| All Saints' Mission Elementary School Bontoc, Mountain Province. Philippines |
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| ASM NEWS |
| Faculty and layworkers active in education working during the pre-war period. They are (front row L-R) Sylvia Antero Ola; Paulina N Taguiba; Juana D Cenon; Mrs Suluen; Magdalena Fokno; Teodora Basco; Mrs Brady; Deaconess Shaw; and Deaconess Dawson.(Second row) Columbus Chollipas; Bartholomeo Malecdan; Mr Takahashi;Mr Suluen; Christopher Fesway; Harry Fagsao; Rev Wolfe; and Ex-deputy Governor Faullo.(third row) Edward Todco, Jeponias Antero; Simeon Banwa; Bernardo Fanao; Old man Kimmakim; Manuel Comafay. |
| >>>Evangelization Of The Natives. As far as the work among the boys is concerned this year has been a gratifying one. The boys have shown more interest this year. The boys attend the public school where the mornings are given up to instructions in reading, writing, etc. The afternoons .are given up to industrial work such as Carpentry and blacksmithing. The older boys have made progress in both respects. But we are convinced that it should be a settled policy of the mIssion to send our brighter boys away from Bontoc to Manila or the States where they can get ahead more quickly than they have been able to do here. The frequent changes of teachers and of plans, policies, etc., has proved a handicap to the work of the public school here and to the progress of the more earnest boys. Our brighter boys should be taken away from Bontoc before they reach the period of adolescence with its many temptations - temptations made much stronger by Igorot customs. During the year the boys have taken care of the grounds in a way showing that they have some pride in their appearance. We have thirty six boys living with us. This is all that we could take care of with the funds at our disposal. We have been obliged to turn away more boys this year than in anyone of the four preceeding years. During the past year there has been some evidence that the non-Christian Igorot in the village is changing somewhat his attitude toward the MIssion. Up to within four months ago it had been at least two years ago since any Bontok boy had applied for admission and had been allowed by their parents to remain at the Mission. Rev. Edward Allen Sibley Prien-in-Charge 1 August 1912 Several of the older girls are beyond the average age when, according to Igorot customs, they should get married, and much pressure is being brought to bear upon them from their parents to do so. We shall probably not be able to keep all of them with us beyond this school year, but if we can only prevent their marrying boys from the native town, and going back there to live, where they would loose what little civilization they have gained and have a nucleus of Christian homes here in close touch with the mission we shall be thankful. One of the girls in a burst of confidence one day, said to me, "1 can never marry a boy from the town, who is dirty, not a Christian, or who has not been to school and does not know as much as I do" - So there is one at least whose standards have been somewhat raised, and we may hope there are more. . . Cornelia K. Browne All Saints' Mission Girls' School 4 August 1913 In Bontoc itself, we have never been in touch with so many boys as we are at present. We had, up till the vacation, the 1st of April, an average of thirty-two or thirty-three boys. Since the vacation we have had an average of over forty. This is due to the fact that we have been almost overrun with boys from this most conservative of Igorot villages, Bontoc. Four of our boys have now graduated from the Baguio Industrial School, and are now qualified to enter high school if it should seem best to send them. Two of them will find teaching to do in the mission, and the other will probably teach in the public school. One of our boys, Stanley, has finished his course at the Philippine General Hospital, and is now a graduate nurse. He is working at the Bontoc Hospital and is doing work we/I. He will be one of the teachers in the school for practicantes here, which will shortly open. . . Edward Allen Sibley Priest.in-Charge 30 June 1915 |
| . . . "Please do not steal these two pieces of egg-plant for they will be seeds for us. EXTRA" It is hard enough to make a garden on the rocky bank of the river and most discouraging to have carabao and horses get in at night to trample them under foot But "stealers" cap the climax and it is not surprising that one of the boys thought it worthwhile to appeal to them by the above sign pinned to a stick between his seed-plants. If he had thought it way through he might have added, "If we have no seeds you will not have egg-plants to steal when the next crop is due. " Someone sold us a hen that was still laying. It does not often happen and this time it must have been a mistake. But everyday there was a new egg, and every four days the mess had a fresh egg apiece for breakfast - eggs, that is, that were positively known to be fresh. The cook was told that a good custom was to date eggs so as to avoid mistakes, and therefore, the next day she handed one in that was marked "April 22, 1925. From your chicken" G.F.M. The DiQcesan Chronicle June 1925 |
| The chief men of the ili were called to appear before the Governor who explained to them the new water system and offered to have a number of faucets in the iIi to supply water. The water mains are now running thru the ili to supply the more progressive part of the town of Bontoc with an abundant and much needed supply of pure water. But there were no faucets in the iIi. They were not at all to be desired. This incident is characteristic of the Bontoc Igorot as we know him in Bontoc. His intense conservatism is one of his most striking traits. Well did Mr. Dean C. Worcester write in 1906 that there is much hope that "the Bontoc Igorot will ultimately make progress in civilization and in material prosperity but his intense conservatism, will, at the outset, render such progress slow. " There has been no rush to embrace Christianity on the part of the Bontoc Igorot in these parts during the past year. The movement in that direction has (as in the past) been confined largely to the children. But work though slow is not disheartening. We think that our boys and girls here in Bontoc and its outstantions has persevered more than Igorots in other localities; and we take satisfaction in the number of boys and girls of former school days now holding positions of responsibility of trust and of influence with their own people. 21st Annual Convocation 5 February 1929 |
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| >>> a dispassionate look...(from welcome page) From there, the boys were sent to the Trinidad Agricultural School and the girls to Teacher's Camp, both in Baguio, to finish their elementary education. Education then was free and many students took advantage of this. During their stay at the dormitories, the boys were taught wood-work, basketry' and gardening while the girls were taught lacemaking, sewing, cooking and other home skills aside from religious instructions. From the time the school was opened in 1906 up to 1961, All Saints School was supervised by the priest-in charge of All Saints Church. Among the priests who were stationed here and who also served and assisted as school directors were: Rev. Walter Clapp, Rev. Irving Spencer, Rev. Edward Allen Sibley, Rev. Robb White Jr., Rev. A.E. Frost, Rev. Thomas Henningson, Rev. Howard Catlin, Rev. T.E. Woodward, Rev. Harry T. Burke; Rev. Benson H. Harvey, Rev. Edward Jacobs, Rev. Leopold Damrosch, Rev. William T. Holt, Jr., Rev. Clifford Nobes, Rev. Richard L. Rising and Rev. Richard R. Over. Missionary and academic work were disrupted with the outbreak of the war in 1940. All the buildings were occupied by the Japanese forces. The foreign missionaries were either interned here or were evacuated to the States, so the main task of picking up the pieces left by the onslaught of the war fell on the shoulders of Rev. Albert Masferre, one of the first three Igorot priests ordained to the ministry. The other two were Mark Suluen and Edward Longid. Rev. Jacobs soon arrived in 1947 followed by Rev. Leopold Damrosch in 1949. Soon after Suffragan Bishop Robert T. Wilner and Mrs. Wilner arrived in 1950 and their presence was a big help in missionary work and the reconstruction of the buildings. The present schoolhouse was built during their time. In March 1952, the petition for Grade six for All Saints was dully approved by the committee on Mission Schools. By the time the Wilners left in 1955, almost all the buildings were completed and seventh grade was also opened. Primary schools in St, Gabriel's Malegcong, St, Joseph's Mainit, St. Michael's, Guinaang and St, Thomas, Balili were also granted permits to operate by the bureau of Private schools. At this time also, the Mission School Teacher's Association was organized with the aim of sharing mutual problems and improving the effectiveness of their teaching. Between 1956 and 1959, the outstation in Malegcong was closed after a primary school was opened by the government. Third and fourth grades were added at Holy Cross, Tocucan. In 1959 two events happened which boosted the morale of the school administration and the teaching staff; the establishment of a medical care policy and program and maternity leave compensation for teachers of accredited mission schools; and the government recognition given to all the mission schools. |
| A turning point in the history of All Saints' was the appointment in 1961 of a native as a full time school director. Mr. Ressurection Botengan, a classroom teacher was appointed to succeed Fr. Richard Over. This was significant in that the mother church now recognized the practicality and need for Filipino clergy and teachers to continue the ministry of the church and school. During Botengan's time, prognostic testing of mission elementary school teachers was conducted as part of the program of upgrading/improving the qualifications of mission teachers. In 1964, Mrs. Sofia Bacwaden took over as school head. A re-evaluation of the objectives of mission schools was made and emphasis was centered on the development of an excellent academic education with a strong spiritual and character formation program. As the demands of the community grew with the coming years, problems of quality personnel, adequate salaries and adequate school plants and facilities now faced the administration. In a meeting with the Committee on Mission Schools which became later the Committee on Education it was recommended that instead of a program of expansion, the mission schools should first see to it that they are adequately financed and properly manned. |
| Pre-war school children were taught American games like volleyball, softball and other games. But nothing beats spontaneity where fun is derived from playing with everyday objects at hand, such as the cart above. This picture was taken at the playground of the school during the early 1930's. |
| In line with the recommendation of the committee to maintain a balance of continued improvement and the demand for higher wages and rising cost of education, the primary schools in St. Barnabas, Aiab and Holy Cross, Tocucan phased out in 1968 when public elementary schools were opened in these places. Evaluation of mission schools was again conducted in 1969. Individual mission schools were encouraged to become members of the Association of Christian Schools and Colleges. In 1970, Maintenance of the seventh grade became optional, so All Saints' phased out its seventh grade curriculum. The 70's were marked with demands for more classrooms,' better facilities, more faculty and higher salaries to cope with the growing population and rising cost of comodities. Direction was new toward income generating projects. The School Weaving Department was opened in 1971 with an initial capital of P1 0,000.00. Today it contributes about P10,000.00 annually to the coffers of the school. A piggery project was also started. Benefit shows were presented and the All Saints' Children Buying Club became operational. The dividends earned by this club were used to open bank accounts for the children. The school canteen also contributes about P7,000.00 per annum. The Home Economics department baked and sold bread to help in the Bell Fund Campaign of the church. By now, All Saints School became popular throughout the region for its academic excellence. Its students often represented the province in the Math/Science/Social Studies Quiz Bee in the region. A number of its graduates passed exams for entrance to the Philippine Science High Schools and the performance of the pupils in the CNI and PANAMIN exams are remarkable. The latter part of the 70's saw the gradual transfer of faculty members to schools which offer better pay. Income from projects could not meet the demand for higher pay. Coupled with this is the plan to cut off diocesan subsidy by 20% by the latter 80's. This is in line with the mother church's development program to make the different dioceses financially stable and autonomous. In 1979, the school was the recipient of $1,000.00 from Rev. Harry Burk a retired missionary. This amount was specifically given to augment the salaries of the teachers. The same year, the Association of Christian Schools and Colleges conducted a seminar to prepare all mission schools in assessing community needs as basis for preparing project proposals for funding thru ACSC. The school became a member of this association at the early part of 1980. As an offshoot of this seminar, the school conducted a community needs assessment in Samoki and the need pinpointed was a vocational and literacy-numeracy skills training for the out-of-school youth and farmers who are idle in between plowing and harvest times. From the survey, a vocational training center was proposed. The estimated cost of the whole programs is P137,274.00. Thru ACSC, the project was approved and the German-based Bread for the World released the amount of P108,000.00 in September, 1980 for equipment tools, and operational expenses. The project is now in full swing with courses on dressmaking and knitting offered for the women and woodwork, upholstery and metal sheet work for men. Products from these are now being sold at the vocational center and weaving room. Presently, the school has on enrollment of 430 pupils with a faculty of 12 teachers, a principal and the school chaplain. Assisting the faculty is the Parents-Teachers Association which was organized in 1979. So from a fledgeling school seventy - five years ago; all Saints' made its way slowly but with determination to what it is now - a Christian institution providing an excellent elementary education to the community. |
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| A Pre-war stage play directed by Deaconess Dawson. Those standing are Mrs Cecilia Sumedca; Mrs Matilda Fawas; and Mrs Teodora Basco. |
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| Join the ASM alumni email list for updates on ASM events: Email [email protected] or simply sign the guestbook |
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| GOLDEN NUGGETS A cup of coffee A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said: "If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups." "Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change." "Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it." "What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God" |
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| Click here to see more pictures from the 2005 All Saints Day Fiesta. Many thanks to Joel Fagsao (Xijen) for his great pictures. |
| RAFFLE UPDATE 03/13/06 TO THE RT. REV'D EDWARD P MALECDAN, BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF NORTHERN PHILIPPINES & THE ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF ALL SAINTS' MISSION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (ASMES), BONTOC, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE Attached is the Audited Report on the 99th ASMES Founding Anniversary Raffle Draw sponsored by Class 1972. Questions relative to the report may be addressed to Evelyn P Gacusana (09185213662) or Marjorie Q Kiat-ong (09185684639). Once again, Class 1972 wishes to THANK YOU for your support and prayers! Brent S Mosomos President, Class '72 Click here: Page 1, Page 2 |
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<<<Centennial update (from welcome page) OCTOBER 30, 2006 (DAY 3) MONl)AY 6:00 A.M. - Moming Mass 7:00 A.M. � 5:00 P.M. - Continuation of alumni registration - ASSEMBLY AT SCHOOL GROGNDS - Start of CENTENNIAL PARADE around town 9:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. - Ground demonstrations of ASMES pupils 10:01 A.M. -12:30 P.M. - ALUMNI TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS (special program to honor our mentors, awarding of certificates of recognition, etc.) 12:31 P.M. -1:30 P.M. - CENTENNIAL LUNCH at the school grounds (sponsored by the Alumni) 2: 00 P.M. � 5:00 P.M. - "THOSE WERE THE DAYS" alumni presen121ions and serenade to teachers, and the CENTENNIAL RAFFLE DRAW of 100 prizes at stake (buy yow: Raffle tickets atP 20.00) 7:00 P.M. - Alumni torch parade followed byfireworks - BARN dance and cultural night OCTOBER 31,2006 (DAY 4) TUESDAY 6:00 AM. - 7:00 AM. - NECROLOGICAL MASS in memory of Our dearly beloved departed alumni. Each class will be responsible to list their deceased classmates and submit it to Cheryll Comafay-Padcayan or Joyce Tudlong at ASM 7:00 A.M. (right after the mass) - Coffee and continuing fellowship at the basketball court 8:00 A.M. � 5:00 P.M. - continuation of MEDICAL, DENTAL, LEGAL, and other services by alumni concerned to fellow alumni - continuation of registration of alumni with the secretariat 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. -Games: greased pig catching, greased pole climbing, exhibition games, parlor games, tug of war, Women�s basketball, softball & Volleyball 1n bloomers. NOVEMBER 1, 2006 (DAY 5) WEDNESDAY 8:00 A.M. - All Saints Day Mass 10:00 A.M. (after the mass) - Bible quiz - Congregational and Alumni pattong 12:00 NOON - 1:30 P.M. - Cathedral Lunch - CLOSING CEREMONY - Acknowledgements/announcements by ASMESAA, closing remarks by Bishop Malecdan/Rector) N.B. The ASMESM shall be printing a souvenir program to include our centennial celebration activities. We are all enjoined to subscribe/advertise, the rates of which are: 1 whole page - P 1,200.00 1/2 Page 700.00 1/4 Page 400.00 Advertisement Lines 200.00 (no free copy) Deadline for submission of advertisements/subscriptions shall be November 5, 2006 to: (1) Ms. Eva Rachel Faculo-Falag-ey - CP # 09196033488 \ (2) Dr. Diga Kay Dirige- Gomez - CP # 09218003773 For further information, you may contact the ff: 1. President - 09184506935 2. Asst. Sec. - 09212314634 3. Treasurer - 09217974222 |
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| Souvenir book list of subscribers. Note: Names of the list are arranged alphabetically, printing however will be according to date of payment....(subscriber list for ASM centennial souvenir book) |
| Souvenir book list of subscribers. Note: The names on the list are arranged alphabetically, printing however on the book will be done according to the payment date....(updated subscriber list ) |