When you meet classmates, batchmates and schoolmates of yesteryears, it gives you a cocktail of feelings. It makes you wonder where have everybody been all these years. But, perhaps, more importantly, it is a great time to think about those high school days.

High school is a period in life when you get to know people who will become your lifelong friends, precious friends.

And somehow, just knowing that you went through the same school gives you a feeling of oneness (a common bond of friendship based on shared experiences). For those who are occupying high positions in  government or in successful private businesses, it is a time to think of the effect the school, its teachers and classmates had on them. For those not as successful in their careers, it still is comforting for them to know they have friends who have achieved so much (and can even help).

It is a great time to be grateful – to say “thank you”.

The Centennial Grand Alumni Homecoming of the Leyte National High School (LNHS) Centennial held last December 27 and 28, 2005 was such an occasion.

There may have been flaws in the program (e.g. many wanted to have more dancing in the Alumni Night) but it was a significant start for an association and an event that is just an “infant” in the form that it is now.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two days even when I was busy making sure my batchmates were also having fun. And have fun, we did. One of our batchmates, Elisa Fuentes Arce won the grand prize in the raffle held on the 28th – a JVC TV set with a matching DVD player.

The Grand Alumni Association is just being organized and will, hopefully get going now that it has a duly elected Board of Directors.

In the years ahead we can see an Association that will not be content with just saying “thank you”, but a group that will  ask “how can we help LNHS?” and then later say “we have done our share of making LNHS a provider of quality education to our youth”.

Is it not what Alumni Homecomings and reunions are supposed to be?