Westbridge at 17: Our Family, Our Way
Westbridge School for Boys.
Seventeen years ago, a group of parents braved a sea of doubt to establish a school exclusive for boys in our beloved, Iloilo City. It would be the first Parents for Education Foundation (PAREF) school outside Metro Manila. Situated in the Lopez Boat House on Luna Street, it would be a haven for boys with pure bred adrenaline. It would be known as Westbridge School. A good number of people have wondered what was inside an enigmatic boathouse of a former vice-president of the country, and a curious name for a school. Read on, and take a glimpse of a story of a family.
The Boathouse.
It was one solid structure, with a great spiral staircase and inlaid hardwood floor. It was a formidable building for the first five years with the boys whose characteristics include that of a tornado, swift and destructive. Though it was not a hidden truth that they were indeed “hyperactive”, Westbridge did all its best to tame them and channel their potential energies to something worthwhile. Many joined academic and extracurricular activities, and not a few won them. It was also interesting and amusing to see parents carry their own furniture to school for various programs and events. As a result, the school looked more like a homely estate within an academic institution.
As the family grew, so did the school. In 1997, Westbridge transferred to its definitive site in Magsaysay Village, where today a subdivision would develop. It would also be this same year that the elementary department would open. The high school boys seemed to be big brothers to the younger ones. In families, one can not do away with celebrations. Many memorable events filled the halls of this new structure. Since the school aims to provide a “balanced and demanding academic and personal formation for its students”, the academic year is spiced with English Week, Sportsfest, Buwan ng Wika, Father and Son Camping, Educational trip, Christmas Outreach, and the grandest of them all, the Foundation Day, traditionally held in a weekend of February.
A pose at the old building,
The Boathouse.
It is very fitting that the school celebrates its Foundation Day in a month dedicated by the Church to the Holy Family. Incidentally, the secular world considers it as a month of love. These are two great pillars in which the Westbridge Way of academic and personal formation is founded upon. The many events of the school are aimed at forming the parents as primary educators of their children, with the cooperation of their teachers. It would be good to see the philosophy of each event held in school, but that would be too long for this article. However, it would suffice to say that no event is just purely academic, or physical, or talent oriented. It would definitely be misleading. On the contrary, each activity aims to mold that adrenaline mentioned earlier to make the boy, a gentleman of the finest order.
Young Christian gentlemen.
This family aims to mold Christian gentlemen. Considering the small classroom population, each boy gets to have a chance to excel. Most importantly, each boy gets to have a personal formation tutor. Virtues are valued in this school family. In fact, the highest award the school can give, the Student Excellence Award, has as its main criteria the virtues exhibited by the student along with his academic grade. Academic excellence is indeed important, in fact, it is a must in all schools. In Westbridge, one can get that, plus a whole lot more.
In the life of a man, the number of sentences diagrammed, the novels and figures of speech understood, mathematical problems solved, scientific experiments conducted, chemical symbols memorized, physical attributes of matters learned, economic philosophies read, geometrical figures analyzed, or cultural diversity of the nation and of the world familiarized from school is vaguely remembered. However, it is that which is not written in a curriculum or measured in a given instrument that attaches to one’s personal life.
Happy with the Westbridge Way.
The attitude towards a situation, the reaction to problems, the discipline of a certain subject, the influence of a teacher, and the time spent with the family has on the other hand a lasting effect. This ideal learning environment can be found in this Westbridge family. It is the Westbridge Way.
This year, the Foundation Day Celebration was last February 7, Saturday. The activity started at 7:30am with a Holy Mass and a motorcade right after. The rest of the morning was dedicated to family fun games. Lunch was served by the many restaurants of Iloilo serenaded by alumni bands. More games followed in the afternoon, with bingo, high tech toys for big boys, a dog show and magical presentation for all to enjoy. In the evening, a variety show highlighted the talents of the students, and the night was crowned with pyrotechnic display.
The author had the fortune to be part of this family during high school, and now is back to teach. He is very grateful with the Westbridge Way. The way of a family.