I SHARED my “purpose-filled” holiday plans the past two weeks on gifts, gestures and get-togethers. Last weekend, I remembered another “G” that I wanted to add to this unique holiday season: gratitude.
Let me start this “gratitude” Christmas piece with this caption from my recent Facebook post:
“In the dear portals of St. Jude is where I found my first dance, my first Girl Scout salute, and my first voice. It is where I was pushed by the greatest of mentors and saw the fruits of support and hard work. Tomorrow night, I go back to my green home, with much gratitude and pride…happily reminiscing with my dearest batch mates on the most precious moments of our youth. Let’s Go Bravehearts! #95×20 @sjcsbatch95.”
I am part of Batch 95 of St. Jude Catholic School (SJCS), which was founded in 1963 by Rev. Fr. Peter Yang, SVD, and Monsignor Peter Tsao, SVD, to mold youth in discipline, excellence, Christ-centeredness, commitment and service. I spent my kindergarten and elementary years there until I had to leave for New York in my 10th grade. I am grateful beyond words because of the “climb” and the “heart” this school has blessed me with.
Most of my schoolmates don’t know this, but I actually did not pass the first time I applied to SJCS when I was 4. Even in my first quarter in kindergarten, my conduct was a B- (C was the failing mark), because I was very talkative. I had a hard time memorizing and felt quite aloof.
The atmosphere in St. Jude Catholic School was a haven of hard work. It was known to be highly academic with the most homework. The classes were packed with content, so I never skipped school unless my fever was 39 degrees. Needless to say, I was highly intimidated.
But through the years, I had been very lucky to receive loving guidance from many teachers in St. Jude. Beyond academics, teachers like Ms. Rafael, Liu Lao Sh, Ms. Bautista, Ms. Hernado, Mrs. Tongson, Ms. Asinas, Mrs. Gallamoza and Mrs. Contreras, among others, allowed me to hone my other talents like in dancing and declamation. In Grade 6, my advisers Ms. Haw and Mrs. Manrique guided me in all aspects to finish valedictorian in my class. I can’t forget Ms. Wang, our head teacher, who when I could not get approval from my mom to get voice lessons actually found Mr. Wu, who agreed to coach me for free.
More than this, I had great mentors in school organizations. Thanks to Sir Peterson Tieng, whose photo is found above, I learned that age did not matter. When he saw how much I loved Girl Scout leadership in Grade 5, he actually allowed me to join the High School Scouting Leadership program. I ended up getting a gold medal for that camp even if I was the youngest. There were many upper classmen I thank because they pushed me to widen my horizons. Tim Yap, a good friend up to today, gave me my first shot to join the volleyball team.
Last but definitely not the least, were the priceless friendships I continue to draw on for strength and laughter. I can’t forget thoughtful gestures like a tub of black molly fish from Bing; an Alvin Patrimonio poster from Warren; my cousin Cons carrying my heavy bags for me; or my driving lessons at 14 from Mark and Dexter. I was grateful then for all the support my batchmates gave me in programs and projects. Even after I left the school, Liza, who remains to be my best friend today, and Mark would write me tons of snail mails to make sure I was OK in New York.
That is why I was very honored to have been invited as one of the hosts for our reunion. It was literally a tearful moment for me to reminisce all these touching memories. More than this, I was glad to work with my grade school and lifelong barkada, called the “Pizzahut” group: Joey, Mel and Reena. We named ourselves so because it was every Thursday, when only St. Jude had no classes, that we would be at Mel’s house after scouting, with our Super Supreme pizza and one liter of Pepsi.
Last November, I was extremely proud of the trailblazing effort of our batch for hosting the first-ever virtual homecoming, titled “Reloaded,” where close to 500 audiences virtually gathered via Zoom and Facebook. An online program, chaired by Michael Cheng, and cohosted by batches that spanned from 1975 to 2020, was produced to replace the physical get-together. The safe and innovative experience held in a virtual auditorium included live hosting, entertaining performances by Judenites, special celebrity guests Piolo Pascual and Jose Mari Chan, and even a live grand raffle-contest.
Batch ’95 president Sheryl Lou de Jesus said, “It’s our batch’s hope that our efforts, even for just a few hours, helped the Judenites feel well-regarded, recognized, remembered, rejuvenated, reinvigorated and reloaded to face the days ahead.”
This holiday season, let’s reconnect, reminisce and recount for our kids the history of our lifelong relationships. I hope they pick up the valuable lesson of gratitude and lead them to decades of friendship like the ones we have now.
Congratulations again, Bravehearts!