St. Paul’s ties that bind

St. Paul University, Quezon City Class of 1965’s reunion. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The members of High School Class 1965 of St. Paul University Quezon City could hardly believe it. “What? It’s going to be 50 years since we graduated from high school!! You’re kidding!!”

Well, part of it was denial that we’re that much older. Another part of it, or I’d like to think a large part of it, was because we had been regularly bonding with each other, enjoying each other’s company, and sharing each other’s joys and sorrows for years so that it was almost like it was just a short while ago that we left SPCQ and went on to college and beyond.

Yes, despite the inevitable number of classmates who had somehow disappeared from the radar, there was still a group that managed to stay in touch. Here in Metro Manila, the “locals” would meet to mark the usual milestones — Christmas, birthdays, and visits from balikbayan classmates.

The same applied for classmates living abroad, mostly in the US. What’s more, we didn’t allow geographical barriers to deter us — there would be some reunions where the “locals” would fly to the US to be with both the East and West Coast classmates.

It was no wonder then, that we all looked forward to celebrating our golden jubilee. In the course of monthly meetings, countless email traffic, plus Facebook, Skype, Facetime and Viber tete-a-tetes, our vague ideas turned into semi-coherent plans, then our plans began to take on a more-or-less definite shape, and we started putting these plans into action.

A list of classmates from the US, Europe and Australia who would come home for January 10, 2015 began to form, much to the excitement of the locals. Options for our donation to the sisters/the school were studied. And since we did a dance for our silver jubilee as well as for our ruby and sapphire highlight years, we decided to carry on the tradition. Well, we don’t call ourselves the “Dancing Queens” for nothing!

And so it went. Over time, we finalized our choices. In agreement with the school authorities, who wanted to strengthen the participation of alumni in school projects, we decided on a donation of chairs for the science laboratory. Dates for the various bonding opportunities, such as the welcome dinner, the farewell dinner, out-of-town trips, etc. were deliberated on and finally cast in stone. The most important decision — what to dance for the Homecoming Program — was agonized over.

We all agreed that Class President (and Alumni Asociation, Inc. Prez too, we’re so proud of her!) Verge Gapuela’s suggestion, “Putting on the Ritz,” with Ludy Tuazon-Harbaugh’s addition of “Hello, Dolly” was hands-down the best. Then we were embroiled in the second most important decision — what to wear for the dance number. Having hurdled that, it was on to rehearsals!

Oh, the rehearsals were so much fun, and so were the shopping sessions for the fascinators we were to wear at the Homecoming. Our “Work Education” sessions to spruce up the black fascinators with gold trim brought out our creativity, or so we said to ourselves.

Of course some were so much more creative than others (Donna Perez-Brinas, take a bow!), but that’s life. It was also during this time that the term “Gorgeous Golden Girls” (or GGGs) was coined by Verge to identify our group, and we liked it so much we used it everytime and anytime we could.

Finally, our classmates started arriving. Unfortunately, only US-based GGGs could come, but hey, their presence more than made up for the others’ absence. Thanks for flying in, Nory Tapia-Estanislao, Lulu Santos-Dacumos, Boots Misa-Chavez, Jette Perey-Enriquez, Ludette Remulla-Sotto, Ludy Tuazon-Harbaugh, Norma Veluz-Lacambra, Cynthia Guevara-Gale, June Marcelo-Geronimo, Cynthia Bringas, and Marietta Azurin-Martinez. Husbands Boy Estanislao, Ding Sotto, Boy Dacumos, Jess Enriquez, Pipes Lacambra and Roland Geronimo provided loving support and the much-appreciated photography services.

Our welcome dinner was such a riot the husbands could only stare and shake their heads at all the squealing and shrieking going on. One classmate looked around in amazement and observed, “We were better behaved in high school!” All the noise notwithstanding, it was a night filled with sweet nostalgia, punctuated with “Do you remember . . ” and “Sino na nga ba …” As the St. Paul Hymn goes, “and when we leave our dear old school, these mem’ries we will recall.”

Came the big day, the Homecoming itself. There we were, in our black outfits and black and gold fascinators with matching gold fleur-de-lys patterned scarves, earrings and pendants, the latter three provided by Verge (again? is there no end to this GGG’s class spirit and generosity?). As the barker says, performance time, GGGs! Smile and step lively!! Well, we did smile and we did step lively and we had a great time dancing! We hope the audience enjoyed it too!

We stil had the “Ritz” hang-over so we danced it again during the farewell party hosted by the US GGGs. We also did the Blues, Twist and Bye-bye to Beatles music, as provided by Area One Band headed by GGGs’ favorites John Lesaca and Cash Manalang. Complementing the US GGGs; presence were “locals” Sonia Eleazar-Beato, Bobbie Soriano-Mercado (at whose beautiful house the welcome dinner was held), TitaTuazon, Fely San Diego-Cordero, Imelda Aguirre-Banzon, the aforementioned Donna and Verge, Dinah Biagtan-Zarate, Jo Lopez-Robinson, Tess Mendoza-Nicolas, Rorie Santos-Santos, Luz Tuazon-Tanchoco, Letty Martinez-Benavides, Lucy Resureccion-Reyes, Cora Umali-Santiago,Lorna Bette Mendoza, and moi, Frances Sison-Arespacochaga. We missed the company of Bettina Francisco-Fernandez, who was an active participant in the preparations before she had to join family abroad, and of Dina Reyes who attended the Homecoming but had to beg off for the other activities.

The times spent together before, during and after the homecoming were so enjoyable, the company so addicting that we found ourselves having additional get-togethers at the drop of our fascinators. Someone would text “I’ll be in the Greenhills area tomorrow, would anyone care to have brunch?” Voila, we would all be there the next morning! As I labeled my emailed photo of another impromptu gathering to our email group, “Just can’t get enough!”

I shouldn’t wonder at this, really, since our friendship is rooted in those “sweet . . . . days of girlhood” (St. Paul hymn again!). Most of our class had been together since Kindergarten, and the newbies like myself were taken into their fold with open arms. We have shared much laughter during good times – happy additions to our families, success at work, our achievements as well as that of our spouses and our children.

Yet, we have shared even more tears, as we shared our heartaches, fears and worries. At critical moments in our lives, we would automatically turn to the HS ’65 prayer brigade with requests for divine intercession. An illness in the family, tough times in the workplace, a (dare I say it?) straying husband, all these would be brought to the table for discussion, enlightenment, advice, and just plain commiseration and consolation. Each one would come out of these gatherings more thoughtful and considerate of the troubled classmate, who in turn went home in better spirits having received the love and support of the others.

But as our golden jubilee celebration winds down, we acknowledge that it wasn’t just the classmates who made our school days in St. Paul precious. We owe so much to our dear St. Paul Sisters for the caring, the concern, and the love they showed us as they fulfilled their mission of educating us. We remember with much fondness our mentors Sister Marie Clotilde of the Cross, Sister Marie du Rosaire, Sister Angeles, Sister Maurice, as well as our lay teachers Ms. Priscillla Flor-Domingo, Miss Zenaida Custodio, Ms. Adelaida Celso, Ms. Ella Enriquez, Mrs. Cristina Buenaventura, Mr. Jorge Manalo, and many more that some senior moments have forgotten. The discipline they instilled in us, the values they inculcated in us, the quest for knowledge they implanted in our young minds . . . all these have made us better persons and better members of society. For these we say a heartfelt Thank you!