The team, with coaches Teachers Nanette Padlan and Joan Malicdem, ably assisted by their team captains, Charina Pinlac and Diane Samantha Sta. Maria and co- captain, Karlo Gabriel Cabotaje showed their mettle very early in the games. The speed by which the Red Team members went through the obstacle courses enabled them to pull away from the competition from the get go.

Runner -up to the Red Team was the team coached by Teacher Mirasol Mislang and Leslie Salindong. The Green Witty Trolls had Grade VI Raymond Alfred Bernal as team captain and Hershey- Khey Soy of the Grade V as co-captain.

Pulling third and fourth places respectively in the games division were the Yellow Rising Phoenix and Blue Happy Bears respectively. The Yellow Team was coached by Teacher Aleli Jel Mejia and Venus Cera and led by captain, Jann Adrian Quinto and co-captain, Loren Therese Peregrino, both of the Grade VI graduating class. The Yellow Team, though coming in third over-all proved to be the “masters of the rope.” The team bested all four teams in the Tug-of-War, one, if not the most awaited and exciting game in the whole activity.

The Blue team was coached by Teachers Rodith Veloria, Ritchelle Caguya and Grace Tuanan and assisted by team captain Edward Joseph Rosario of the Grade VI class and co-captain Nikolle Ann Fernandez of the Grade V class. Though coming in last in the games portion of the activity, the Happy Bears won the Best Banner award, showcasing their team mascot, the school’s logo and mascot in the most effective and arresting manner.

The Mini Olympics was well-attended by the pupils’ parents and relatives making the games all the more fun with their uninhibited participation in the different events. This year also saw more games introduced to include the preschoolers, engaging them in physically challenging but safe games. On its 10th year, the half-day activity still never fails to bring the whole school together for a day of sports, fun and camaraderie.

View Pictures of Mini Olympics 2010.

This year’s campers consisted of fifteen Grade IV pupils, seven Grade V and six Grade VI pupils. The 28 campers were chaperoned by 12 SRBCL faculty members. The campers were: Grade IV – Ggyn A. Agbayani, Mary Rose G. Aque, Angela Kyle C. Barrozo, Isaiah Luis R. Benin, Francis Gino P. Bernal, Jeremy Jershwin G. de Vera, Leona Ericka B. Elegores, Thomas Joey D. Fernandez, Joseph B. Gutierrez, Stephanie U. Laforteza, AJ G. Ponciano, Nysa Cecilia P. Pulmano, Alea Jan C. Quinto, Terence Ryan M. Rosario and Jose Antonio B. Santiago; Grade V – Karlo Gabriel T. Cabotaje, Geowela Marie M. Carrera, Beatrice Hazel C. Estrada, Nikolle Ann D. Fernandez, Stefi Mae D. Foronda, Izeiah Karl Jior Medalle and Hershey-Khey G. Soy; and the Grade VI – Raymond Alfred P. Bernal, Loren Therese D. Peregrino, Charina D. Pinlac, Jann Adrian C. Quinto, Edward  Joseph M. Rosario and Diane Samantha M. Sta. Maria. The teacher- chaperones were: Teacher Renee Andrea Aguinaldo, Teacher Chris Aguinaldo, Teacher Anna Aguinaldo, Teacher Diana Aguinaldo, Teacher Ritchelle Caguya, Teacher Venus Cera, Teacher Joan Malicdem, Teacher Aleli Mejia, Teacher Mirasol  Mislang, Teacher Nanette Padlan, Teacher Leslie Salindong and Teacher Rodith Veloria.

The camp started at 2:30 in the afternoon of January 29, Friday and ended approximately the same time the following day, Saturday. In-between, the children had a packed schedule of activities which included the following:

FOOD PREPARATION, HOUSEKEEPING AND PARLOR GAMES: The 28 pupils were divided into four groups of seven members and each group was assigned housekeeping tasks such as food preparation, dishwashing, table setting and marketing duties. Between tasks, the children had parlor games like “Hep, Hep, Hurray” to keep them interested and to steer them away from mischief.
View Pictures of Housekeeping, Parlor Games and Dinner.

CALESA RIDE: After dinner the campers enjoyed Dagupan’s night scene via calesa ride through the main streets of the city. On board eight carriages, the children clapped, shouted and squealed through much of the way to the delight and confusion of onlookers.
View Pictures of Calesa Ride.

MORNING EXERCISE AND RUN: The campers had an early start at 5:00 in the morning since they had to travel to Don Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center in Lingayen. The stadium which regularly hosts regional and track meets gave the SRBCL pupils a chance to test their athletic abilities. Teacher Chris was their running coach for the morning. A hearty breakfast in the stadium’s picnic area was their reward for their physical exertions.
View Pictures of NRSCC Activities.

CAPITOL GROUNDS AND WORLD WAR II TOUR:  A short distance away from the stadium is the newly renovated and beautifully kept grounds of Pangasinan’s Provincial Capitol. Prepared to merely take outside shots of the building, it was a happy development that the Urduja House was open even on weekends to accommodate tourists. Teachers and pupils were warmly accommodated by Dra. Ermina Franciso, the Chief Administrative Officer and Mrs. Maggie Catacutan, Governor Amado T. Espino’s personal assistant.

The capitol employees graciously opened the offices and showed the group around, giving the children much leeway considering the ruckus they sometimes created. Both teachers and pupils had nothing but admiration for the elegant and well appointed interiors of the capitol building. Ooh’s and aah’s were the sounds that escaped most lips.

A roof deck tour of the building gave the group a bird’s eye view of the capitol grounds making it unnecessary for the group to go to the airport and the Sison Auditorium, since the roof deck was an excellent viewing platform.

Difficult as it was to tear the group away from the Urduja House, the children could not help but be drawn to the vintage World War II tanks and planes across the building. The Lingayen World War II Memorial attests to the important role the province played in the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese.  The pupils had a grand time climbing in and out of the war machines and voraciously viewing and reading the snippets of history displayed at the memorial.
View Pictures of Capitol and War Memorial Pictures.

GREENWICH PIZZA CAMP:  After a morning full of activities in Lingayen, the group went straight to Nepo Mall Dagupan to attend a two-hour pizza making camp. The employees of Greenwich Dagupan stood as hosts and facilitators. Branch Manager Arnie B. Mula and her store assistants, Jeff, Mar and Charm provided just the right amount of input to keep the pupils interested.

Tired though they may be from their morning activities, the pupils still gamely participated in the activities lined-up for them like the kitchen tour, parlor games and off course, the pizza preparation. The pupils hungrily ate their own creations along with the drinks and spaghetti that went with the package. The participants were awarded certificates at the end of the activity.
View Pictures of Greenwich Pizza Making Camp.

A few minutes after the group’s arrival from Nepo Mall, parents started to trickle in to fetch their children since SRBCL’s Indoor Camp for SY 2009- 2010 is at a close. Hardly affected by exhaustion, the pupils were one in their wish for an immediate repeat of the activity – proof positive that this school year’s Indoor Camp is a success!

Diane Samantha M. Sta. Maria

Diane passed and has intimated that she will be attending the PSHS, San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur campus. She is the daughter of proud and supportive parents, Engr. Robert and Edelyn Sta. Maria of Pozorrubio, Pangasinan.

SRBCL is truly proud and celebrates this milestone and academic achievement.

The year is capped off by the school’s Christmas Pageant which for this year adopted a retro theme. The classes prepared mostly dance numbers from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Parents, relatives and guests had a wonderful time reminiscing years past as interpreted by the children.

Since the Christmas program is still part of the school’s 10th year anniversary, it likewise featured a raffle of gifts to ten lucky families. Each gift represented a year of the school’s existence. The Christmas program ended with the traditional gift giving with the pupils receiving their gifts from their Kris Kringle babies and a CD from the SRBCL Administration and faculty.

After the program, majority of the families stayed on to partake of the potluck dinner.
View Pictures of Christmas at SRBCL.

Lean who has been an SRBCL pupil since her toddler years, was awarded an International Baccalaureate Certificate for being knowledgeable for the first quarter for her grade level. Lean is currently a Grade VI pupil at the Annunciation Catholic School in Edmonton, Canada. Two pupils for each grade level are chosen each quarter for the IB Certificate.

Also early in the school year, she was a spelling bee contestant in her new school.

Lean was a consistent medalist at SRBCL from her preschool years to her grade school levels. She finished fifth grade at SRBCL last school year (SY 2008- 2009) before leaving for Canada. She is the daughter of Engr. Andre and Mrs. Arlene Lomboy.

This year, the activity was renamed Literary and Arts Festival to put emphasis on the fact that the school concentrated on tapping the special skills of the pupils in various art forms such as singing and dancing and not merely focusing on literary skills. This year’s event also did away with the competition part to make the pupils feel more at ease participating or trying a new skill.

The morning event at Bellarmine Hall was well-attended by family and friends and the pupils’ effort much appreciated and applauded.

View Pictures of Literary and Arts Festival 2009.

The audience of mostly school-aged children, including a number of SRBCL pupils enjoyed the upbeat staging of the play and greatly relished the use of modern music and dance.

SRBCL appreciates and promotes these kinds of activities since it affords its pupils a chance to appreciate a wide range of art forms that can at times be sorely lacking in provincial areas such as Pangasinan.

COMMUNITY TOUR:  The preschool pupils were given a tour of Dagupan City highlighting the different community places that children learned in their Communication Arts class. A visit to the police station and fire station where they were graciously accommodated proved to be very educational to the pupils.

GARDEN PLANTING: The Grades V and VI HELE classes tried their hand at vegetable gardening, an activity which unfortunately very few children nowadays try and enjoy.  Conversely, the pupils approached the activity with much enthusiasm, interest and skill.

FILM VIEWING, LECTURES & RESEARCH TIME: As much as practicable the pupils were given a chance to view films related to their lessons to engage more of their senses. Lectures aided with PowerPoint presentations and short films were also an additional feature this school year.  To extend lessons further, pupils were given more time to research on topics using the Internet.

The culminating activity of SRBCL for the semester  last October 28, Wednesday was a day of exhibits, film showing, games and activities that promoted awareness of international cultures and the importance of the environment.

The children were treated to a display of dioramas depicting the different features of the world’s continents and some chosen countries. A collection of dolls wearing international costumes was also part of the exhibit.

To enhance the pupils’ learning on the environment the preschoolers watched a film on one the world’s more lovable endangered animals, the panda. The movie, “Panda” chronicled the tedious and painstaking transfer of two pandas from the protected wilds of China to a zoo in the United States.  On the other hand, the grade school pupils watched one of the award-winning documentary films prepared by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), “Planet Earth.” The film tackled the importance of caring for the environment and the animal species that we now have. It showed and discussed in graphic detail the delicate situation existing in animal habitats worldwide.

To round off the experience and to inject a dose of fun in the activity, most of the grade school pupils enjoyed a game or two of Bingo. The pupils gamely participated in the fund-raising activity of the Grade VI class, the proceeds of which will contribute to their Science project fund.  The two winners for the black-out Bingo games were Queenie Chelzea Estrada and Angela Aguinaldo.

For the activity, the pupils were encouraged to wear costumes or souvenir shirts from different parts of the world or shirt with environmental slogans on them.

Pupils from the preschool and grade school levels were encouraged to bring their pets last October 21, Wednesday and have them on display for the day.

The three puppies during that day, Jamina Joaquin’s “Mutley”, Carl and Chelsea Gonzales’ “Coco,” and Raymond, Gino and Sabrina Bernal’s “Goldy” were a crowd pleaser as well as Sean Basto’s cuddly short- haired bunny, “Comet.”

Birds and fishes as always number the most, while not lagging too far behind were the turtles brought by Allyson Reyes (Prep) and Neil Maramba (Nursery).

The bird lovers this year were Lilian Aiza Gubatan (Toddler) and brother, Gero Sebastian (Kinder), Hans Ferrer (Kinder), Ken Patryk Chua of the Grade I and Terence Rosario of the Grade IV.

Fishes of varying shapes, breeds and sizes were brought by Khier Matthew Bravo (Nursery), Benedict de Venecia (Nursery), Mikee Ugto (Nursery), Althea Tinquico (Kinder), Elijah River Febreo (Prep), Angela Aguinaldo (Grade II), Nathan Matthew Barredo (Grade II), Francis Aeron Tinquico (Grade II), and CJ Sta. Maria (Grade III).

View Pictures of Pet Show 2009.