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Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
by
Maltreb Aslagal
Hereunder
are the most frequently asked questions [FAQs] received and a summary
of the answers given by the web administrator since the inception of
SMSS Alumni and Friends Foundation*.
I. Why
should we help St. Mary’s School of Sagada? What's in it for us?
Answer:
There are quite a number of reasons why St. Mary's School of Sagada [SMSS]
deserves your support.
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By helping SMSS, you will be
helping an indigenous people realize their hopes and dreams
of improving their socio-economic conditions through quality
education grounded on the tenets of Christianity. In the process,
you will be entitled to a tax-exemption in the amount of your
donation to SMSS. Please check with your tax consultant to make
sure.
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To all self-respecting
Igorots, helping SMSS--a school committed to becoming the number one
school in the Cordillera Adminstrative Region [CAR]-- will raise the
bar of quality education for Igorots and related people. It is but
natural that other schools in the CAR will strive to emulate or
surpass what SMSS has and will accomplish in terms of facilities and
curriculum improvement, to the overall benefit of hinterland
communities in the CAR.
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As an ecumenical Episcopal
school, SMSS is proud of the diversity of its student body and
faculty, regardless of religious belief, political affiliation,
ethnic origin, color of skin, sex orientation, or social status. It
has been a proponent of the free discussion of ideas. Not a few of
its alumni found themselves in leading roles in opposing camps in
the Philippine Cordillera's unfolding ideological and religious
spectrum. But one thing is sure: SMS does not allow any
political ideology or religious fanaticism to enslave the minds of
its students. SMS deserves the support of the local and national
government as well as every freedom-loving people.
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To SMSS alumni, helping your
alma mater will sustain, for those coming after you, the educational
opportunity which enabled you and many of your indigenous brothers
and sisters to catch up with mainstream Philippine society and the
rest of the world. As such, you will be paying a debt which you owe
to those who pioneered and sacrificed for your people particularly
the early American Missionaries to Sagada and the Mountain Province.
You will also help ensure that all what the late manong Frank Longid
has toiled for will not have been in vain. Please revisit his
homily:
"Building Fires and Digging Wells for those Coming After Me"
II. What
exactly is the idea of SMSS as regards quality education and how does
SMSS plan to realize such for its students?
Answer:
By quality education, we mean an education which sufficiently prepares
the student to meet the challenges of college and future careers, but
also develops his character to become a selfless member of and
contributor to society, grounded on universal Christian values like
respect, responsibility, service, and integrity. Since the first year of
its incorporation in school year 2004-2005, the school embarked on a
comprehensive 5-year strategic plan, encompassing a wide range of
educational issues like curriculum, faculty and student development,
community relations, infrastructure, and financial sustainability. The
school is now on the final year of the plan, awaiting accreditation from
the Association of Christian Schools and Universities. Within this
time, SMSS has emerged as a model of excellence, as attested by college
admissions of its recent graduates, a record of exemplary student
achievement in interscholastic academic and athletic competitions,
commendations by external accreditors, and recognized by the Department
of Education as a center for training teachers in the North. Its
facilities are deemed excellent, and its curriculum and instructional
methodology are now being emulated. Truly, SMSS has gone a long way.
Moreover, the school is on track with its plan of financial
sustainability by SY 2010-2011. A second strategic plan for the next
five years is now in the making.
A
detailed description of the original plan is available at:
http://www.smssfoundation.com/5-year_dev__plan.htm.
The
weekly reports of the SMSS Principal, Dr. Dennis Faustino, will also
give you an idea on how the school administration is preparing its
students. This can be accessed from the following web page:
http://smssagada.org/0000%20Principals%20Reports.htm
III. Many
good plans get bogged down or killed by, among others, incompetence
and ulterior motives. How competent are the school administrators and
how sure are we that the SMSS 5-year development plan will not be used
to fleece donors?
Answer:
After serving as Assistant Principal at International School Manila for
eight years prior to his retirement, Dennis Faustino, the author of the
original 5-year development plan, has pledged to continue as Principal
for the next five years. Concurrently, an assistant principal has been
appointed and is being trained to ensure the effective performance of
the school in the future. The Chairman of the Board of SMSSI, Engr.
Rufino Bomasang, likewise, has an unblemished record as President of the
Philippine National Oil Exploration Company. Both have verifiable track
records as competent managers/administrators. Both are self-made men who
have accumulated enough wealth for them to retire comfortably if they so
desire. Moreover, donations to SMSS channeled through the SMSS Alumni
and Friends Foundation, will be strictly monitored and audited in
compliance with this public charity foundation’s recognition as a 501 (
c) (3) tax-exempt organization by the US Internal Revenue Service
[IRS].
IV. So it seems SMSS has surpassed all expectations, and has proven
to be the premier school that it once was, and now is. Why should I
continue to help?
Answer:
SMSS is still far from achieving its objectives and its vision. While
it has modern laboratories, instructional resources, and computers, we
still need help for the development of infrastructure. For one, the
gymnasium, though functional, still needs to be finished structurally,
and equipped with adequate equipment. Nothing has yet been done to
address the security of the campus (fencing). The exterior of the
school building, the dormitories, and faculty housing need to be fixed.
With regards to financial sustainability, as planned, the faculty chairs
scheme (which subsidizes faculty salaries to allow time for tuition and
fees to match operational expenses) will be terminated. However, there
is still a need to generate funds for scholarships for academically
gifted and financially needy students. In short, much work has been
done, yet more needs to be done, and though smaller in scope, we still
need your support.
SMSS is
now embarking on the second level of its journey towards excellence.
The most important contribution you can make is to share the good news
with the rest of the world, and be proud of what your alma mater has
accomplished in so short a time.
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* SMSS-related questions received by other SMSS alumni and friends and
answers given, or proposed to be given, can be added to these FAQs. You
may also send your corrections, suggestions or criticisms on the FAQs to
Igorot44@aol.com . LBS
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