June 17, 2023 | Information Office
Mr. John Alvin Ligan delivered this speech during the 23rd Commencement Rites held at the LH Foundation Gymnasium of PAREF Springdale School last June 10, 2023.
Our dearly beloved graduates, co-parents, members of the board of trustees, members of the Management Committee, teachers and staff, ladies & gentlemen, good afternoon!
Firstly, on behalf of all the parents, please accept our heartfelt congratulations to these forty (40) young gentlemen who are members of the 2023 graduating class.
High School graduation is a major milestone in one’s life. And as parents, we are very proud and happy of your achievement. This is the fruit of the hard work you put into academics and your extracurricular activities in the past six (6) years.
We enrolled our son, Sean, here in Springdale in June 2010 as a first Grader. Unfortunately, he transferred to another school outside of Cebu in 2013 because of my work.
I vividly recall when our family moved back to Cebu and how Sean was welcomed by his former classmates. It was not difficult for him to adjust. Our son felt at home again here in Springdale in a matter of time.
I believe it was because of the warmth and caring evident among students, faculty members, school administrators, and even parents.
We, and our sons, should be thankful because we are fortunate not only to send them to a good school but also to the kind of learning community we have here in Springdale.
It cannot be denied that, as parents, we play a significant and indispensable role in molding and shaping the future of our sons. We are the first caregivers and first educators of our sons.
However, we cannot fulfill the task ourselves on our own. We hereby acknowledge and give due recognition to the exemplary role portrayed by this institution.
Allow me to acknowledge, first and foremost, their teachers for their patience and genuine concern for our sons, the school administrators and management staff for their dedication and selfless service, our tutors for the Christian ideals that they instilled in our sons and the rest of the staff of Springdale who in one way or another contributed in their formation.
The PAREF Philosophy of active Home-School collaboration in providing physical, social, intellectual, moral, and spiritual formation to our sons is very relevant in today’s events as we see a moral decay in our society.
It is not enough to address their intellect through communication, exploration, creativity, and many opportunities to learn. The moral and spiritual needs of our sons must also be addressed.
Sooner or later, some of you will be given the opportunity to lead a company, perhaps lead your own business, or even be called to lead in the community. Our society today does not only need competent leaders, but we need leaders who have the conscience and the character.
To you dear graduates, as you leave the portals of this institution, engrain in your hearts and minds the vision of Springdale for you, which is to be exemplars of the ideal Christian men – to have the strength of character, on which discipline, responsibility, and truthfulness are founded. Pursue excellence in everything you do, and your drive for leadership should be spurred on by a genuine desire to serve and reach out to others.
I challenge you all, dear graduates, to be good examples in our community (country) and live out the values you learned in the twelve (12) years or so that you have been in this institution. Your teachers and we, your parents, are proud every time we see you practice these values, and it bleeds our hearts when you do otherwise.
Many of you will leave your homes’ comforts to pursue your college education. We, your parents, will no longer be with you most of the time, but our role as parents will not stop. We are always here to listen to you and support you. You will experience freedom greater than what you currently have. But remember, freedom is not doing what you want but doing what is right and just.
In closing, we, your parents, and, together with the whole Springdale community present here this evening, pray that the Good Lord will be with you and bless you as you embark on this new chapter in your lives.
Thank you and May God bless us all!