July 13, 2020 | Reggie Clyde Delosa
This speech was delivered by Mr. Ric Ampiloquio during the Online Commencement Rites of PAREF Springdale School for SY 2019-2020.
A pleasant day to all!
I hope you are all safe and in good health!
On behalf of the Springdale School Board of Trustees and the Members of the Management Committee, I welcome you to the 20th Commencement Rites of PAREF Springdale School, albeit the 1st Virtual Graduation of PAREF Springdale School. We don’t have any intention of having a second though but we all do not know what is ahead of us in this coming school year.
We have just finished our 24th school year in an unexpectedly unique, unusual and unceremonious way. The school came to a halt unexpectedly when we announced the suspension of classes last March 13 because of the CoronaVirus 19 pandemic. We never resumed face-to-face classes from that moment and we continued the remaining class days of the 4th Quarter all done on-line or remotely. Suddenly we are caught in a very unique situation of having to make decisions of how to finish the school year at the same time survive this pandemic. The situation is very unusual to the school and to all the schools not just in the country but around the world. We have to grapple for a plan of action to fight something that we cannot see at the same time learning new behavior of socializing and observing proper health measures. The end of the school year was unceremonious, everything was done on-line or virtually. In lieu of an actual formal physical gathering for our commencement rites and recognition day, you will not experience the heat of your gala uniform in the gym as the ceremony happens at the comforts of your homes. This is another first time.
This is what makes your batch occupy a unique page in the history of PAREF Springdale School. This is one extraordinary school year wherein you have experienced two modes of instruction, the regular school-based and the “quarantined” home-based instruction. It was the longest school year with the most number of “no-class days” and with so many things we learned from, including the behavior during a pandemic. Aside from having had a very long vacation ahead of the usual summer vacation, we will not have any formal physical graduation, moving up ceremony and recognition. This happened to a special graduating batch like yours. Historical year not just for the school but the whole world. What could be more memorable than that?
An amazingly fruitful and eventful year. Allow me to mention some highlights from this school year:
In academics, we have sustained and improved our performance in our Math & Science program. Out of more than 60 schools who made it to the Final Round in the Cebu Division of Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge, all levels, from Grades 1-10 of Springdale, made it to the top 20, half of it are in the top 10. Aside from our noteworthy performance in the MTAP (Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines), our Math and Science wizards have been bringing home gold, silver and bronze medals from various Asian and Southeast Asian Math and Science olympiads held in places like China, Singapore and Australia.
Our CEM (Center for Educational Management) K-12 Achievement Test indicates that our Curriculum offering is above par from the DepEd standards as shown in the results for which many students are recognized as Top Performers or they belong to the High Performing Group in core areas like Math, Science, English and Reading.
We remain solid in our performance in debate competitions whether in the local or national scene. Most of our debaters were cited as Best Speakers in these tournaments.
This school year we have also accomplished a Major Milestone in the field of Music and Arts as our Boys Choir joined for the first time an international competition held in Kobe, Japan for which they finished second. This shows us that our boys are not only fond of Math and Science but also in other academic subjects which distinguished Springdale as one among the top schools here in Cebu.
One of the major achievements we have in sports is that Springdale won the two team sporting events in the InterPAREF or the Vinta Cup Competition held in Metro Manila hosted by PAREF Northfield School in Quezon City. Springdale is the Champion in Football and Basketball.
Two of our Elementary football players were drafted in to the Team Visayas who was suppose to compete for the Palarong Pambansa 2020 which unfortunately was canceled. Many of the major events in the Region were canceled due to the pandemic.
I would like to add that this school year we have seen several initiatives done by our students in the area of Community Service and social outreach such as WorkCamps, Students Seminars, giving relief goods to the calamity victims, Football clinic and outreach, fundraising Fun Runs for-a-Cause, for the Projects of SBO and for the school. To me this is one of the big achievements we have in this school year.
One more thing, another Milestone we have this school year is our re-accreditation as a School of Character. Last October 16, Springdale once again was cited to have followed the Eleven Principles of Character Education Partnership of CEP and was recognized as a School of Character by the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs Asia. We received the citation from the founder of CEP himself, Dr. Thomas Lickona.
We started the School Year 2019-2020 by laying down a new Governance Road Map for the next five years. This is also another major achievement.
This coming school year will be our 25 years of existence as an educational institution. This is probably God’s way of letting us celebrate a milestone, a real test for Springdale, to survive this unusual “quarantined” school year and hopefully learn new approaches, new measures, the new normal in delivering education and turn things around and probably expand our programs not just the traditional way but also the new mode of teaching remotely or offering a home-schooling program for those parents who can handle it.
Because of this pandemic, Springdale has given birth to the program SMILE, Springdale’s Modified Instruction and Learning Environment, SMILE. A combination of Home-based on-line learning or remote teaching. We have tested it and we will continue to improve or enhance it. We entrust all of this to the Almighty as to where He will lead us this coming school year as we are determined to deliver the same quality, if not, better quality of education to our students.
This is the reason for this virtual gathering here, to formally recognize all the effort and determination that these students demonstrated throughout this school year.
Shout out to the parents of these smart & good-looking gentlemen. The honor also goes to the Parents, who nurtured, guided, and wholeheartedly supported these batch of students up to this very day. Parents who believe in the Home-School collaboration. Parents who strongly believe in the strength of the family in influencing society through quality education, THEM as the primary educators and the school as their partner.
Shout out also to the teachers of these mature and responsible gentlemen. The teachers who are also struggling to be exemplary role models, teachers who have made your life hard, letting you experience a short term pain for a long term gain, teachers who extended an extra mile of preparing and molding these graduating students to become good students, forming them in the virtues and mentoring them to be a SPRINGDALE GENTLEMAN.
Shout out also to the school to affirm your encouraging performance in both the Academics and Extracurricular activities. The only school here in Cebu that is an all-boys school with an all male faculty and staff. We have seen the results through these years and we are very proud of them.
My dear graduating students, parents and family members, guests, friends, the faculty and staff, the Management Committee and Board of Trustees, I welcome you to the 20th Commencement Rites, virtual at that, of PAREF Springdale School.