The ultimate goal of every academe is to harness every learners potential to the fullest, given the idea of Gardner on multiple intelligences. However, most of the educators tend to give more emphasis on the academic aspect of every individual learner as accustomed in our educational system. Certainly, this results to global competitiveness and breakthroughs especially in Science & Technology, but our ecosystem tends to loss its balance which is detrimental to our natural habitat. Sad to say, the human beings as the supposedly steward of our mother earth seems to be the origin of its corrosion.
God’s favorite creation, given his free will, subconsciously destroys his environment because of his intelligence, ambitions and greed. As part of an evolving society, agencies within the social order must work together in order to shed light to its inhabitants as to how are they going to save our world from extermination.
Our world’s path to gradual deterioration should be addressed by every individual. One of the most influential agencies in our society is its different learning institutions. Rafael Lentejas Memorial School of Fisheries (RLMSF), though a technical vocational school, is up to the challenge of integrating concern and understanding on various environmental issues affecting our bionetwork among its learners for several decades. But with an ever increasing need for environmental social awareness, the school strives to influence our students through the conduct of different activities pertaining to prevention of the possible aftermath of man’s action which is ecocatastrophe.
Through the years, RLMSF’s wheel was steered by different administrators coming from different schools across Region VIII, organized school based organizations and designed programs with regards to environmental awareness & protection that is not only beneficial to our environment but will also bring fun towards our students, stakeholders & other school clientele. This is to ensure of the sustainability of every eco-related projects.
“At present, one of the school’s projects that brings much pride to the school, is the program of Eco-Savers Club, says Mr. Dominic Gutierrez, a Science teacher.””They call it, ‘May Pera sa Basura’. Students are encouraged to gather recyclable material and sell them in our Material Recovery Facility (MRF),” he added.
Beaming with pride, Mr. Gutierrez, also complemented that a program has a twist. According to him, instead of money, the students who will bring the materials will receive coupons that are convertible to school supply or even a nutritious snack in the school canteen. This way, the school and its students will be both benefited.
“Dalagan sa Kalibungan” as coined by Mr. Milaner Oyo-a, school’s Science coordinator is another flourishing venture of the school that shows its expanded advocacy in caring and conserving our mother nature.
“In waray, dalagan means to run and kalibungan means environment.” Mr. Oyo-a explained when asked about the name of their program. “It is an annual fund raising activity that aims to financially support our adoptive barangays under our ‘Adopt a barangay Program’ in sustaining their environmental programs within the community,” he added. “It was like hitting four birds in one stone, fitness, expansion, strengthened linkage through adopting nearby barangays and continuity of projects especially our ‘Adopt a River Program’ which I believe is the source of life of any group of civilization. Progress in Brgy. Tinambacan would be futile if its river will be defiled due to careless tossing of garbage,” as further explicated by Mr. Oyo-a.
With Mr. Arnold Jaraba on top of RLMSF flagship, the school keeps on pursuing their dream of achieving excellence in terms of environmental protection, conservation and expansion. As an administrator of intellect, coupled with a naturalistic heart, his passion for life circulating our ecosystem had lead to creations of several eco-related projects & facilities and improvement of other existing school programs such as Gulayan sa Paaralan & other greening programs, proper waste segregation, recycling training workshops, construction of MRF, plastic bottle collectors and rain water collectors.
In the face of a decade of hurdles & obstacles, the schools selfless advocacy in the preservation of our mother nature had finally been paid off and recognize when it was chosen to represent Calbayog City Division for the Regional Eco-Friendly School Competition (Secondary-Big School category). And it was of no doubt claimed the most coveted recognition when it landed the 3rd place for the said competition.
Indeed, another victory was again made possible. RLMSF as a home of champion persevere to reach the zenith of success through shared responsibility and compassion among the school, stake holders and its community as stewards of this beautiful planet.