“PAST-Track”: Marillans ’96 Treasure Chest of Memories

by Nadz Nagamos, Class Reunion 2006

(info gathered from batchmates)

        

It has been 10 years now when we, Batch ’96 Marillans proudly marched on the school grounds, went up the stage to get our high school diplomas and kissed each other “congrats” and goodbye as though our paths would never cross again. Soulfully, we sang to the melody of “This Time Is For Us” which gently moved our hearts and brought us into tears. Indeed it was time for us to say “HELLO” to the future but first, we had to bid goodbye to our friends with whom we found comfort and shelter for our four wonderful growing up years at Marillac Academy. It was a tearful goodbye for all of us --- for the JVC Company of Jan, Virgilio and Crismar, JAR of Joel, Allan and Renee, for the ENG company of Dheng, Bheng, Cheng, Gheng, Zheng and Jheng, FAR of May, Hazel and Mabeth, Simp’ named after the crushes from IV-Simplicity, JR MHAD of jelyn, ruby, minzelle, hazel anne and dianne, the X-Men group and for other barkada trademarks which only a typical high school teenager could think of.

         But we needed to move out of our comfort zones, cast our nets into deeper waters and discover that there’s a whole new world out there. It’s a saddening note however that since then, the leaves of our memories started to fall gently on the ground year after year, after year. As I stood outside the gates of our school one day, how I wished I were in high school again just to see my batchmates…oh how I miss them so…yes, the school building is there, the grounds, the stage, the corridors, but the time past could never ever be brought back to life again, and things would never happen exactly the way they did before.

         Don’t you think it’s perfect time to pick up those fallen leaves again which may have been left forgotten through time? Do you remember our first day of school... how we searched for our names in every section? The morning rituals where we warmly welcomed by that one big family of Marillans? Days, months, years rolled by and we had created a “home” at Marillac Academy. Learning our lessons together under one roof was pretty cool. Friendships and school activities made every day a day to look forward to. Those acquaintance parties, that most controversial Halloween Party, Feast Days, Sportsfests(3^rd yr-cheering competition champion, 4^th year-cheering competition & over all champion), our first cheering competition, (where we have to endure wearing sack with coconut leaves as the greenhorn during our 1^st year.  On our 2^nd year, we made everone sneeze because of our skylark costume made of sack and cottons!  On our 3^rd year…we improved a little…wearing an Indian costume made of sack.  And I will never forget our ravens costume during our 4^th year…it was made of sack and blue plastics…it was all over the school ground after the parade and the cheering!)

love notes read on air, that Speechfest when II-Justice won and wore those sailor costumes, (II-Faith & II- Hope, what was the title of their speech?)  Retreat at St. clements before the graduation where some of our batchmates had their alcoholic drinks with them). Can you still remember how we strived to make our classrooms the BEST ROOM among them all?

         The Marian Choir, Young Writers’ Guild, Drum and Bugle Corps, and the likes (what were other groups?-dance troop, home economics) addressed our need to express ourselves creatively while the religious orgs (SSVP, COM and Luisas) were instrumental in cultivating our sense of spirituality and concern for the poor.

         Leadership skills were enhanced and our rights to vote were exercised with the SCB elections. How about our first computer class?... of how excited we were then? Only to go through the long and tedious process of touching “Control z” for delete, “control c” for copy and “control v” for paste… and so much more commands to memorize which we could hardly do… and oh, that oversized floppy diskette that we were using. One mouse-click Windows and internet were never heard then and we had to bear with Lotus 1-2-3 and Wordstar. It’s been such a long way since then…

        

         Who can forget the ordeal of PMT aspirants?... how they endured the training under the scorching heat of the sun, the insults,  the squats and push ups… and when they became officers, how they needed to shine their swords and insignias religiously “nga daw sa mga into”.

         We too had our share of rebelliousness. Remember the time when III-Temperance wasn’t allowed to go for an outing on their Feast Day – but some went off to Tobog Beach anyway and had to be fetched by the Miagao Patrol car. Ma’am Flores’ blood pressure soared high that day. Half of the section was suspended giving the class a funeral gloom. For those who were left behind, it was equally sad. We missed the other half of “our lives”. Some were grounded by their parents, some were made to kneel on mongo beans but what the heck, it was fun anyway. We only pass high school but once and now we have those funny adventures to look back to.

         Many fell head-over-heels in love too. Remember how we stole glances on our crushes, how we behaved awkwardly towards the guy or girl we liked so much, how we took stolen pictures of them, and giving our crushes silly codenames. We fell truly, madly, deeply in love only to wake up one day realizing that young love is not forever…or is it?

         Then graduation day came… each of us followed the paths we chose to take and tried to find our place under the sun. So many things have changed through the years. Yes, we have gone away from HOME… from those wide-eyed innocents and carefree teenagers we once were. Educational and career opportunities, encounters with people of diverse personalities, races and cultures, various trainings, travels, trials and adversities in life --- all these have molded us into what we are now. By this time, many have chosen to get married while some simply enjoy the sight of their kids. Others are engaged and many are still single and searching… searching for that someone to love and hold for the rest of their lives. Searching for promising jobs and fulfillment in life. But no matter what we have become and wherever we may be drifted by the winds of time, there is that yearning in our innermost beings for those familiar faces whom we once played with, shared our baons, homeworks, notes, thoughts, dreams and all the other 100 and 1 memories of those good ol’ high school days. We long for those certain smiles and bursts of laughter, for that song that strike a certain chord in our hearts that always uplifts and refreshes our tired and weary spirits.

         And now that special moment has come. Tonight, after 10 years, all the roads of Marillans Batch 1996 converge once again…let’s make the most of this opportunity to relive friendships, strengthen old ties and heal past wounds. After all, didn’t we have four beautiful years together? We have come here not as SOMEBODY but just to be that former classmate and friend we once were.

         So why don’t we just sit back, relax, enjoy as we say “Indeed, what a journey it has been!”