could show our graduation picture. After looking at it, she maybe convinced but still doubtful. To convinced her, I started speaking in Bontok dialect. I told her how happy I was because I met her and Jerome. As the conversation lasted for few minutes, we both felt comfortable with each other exchanging few memories that we both could recall.

As I spent years in college I met more of my former classmates, one of them was from the college of engineering. I didn´t really remember him during that year of pre-schooling in SVS. His name don´t ring a bell to me either but Arlene and Soraya introduced that we were same batch. This guy´s name became my favorite among the rest, next to Jerome Fakat, Rod Peleo, Claire Lopez, alex Calusa, Richard Bagwan, Butz Sagandoy and all others that I can recall, hahaha... Adik ipagarup ay nan long time partner ko ya ka-iskwelaak pet san Kinder ak, hehehe... Just like me, he didn´t continue his schooling at St. Vincent´s School. He pushed through his elementary education at All Saints Mission as I also went back to Lepanto School, Mankayan, Benguet to finish my primary and secondary education.

My husband and I both love and cherish Saint Vincent´s School. We may not be full pledged SVS alumni but we LOVE and CARE our very foundation school. Just like you, we consider SVS as our beloved school. Waday kami sina ay mangsuportar isnannay ay skwelaan tay mamati kami ay nan SVS ket mangegwa si ¨SOUND EDUCATION¨. It´s where we all want to remain that´s why we enrolled our two kids to this Catholic institution because we absolutely believe that there is so much SVS can offer.

Syana nan akit ay ma-ishare ko kenchakayo ay am-a, in-a, uncles and aunties, yuyun-a sat a-anuchi... May those who come to visit the website truly feel the meaning of a VINCENTIAN. May this be a challenge for all SVS alumni graduates to actively envolved and participate in shaping a better Saint Vincent´s School not for us but for the next generation.

There´s a song lyrics from Steve Green that I would like to share. Hope you like it. You can listen and enjoy the music through google or U-tube.

FIND US FAITHFUL

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

CHORUS:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

REPEAT CHORUS

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

luz wrote:hello,senorita. small world ,isn't it? Wow, you are one of the few who really has a sharp mind(who remembers faces).
Just like me i studied in SVES. from kinder to grade v. grade vi was in BCS. But i still consider myself a vincentian, one year lang naman akong wala doon. Once a vincentian, always a vincentian,no doubt about that, eh?

dear mng. lucia, hehehe... dayta kadi ¨Once a Vincentian, always a Vincentian!!!¨ wen met ah...
yup, so it´s not surprising too that i know you. aside that we are both i-caluttit i know you were an active youth choir leader before. by the way, if you still have some of those shots from your batch during the diamond jubilee, it would be nice to share it here. maybe mng. william, mng. lucille and your other batch will be happy to see. if you have old batch pictures (old once), have it scanned and send it to lasombraq@aol.com or tribo2971@yahoo.ca . that is if you can´t manage to upload it by your self. we would be more than glad to do it.

this goes to EVERYBODY who may experience difficulty in uploading photos or videos. just send it to the above email address and we´ll be the one to upload it in the proper photo gallery. everybody is encourage to share their pictures here. this is our home. we are a family growing and sharing together... let´s love it.

hello! Sorry tay maid old photos with me here in Hong Kong, what i have are photos during the homecoming last year. my batchmates send them to me.Maybe William Fateg has one(William, please share one of your old photos of our batch). I'II see if I can ask from home to send one to me.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SVHS!

WOW! mng. Luz, you had a batch homecoming last year? imbag kayo man... we´ll, please share those joyous moments with your batch by sharing pictures here and the others will follow... muchas gracias!

good evening,apo. mali yata yong sinabi ko. dapat noong 1975 homecoming. I noticed there are photos of the other batches during that homecoming. Please, do upload also my batch(1976) pic-it's file 41/53. kaso lang wala ako doon. thanks and more power to you all. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND PEACE TO ALL!!!

hi mng. Luz! we´d love to upload all the different batch photos but óur sources is very limited. these are all what we can upload for now ta isu lang met ti ada... that´s the reason why we are seeking every one to share old and new pictures from different batches. naragragsak nu chatako lebnayen nan napalabas ay tiempo isnan litlato tako ay napalabas... cheers!