Elementary Days at St. Martin Tech
The year was 1975 where boys' pants were all bell-bottom and girls' skirts were a bit shorter. It was my elementary years and I was in the sixth grade at St. Martin Technical Institute.
St. Martin Technical Institute was located along Meralco Avenue and at the back of the Rizal Provincial Capital. The school grounds was actually perched on top of hill overlooking the valley below know as Barrio Ugong. The school was quite expansive during those days. There were separate buildings for grade school and high school. The grade school building is 5-storey high with two wings on the side but hardly occupied . Inside the elementary building was a big open space that was used for field demonstrations, school dances and other school related activities.
After classes in the afternoon, the open-ground was used by elementary students to play "sipa". A bit away from the building were lines of sweet berry trees where we used to climb up and picked on the sweet fruits. After the tree line, is a wide vacant lot surround by a high wire fence, where we plant vegetables which was part of the activity of our practical arts class. Further outside the vacant lot was an unused football field with overgrown grass and a swimming pool used for physical education and school competition.
It was a nice year for me. I had nice classmates. I belonged to the "A" section but I never considered myself bright. I was as an average student then. We had an adviser who is also our English teacher, Mr. Calacal. He taught as a lot about English. He drilled us almost everyday and shove in our heads heaps of English words forcing us to expand our vocabulary. He also taught us how to mix English with foreign words especially French words such as coup de grace, faux pas, etc. Looking back I think, I owe him for that.
Most of my classmates are from well-to-do families. Some are children of court justices, businessmen, showbiz personalities. Compared to my family which belong to hard-working middle class though with good education.
After classes we (my brothers) went home by ourselves since we can manage it. We usually hitched a ride in strangers' cars along Meralco avenue hoping to reach Shaw Boulevard and take a jeep afterwards, which is unimaginable nowadays.
The stretch along Meralco avenue back then were vacant lots with overgrown cogon grass. That same place right now is now known as the Ortigas Business District.
St. Martin Technical closed down probably in the early eighties and was converted into the University of Life and present day houses some departments of Department of Education.
It's nice to visit one's past once in a while. But wouldn't if be nice if the places or building still exist. Sadly though, it only exist in the minds of its alumni who are probably in their fifties including me of course.
St. Martin Technical Institute was located along Meralco Avenue and at the back of the Rizal Provincial Capital. The school grounds was actually perched on top of hill overlooking the valley below know as Barrio Ugong. The school was quite expansive during those days. There were separate buildings for grade school and high school. The grade school building is 5-storey high with two wings on the side but hardly occupied . Inside the elementary building was a big open space that was used for field demonstrations, school dances and other school related activities.
After classes in the afternoon, the open-ground was used by elementary students to play "sipa". A bit away from the building were lines of sweet berry trees where we used to climb up and picked on the sweet fruits. After the tree line, is a wide vacant lot surround by a high wire fence, where we plant vegetables which was part of the activity of our practical arts class. Further outside the vacant lot was an unused football field with overgrown grass and a swimming pool used for physical education and school competition.
It was a nice year for me. I had nice classmates. I belonged to the "A" section but I never considered myself bright. I was as an average student then. We had an adviser who is also our English teacher, Mr. Calacal. He taught as a lot about English. He drilled us almost everyday and shove in our heads heaps of English words forcing us to expand our vocabulary. He also taught us how to mix English with foreign words especially French words such as coup de grace, faux pas, etc. Looking back I think, I owe him for that.
Most of my classmates are from well-to-do families. Some are children of court justices, businessmen, showbiz personalities. Compared to my family which belong to hard-working middle class though with good education.
After classes we (my brothers) went home by ourselves since we can manage it. We usually hitched a ride in strangers' cars along Meralco avenue hoping to reach Shaw Boulevard and take a jeep afterwards, which is unimaginable nowadays.
The stretch along Meralco avenue back then were vacant lots with overgrown cogon grass. That same place right now is now known as the Ortigas Business District.
St. Martin Technical closed down probably in the early eighties and was converted into the University of Life and present day houses some departments of Department of Education.
It's nice to visit one's past once in a while. But wouldn't if be nice if the places or building still exist. Sadly though, it only exist in the minds of its alumni who are probably in their fifties including me of course.
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