As the student body is the lifeblood of an educational institution, so is the student press the pulse that echoes its vital signs. Through the years, five school papers somehow managed to emerge in LCHS. Despite the absence of official recognition, these publications, albeit short-lived, managed to leave considerable imprints on the LCHS campus.

Scholastic Gazette.  The first student publication to surface in LCHS was called the Scholastic Gazette. It was conceived by Victor L. Chiu, then a high school senior (Batch '65). Almost single-handedly he went from classroom to classroom to campaign for student support for a publication that would carry their voice. The proposal met some initial resistance as the students were asked to shell out a certain sum to fund the project.  A series of debates ensued for weeks between the pros and cons. Eventually the idea gained acceptance. And on January 15, 1965, the maiden issue of the first LCHS student newspaper was published.

The Gazette was produced by a lean staff composed of Victor Chiu, as editor; and two other classmates, Alex Rodriguez as assistant editor, and Artemio Lagrosas as miscellaneous editor and staff artist. Extra hands in the preparation of materials like writing and gathering articles, typing, and mimeographing came from Ernesto Yu, Salvador Booc, Wilson Lim, Clemente Lim, Leonardo Tan, Suniel Lim, Ricardo So, and Robert Co.

Rich Resource of Talents.  Printed by mimeograph, the Gazette unearthed a rich resource of talents hitherto untapped in LCHS. While most of its materials were simply lifted from theme compositions of the students, they nonetheless underscored the fact that LCHS, then as now, didn't suffer from a dearth of ideas rich in wit, eloquence and sensibility. The newsletter even carried a Pilipino section that had all the indications of a bunch of LCHSians proficient in Pilipino and the vernacular, the likes of Gloricita Racines, Florfina Teh, Suniel Lim, Jesus Chin, John Go, Ernesto Yu, Alex Rodriguez and Carlina Dy.

Student Forum.  Despite its benign character, a notable part of the Gazette was a section called "We, the Students." The column paved the way for students to air views that were, by standard of the moment, fairly critical of the school. A few students were audacious enough to give vent to their sentiments in the forum.

Jesus Chin bewailed the lack of adequate scientific equipment in the school laboratory. "Things would have been better if our laboratory is equipped enough to attract the interest of the students in science," he wrote.  Another vocal student, Leonardo Tan, expressed his wish that "favoritism among some teachers would become a thing of the past." And Ernesto Yu, on his part, voiced his dissatisfaction with the school's toilet facilities and the inconvenient location of the library. "Where but in LCHS," he wrote, "can you find the smallest toilet in the whole island of Mindanao? And who would like to go to the library when it is placed as high as heaven with neither keys nor librarian?"

Enduring Editorial.  Topping the list of notable materials that found their way to the pages of the Gazette was its editorial in the maiden issue. It was a classic. In it Victor Chiu amplified Deogenes' lament on the subject of honesty with a message that is unmistakably relevant today as it was thirty years ago: "I am looking for an honest man."

For a pioneering effort, the Gazette had the making of a promising school paper going for it. Unfortunately, the paper lasted only a semester and folded up as soon as the school year ended with the graduation of the staff members.   (Reprinted from the Spectrum, Feb. 1, 1999 issue.)