47TH FOUNDATION DAY

June 20, 2014

To the Principal of Balanacan National High School, Ms. Legoria R. Lamoc

To my fellow teachers, guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning!

We are gathered here this morning to celebrate the Foundation Day of our school. What is
Foundation Day?

Based on the original meaning of the celebration, Foundation Day is a designated date
(chosen date) on which celebrations mark the founding of a nation or state. This holiday can
be symbolized by the date of becoming republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a
ruler as the starting point of the nation's history. Institutions such as schools, like Balanacan
National High School, also celebrate a Foundation Day. Why celebrate a Foundation Day?

First, it gives us a sense of history. A school celebrates its foundation to reminisce and to
honor its establishment. It was on July 17, 1972 that our school was granted permission to
operate. However, history goes beyond its chronological date. To have a sense of history, it is
very important to know where we’ve come from. Hence, on this day, we are reminded of how
the school was formed 47 years ago. Today, we reflect on the very early days of the school and
how far we have come as a school community. And so, we present to God our stories of joy, of
sadness, and of pain with gratitude.

Second, Foundation Day gives us a sense of mission and purpose. Why should we set aside a
time in the busy life of a school year to celebrate Foundation Day? We celebrate so that we do
not forget the vision of the people who established it, so that we renew the vision which has
inspired the School for the last 47 years. It is a reminder that at its foundation, Balanacan
National High School is to be a school where learning forms students to become leaders for a
transformed world. There were many who have given so much to the School over the years.
Today is therefore about remembering and honoring all who have served to make the School
the place it is today.

Third and last, Foundation Day is a day of remembrance, a day of honoring, a day to
celebrate what has been achieved over the past 47 years, and a day to look forward to
what is yet to come. This day stands as a reminder to us that when we forget our
history, we move into an uncertain future. We celebrate the Day to maintain the
school’s principle, so that the teachers, the staff, and the students will be reminded of
it.

Hence, our school has taken July 17as the designated date for our Foundation Day. This
date is a significant one for all of us for it reminds us of the pioneers who had made it
possible for Balanacan National High School to come to being. The DepEd vision-
mission is like a guiding star that leads us to where our school is heading. Today is
Foundation Day, a day etched with tradition and history. We remember, so that we do
not forget. And in remembering, we become “light of the world and salt of the earth”. So
it is, so it will be.

Again, good morning and God Bless us all!