grown-up

Every Christmas, I receive a surprise gift from God (or the universe): last night's gift was a priceless one. I happened to be in UP Bahay ng Alumni and saw a banner announcing the reunion of my class in UP Integrated School (UPIS), so by accident I was reunited with friends, many of whom I had not seen since 5th grade.

From Kindergarten to Grade 5, I studied in UPIS, the school for basic education of the University of the Philippines. As a kid, I've often wondered what makes it "integrated," and today I found out after a bit of research that the school is the product of a merger of three schools: UP High School (established in 1916 in Isaac Peralta St., Manila, as the laboratory school of the College of Education); UP Preparatory School (a science-oriented school established in 1954); and UP Elementary School (established in 1936 for the education of children of university professors and personnel). A description of the school's philosophy and history is here.

It was a public school, though it felt exclusive since students from other schools were not allowed to enroll laterally after Kindergarten: you generally had the same friends year after year. I recall one exception, Kalayaan Vea, who was allowed to reenroll when her father returned to UP after a stint in the US (her Fil-Am boyfriend's name was Michael de Guzman, pronounced, "the goose-man"). The environment was competitive in a healthy way: teachers would post the list of the top 10 students and their grade point averages every quarter, and class pride peaked during spelling bees and intramural sports competitions. After class, we played a lot of agawan base, luksong tinik, and piko.

Since UPIS is in the heart of the State University, we were taught the values of love of others and country- the values of the Oblation- week after week from the very first day. Students took turns during Monday flag ceremonies in singing Lupang Hinirang and UP Naming Mahal and reciting Panatang Makabayan.

In a way, it was a predictable world where hard work and good deeds were rewarded- so different from the porous realities outside the academe! But what gifts our parents and teachers gave us: idealism to light our paths, knowledge to overcome challenges and seize opportunities, and a time of blissful peace that we can look back to all the days of our lives.

Here are some of UPIS' prominent alumni and what our school has taught them: