Manila Science High School Alumni: and pround of it!
This week marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the law that created the first Science High School in the country. I found it fitting to post something about my alma mater in this time.
Before I get bashed for any excess hot air this post contains, I'd first like to point out this: before today, I have lost all trust in my alma mater. Students have been coming in late with disturbing frequency. They don't seem to be responding to their teachers, and have seemed to lack the ability to rise above the other High School. Truth be told, some alumni including myself have resigned to sighing and concluding that our worst fears have been confirmed: the school has sunk into a "Padre Faura High School" of sorts. Although this may seem to be a conclusion based solely on uninformed circumstances as one who has exited forevermore the four walls of the school, I found it the only logical way to describe the situation.
And then, hitsuzen intervened.
Earlier today, as I was waiting for a not-so-crowded train home, I went across a familiar figure. A tall man, clad in a usual blue polo, porting a stern look and a familiar buzz cut: Mr. Zaccharias Bangayan. I found it odd to see him exiting the train at the station, which led me to conclude that he was arriving from a contest. Then, I saw mascians with trophies and medals, which was not uncommon in my days. Then, I got the picture from the TLE department head: they won the title overall champions in this year's STEP skills competition. Although it would seem to be a small deal, it restored what little pride I had. Having participated in the STEP skills competitions myself (and mind you, failing miserably in the process), I was reminded of the intense preparation and stringent measures required by the school to ensure victory in my day (what some alumni call the "golden age", without much justification to do so).
And so, I wondered... have I been generalizing based solely on what I see as an outsider? I have forgotten how it is to be a mascian, not with all the demands the university places upon me, and the fact that my reputation as a mascian is at odds with the current way I'm handling my subjects. I concluded that right now, I shouldn't be comparing what went on in the years I was a mascian to what I see as an alumni. Things change, adapt, and evolve. I guess my traditionalism was the crux: a blindfold from allowing me to see into the glimmer of excellence that still exists, just a walking distance away from rizal hall. So even though I still admit that some of the changes have shocked me, leading me to believe that MSHS was on the brink of downfall. But I have hopes. One day... We will reclaim glory. And I want to be want of those who will help the process along.
To all mascians and alumni that witness these words, I bid you a happy 45th anniversary of our founding. And even though I have left, a part of my soul still lives on in the corridors of the main building (unfortunately the ghosts have evicted my soul out of bordner and I never took a liking to the maceda building). And even if I was a child of a mascian, and an adolescent of a university student now, I guess it would be worthwhile to relive 4 years of being bathed in excellence, with bitter hardship in generous doses. I have confidence that Manila Science High School will rise from the ashes and be reborn in all its former glory, like the proverbial pheonix on myth...
...Man, that was an exhaustively long post.
Before I get bashed for any excess hot air this post contains, I'd first like to point out this: before today, I have lost all trust in my alma mater. Students have been coming in late with disturbing frequency. They don't seem to be responding to their teachers, and have seemed to lack the ability to rise above the other High School. Truth be told, some alumni including myself have resigned to sighing and concluding that our worst fears have been confirmed: the school has sunk into a "Padre Faura High School" of sorts. Although this may seem to be a conclusion based solely on uninformed circumstances as one who has exited forevermore the four walls of the school, I found it the only logical way to describe the situation.
And then, hitsuzen intervened.
Earlier today, as I was waiting for a not-so-crowded train home, I went across a familiar figure. A tall man, clad in a usual blue polo, porting a stern look and a familiar buzz cut: Mr. Zaccharias Bangayan. I found it odd to see him exiting the train at the station, which led me to conclude that he was arriving from a contest. Then, I saw mascians with trophies and medals, which was not uncommon in my days. Then, I got the picture from the TLE department head: they won the title overall champions in this year's STEP skills competition. Although it would seem to be a small deal, it restored what little pride I had. Having participated in the STEP skills competitions myself (and mind you, failing miserably in the process), I was reminded of the intense preparation and stringent measures required by the school to ensure victory in my day (what some alumni call the "golden age", without much justification to do so).
And so, I wondered... have I been generalizing based solely on what I see as an outsider? I have forgotten how it is to be a mascian, not with all the demands the university places upon me, and the fact that my reputation as a mascian is at odds with the current way I'm handling my subjects. I concluded that right now, I shouldn't be comparing what went on in the years I was a mascian to what I see as an alumni. Things change, adapt, and evolve. I guess my traditionalism was the crux: a blindfold from allowing me to see into the glimmer of excellence that still exists, just a walking distance away from rizal hall. So even though I still admit that some of the changes have shocked me, leading me to believe that MSHS was on the brink of downfall. But I have hopes. One day... We will reclaim glory. And I want to be want of those who will help the process along.
To all mascians and alumni that witness these words, I bid you a happy 45th anniversary of our founding. And even though I have left, a part of my soul still lives on in the corridors of the main building (unfortunately the ghosts have evicted my soul out of bordner and I never took a liking to the maceda building). And even if I was a child of a mascian, and an adolescent of a university student now, I guess it would be worthwhile to relive 4 years of being bathed in excellence, with bitter hardship in generous doses. I have confidence that Manila Science High School will rise from the ashes and be reborn in all its former glory, like the proverbial pheonix on myth...
...Man, that was an exhaustively long post.