SNC HIGH SCHOOL BATCH 1979 | home
SPEECH OF NESTOR FELICIO
(Welcome Address given during the 2004 SNC High School Grand Alumni Homecoming September 4, 2004 at SPU Surigao High School Atrium by Nestor Felicio.)
Sisters of St. Paul, teachers, guests, fellow alumni: good evening.
Last year I was inviting you via video to come and join this year's alumni reunion. Tonight on behalf of the class of 1979, let me say in person - and loud and clear - thank you for being here, and welcome to the 2004 SNC High School Grand Alumni Homecoming.
Allow me first to take this opportunity to recognize a few people without whom this event would not be possible. Let me begin with Engr. Rizalina Titing Zabala, the chairman of this year's organizing committee. Ting, your leadership, commitment and energy have been the key to making this year's homecoming a reality. Truly our batch is lucky to have you and I think I speak for every one of us when I say thank you for taking this responsibility. Let me also thank Joey Tan, Von Ocenar, Mely Patriana, Al Pantejo, Adeline Almeda, Cesar Ordona, Diosdado Ma, Judith Montinola, Raul Polinar, Betty Cabidog, Ruth Rosales, and all the other members of the working committee for a truly outstanding job. Well done, guys -- you make our batch proud!
The theme of this year's homecoming is “Reminiscing the good old high school days… the spirit lives on…”
One of the habits I developed in high school is to write down on paper any train of thought that hits me. I think it's because I had a really good English teacher in the person of Mrs. Canonigo - thank you ma'm and all our teachers - you continue to inspire us today.
So here's something I wrote in December of 2002, which I dug up because I thought it might be relevant here tonight:
We made our choices because of who we were
And we are who we are because of the choices we made
Because of this we wouldn't have it any other way
Even if we went back a million times.
But the present is not a slave to the past
Nor the past to the present
They are linked, but distinct.
Yet sometimes past and present meet
And when they do, we recognize the familiar
And the reminders of who we were
And why we are who we are.
A tree has to spread its branches for it to grow, but the taller or wider it grows, the deeper its roots have to be. Well, people are like trees - the more a person grows, the more he reinvents himself to find his destiny, the deeper he needs to know himself.
Tonight I think we can count ourselves lucky, because over long years or long distances, we have made the journey back to nourish our roots.
This morning at the SNC gym we sang the SNC hymn; for me it was for the first time in twenty-five years. I don't remember singing it as heartfelt in my four years in high school as I did this morning.
The last line of the hymn says that SNC is our home. And so, on behalf of the 1979 class, my fellow alumni, WELCOME HOME!