Five years.  It’s been five years since I graduated from MSC. I still remember our rooms at the Artemio Fule Building. The narrow hallways, the transformer classrooms in the ground floor, the two rooms upstairs along with the principal’s office, the so called shop at the back, the library, the faculty, the garage, the secret comfort rooms and passages. It was quite tight. But we all fit in. It felt like home.

I had an awesome batch. We were around 40 plus but it never felt like we were. Most of the time, we were united.  We were a mix of everything, a total chaos that I enjoyed the most. Sometimes we fought for some silly things like, who did not give his share in the class fund, who did not participate in the group, who stole this or that, who’s such a teacher’s pet and who would forget the conspiracies we had during quizzes, recitations and exams? How about the twin’s amusing battles or the love triangle issues, or the falling-stairs incidents, or the undying gossips, or the poops? It sounded childish and lame, but it all brought us happiness, a bunch full of good memories to keep.  We have always been a family, more than a class. 

My teachers were my friends too. They were what they teach. I saw it in the way they talked, the way they dressed and the way they approached students. The English teachers, Ma’am Andes, Sir Michael (Polinag), Ma’am Tess (Millares) and Ma’am Grace (Suarez); when they spoke, there was no doubt they were teaching English. The Mathematicians, Sir Levi, Ma’am Duma and Sir Ado;  were tricky, hard to read.

I just remember the story of the ticking heart of Sir Ado, we spent seconds of silence just to make sure it’s true. The Chemist, Teacher Nix; She trained us well. I almost memorized the periodic table because of her. She loved giving stars and giving exciting per station quizzes which I never expected to be that fun. The TLE teacher, Ma’am Alivio; the way she dressed with complete accessories;  accessories I didn’t usually see in the market because she made them herself, no one could tell she taught technology and livelihood education. The History teacher, Sir Dionglay; I salute this man. He knew what he was teaching. He was like Kuya Kim with his Boy Scout look with a cap. He was also bald, so sometimes he came to class with a wig; a wig like the hair of Goldilocks. The PE Master, Ma’am Tamayo; I bet she invented the Zumba exercise. Her shape reflected how long she had been teaching PE and how effective it was. Since she was old, she had this unlikely principle: Coke was better than any drink and it was her vitamins.

To wrap it all, I wanna say that my first year in this school was made by a choice, the next three years came out of my will. I’ve always been thankful for choosing MSC because it was not just about the school, the facilities, or the syllabus. What they have taught me is something I never thought I had in me. They did bring out the best in me and it felt so good to become the best version of myself.

Jomaica Luya
MSC High School Class 2010
Currently 5th year, BS ECE at LSPU-SPCC
Treasurer of AFECE (Association of Future Electronics and Communication Engineers)