by Francis Joseph A. Dee (H4F)

PKK Principal for Summer 2008 Francis Dee recollects his thoughts on his personal odyssey that is growing up in Xavier School. The essay that follows was written in his English class handled by Ms. Barbara Magallona.

Most people have a lot to show after high school, but it seems that I’m not like most people since all I have to show for my time in Xavier High School are three things: a song, some cards, and a cross. The grades came and went, as did the highs and the lows, but these things, each very close to me for one reason or another, remained. With them, I tell my story, the story of a song, some cards, and a cross.

First year: It was a very interesting year for me, to say the least, not only because of the new school building but also because of the nation’s growing political tension. 2005 was the year of the “Hello Garci” scandal, which was followed by an attempted coup in early 2006, and it was amidst this turmoil that I was “awakened”, so to speak. Sure, I joined EDSA II with my family back in 2001, but I wasn’t mature enough to understand what was really going on. To me, as well as to most Grade Three kids back then, it was just one long extended vacation. It was only after hearing of President Arroyo’s electoral fraud and less-than-genuine apology four years later that I finally realized that something must be done about the way this country is run.

Now, about three years later and another coup attempt, a ZTE-NBN scandal, a fertilizer scam, and a Spratly Islands dispute, I feel the same way. It’s this conviction that has shown me what I want to do with my life, now and beyond. A while back, I happened to find a song that expresses my exact sentiments on our current state of living. It’s bridge asks the hard question, “Does anyone care it ain’t right, what we’re doin’?”, and it ends with the solid truth that “we could be so much more than we are.” “Before Tomorrow Comes” by Alter Bridge has since become my favorite song.

Second year: In retrospect, it was a pretty dull year. However, among the few relevant things that transpired that year was my discovery of PKK. Aside from being the name of a terrorist group in the Middle East, PKK stands for Para Kay Kiko, a school organization that holds tutorial classes for public school students from San Juan. Perhaps it was destiny that led me to forget to re-apply for the Stallion, the school paper, the previous year and; consequently, join Para Kay Kiko. Whatever the case, after teaching every Saturday for about a semester, I found myself addicted to teaching and spending time with my students despite the fact that I consider myself an introvert by nature. So hooked was I on this drug that I decided to take a heavier dose: PKK Summer, and after another month of teaching, graduation came.

One thing that PKK made me realize was that the public schools these kids are enrolled in really do them no justice. Given the same quality of education, I’m positive that most of them would get higher grades than I ever could, and some of them already do despite their lackluster instruction. Whether or not I went as far as to love those kids is inconsequential, I really admire the lot of them, and there are few things I wouldn’t give for them to get the education they deserve.

At the end of the graduation ceremony that summer, I, along with all the other student-volunteers, was given a set of index cards tied together by a piece of thread. Each card contained a letter of appreciation from the students. I’ve gotten a few medals before, but I didn’t wear any of them with as much pride as I had wearing those cards.

Third year… Quite the opposite of the previous year, it was probably the most enjoyable year of my high school life. Amidst all that transpired, one thing stands out in my mind and heart, as it does for most of my batch mates: Days With the Lord. I cannot put to words what happened during that three-night retreat, but the result was a closer bond with my class and with my God, and to this day, I pray that neither will ever be lost.

What made Days With the Lord different for me in particular was that barely a month later, I was invited to another retreat called Meet the Jesuits. Though its main purpose was vocation promotion, I was nonetheless thankful for the chance to be close with my God once more. To seal the deal at the end of the overnighter, each of the participants was given a vocation cross (though one several times smaller than the version they give to real Jesuits) and an invitation to return. Unfortunately, in my case, I doubt that that invitation will be answered; I feel God calls me to take up a different cross.

A song, some cards, and a cross: a goal, a reason, and a call, they are what constitute my life thus far. I saw the goal I plan to devote my life to in first year, and that is to help this country to the best of my ability. I found my reason for doing so in second year: a bunch of kids who have the potential to do much more than I. Finally, I heard the call to pursue this goal in third year, and I answer His call wholeheartedly. However, there remain things I need before I can reach my goal. I might know where I’m going, for example, but I don’t know what exactly I have to do to get there. Still, there’s time for me to learn that and so much more; and I have no doubt that I’ll be adding to my little collection of items along the way.

Photo Sources:

BIL Cross - http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1382/1363880449_596

Boy with guitar - http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/68/59/23245968.jpg

PKK - web team file photos