For class 1967 of Masbate National Comprehensive High School (formerly Masbate High School), campus journalism was exciting and memorable. Their school paper, The Ranch, was their pride and joy.
It was while they were at the helm of the campus paper that it won a bunch of awards at what was then the National Secondary Schools Press Conference.
So, when they were thinking recently of what they could give to their alma mater that would be useful to the entire community, a donation of copies of the Inquirer for one school year seemed the logical choice.
They hoped that reading the Inquirer regularly would revitalize and strengthen interest in campus journalism and help student journalists in publishing their newspaper. The class also hoped it would keep students abreast of political and other significant developments in the country that every concerned citizen should know.
Class 1967 signed up for the Inquirer Learning Corner (ILC) initiative, through which it donated five copies of the newspaper five days a week for one school year.
The MNCHS class is the latest addition to the list of newspaper donors under the ILC program of the Inquirer’s Learning section. The program aims to develop the habit of reading newspapers among students so they can keep link learning with the real world and have current materials for class work.
Leo Aguilar, Class 1967 vice president for Luzon, said that by joining the ILC program they hoped the daily newspapers would inspire the MNCHS students and provide them the models that they could use to improve The Ranch.
He pointed out that the school paper was close to the heart of every member of Class 1967 because of the honors it brought them.
Marina Verano Merioles, president of Class 1967 who formally presented the donation to MNCHS, said: “The donation is something both teachers and students could appreciate. The daily newspapers would update readers on vital issues and provide information they can use in their everyday lives, quenching their thirst for knowledge about events, places and personalities.”
She expressed the hope that both teachers and students would treasure the donation that “would help solve the lack of facilities and materials for research at our dear alma mater.”
The donation was formally accepted by Bennett J. Almiñe, MNCHS officer-in-charge who, by a happy coincidence, is also a member of Class 1967. Almiñe expressed the school’s gratitude to Class 1967 for the donation.
Student Blessy Joy Brioso, who reads the paper after completing her assignments, said: “The Inquirer informs us of happenings in our government and nation. We get a lot of information needed for our research.”
Another student, Angelo M. Suya, who has developed the habit of reading the free newspaper every day, said: “The Inquirer gives us news that is not biased unlike other media. It has also a better layout.”
Jessica Iscah F. Madrillejos, secretary of the Supreme Student Council, started reading the Inquirer from the first day it arrived at MNCHS in July. She said: “The Inquirer gives me answers to questions about current events. It improved my vocabulary and my study habits.”