LBAS @ 15! MILESTONES IN EMERALD AND GOLD 15 Years of Forming the Youth &

Making a Better World Possible            

 

by: Romel Obinario

 

 

 

RATIONALE

 

A milestone is a significant event in one’s life. For an educational institution, a milestone is a turning point that may signify the advancement of knowledge, the institutionalization of a new academic program, the passing on of the baton to a new set of administrators, the graduation of a batch of seniors, or the attainment of certain goals. In a span of fifteen years, Laguna BelAir School has been able to achieve all these milestones in more ways than one.

 

The LBAS 10th Anniversary celebrations (June 2006 – March 2007) highlighted the theme “LBAS Turns 10… Claiming the Future: ‘A Different World is Possible.’” The theme was inspired by the World Social Forum (WSF), first held in Porto Alegre, Brazil from January 25 to 30, 2001. The WSF was organized by groups involved in the alternative globalization movement worldwide. It sought to serve as an alternative to the gathering of political and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

 

Ten years after the first WSF, the themes commemorated at Porto Alegre still resonate in the hearts and minds of people from the developing world and the displaced people in the developed countries. These people continue to bear the brunt of a global economy that places profit ahead of people and functions to make money without due regard for the plight of the disadvantaged. Unhampered economic globalization has brought about a global economic crisis unparalleled in world history. As the world confronts growing hunger coupled by rising food prices; gnawing poverty amidst the concentration of the world’s resources in the hands of the rich; crumbling dictatorships in the face of campaigns and uprisings for democracy and the recognition of human rights; and environmental degradation exacerbated by the mad scramble for limited resources, the call for “A Different World” remains as imperative as ever.

In its fifteen years of existence, LBAS as an educational institution has carved a niche in youth formation. It is the second home of some 800 students per school year. It has graduated some 366 Fourth Year high school students who have since taken up higher learning and are now realizing their dreams. It has trained its students to think critically, to be creative, and to pursue relevant researches that may have a significant impact on the world’s future. It has become a training ground for exemplary students whose skills, talents, and intelligences have been, and continue to be, recognized locally and abroad.

 

At the same time, LBAS has done its own share in bringing about changes in society. Its academic and extra-curricular programs are anchored on the LBAS philosophy that the educational system should play its part as an active agent in the transformation of society. It is within the context of this philosophy that LBAS has adopted yearly sub-themes based on the core values and reflecting the advocacies of the WSF. The sub-themes have since become concrete programs and by-words as evidenced by the Green Program and Project Hilom, the Scholarship Program, and the Community Immersion and Integration Program.

 

LBAS today is many milestones away from where it started as envisioned by its founders. The achievements of LBAS in the formation of its students and in the adoption of worthwhile causes serve as sources of esteem and inspiration fifteen years after its humble beginnings in 1997. The gold and the emerald wave up high with dignity and pride.

 

On its fifteenth foundation anniversary, Laguna BelAir School reaffirms its commitment to youth formation and making a better world possible. The theme for the celebration is: “LBAS @ 15! MILESTONES IN EMERALD AND GOLD – 15 Years of Forming the Youth & Making a Better World Possible.”

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