Five decades and five years ago, the Saint Louis School was founded by the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM). Fast forward, the now University of Saint Louis (USL) celebrated its 55th foundation anniversary last Feb. 11-14.
The University, over the 55 years, has not only made its niche in academics but also has demonstrated its missionary zeal. Themed “Trending in Mission and Excellence,” several events marked this year’s celebration.
Socio-cultural events included singing contests (Louisian chorale, Total Performer, acoustic playoffs, USL Boyband Group, and Louisian Kantahan vocal solo and vocal duet); dance events (hip-hop, folkdance, jump street showdown, and dance duo); cultural visual event through the Eco Show; and special cultural events (cook-off and Festival of Lights).
Sports events were basketball, volleyball, sepak takraw, softball, badminton, table tennis, chess, scrabble, Word Factory, game of the generals, darts, athletic events (50- and 100-meter run, shot put, discus throw, and long jump), 3X3 basketball, and dance sports.
This foundation anniversary’s literary competitions were clustered into oral events (oration, “duoclamation,” extemporaneous speaking via object analysis, and duet spoken poetry); written events (essay writing, fiction writing, and poem writing); and literary visual events (shape poetry, literary graffiti, ethnicity photo contest, comic strip, short film, monochromatic mural painting, mix-media art, ethnicity painting, kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) painting, dish gardening, and flags making).
A debate cup was also held.
Meanwhile, special events included the quiz bee, quiz bee variety, and battle of bands.
The Kaibigan ng Kalikasan Program (KKP), which made up 20 percent of the overall points of each competing department, was intended to instill responsibility among the departments by keeping tidy and clean their respective areas throughout the Foundation Day celebration through clean-up strategies and activities.
As the Foundation Day celebration came to a close, overall ranking in the different competitions was made as follows:
|
Rank |
Department |
|
Champion |
Senior High School (SHS) |
|
1st Runner-up |
School of Engineering, Architecture, and Information Technology Education (SEAITE) |
|
2nd Runner-up |
School of Accountancy, Business and Hospitality (SABH) |
|
3rd Runner-up |
Junior High School (JHS) |
|
4th Runner-up |
School of Education, Arts and Sciences (SEAS) and School of Health and Allied Sciences (SHAS) combined to become SEASH |
Per major event, the champions were SABH for socio-cultural events, debate cup, and the KKP; SHS for sports events and literary competitions; and SEAITE for visual events.
The Elementary pupils had their field demonstration on Feb. 11; the Junior High School students on Feb. 12.
The Graduate School had its participation in the Festival of Lights parade.
Meanwhile, employee participation was through coaching their respective departments’ event participants and assisting in the operation of the carnival rides.
The USL Alumni Association assisted through sponsorship of the light-emitting diode (LED) display used during the evening programs.
Aside from the amusement rides, trade and food fair booths were also an attraction for some.
A way further to celebrate the 55th Foundation, agape meals dubbed “Salu-Salo sa Araw ng mga Puso” were served by the different departments on Feb. 14 and were shared among members of the department and with other departments as well.
Mr. Herbert Corpuz, the dean of Student Affairs and Services, describes the 55th foundation celebration, thus: “The University’s 55th founding anniversary celebration has instilled in the Louisians the value of winning together. It is through this event that we celebrated our individualities, cherished our commonalities, invigorated others to believe in themselves, demonstrated warmth for our visitors and other stakeholders, and shaped our joys as a community.”
In consultation with the University Administration, the Office of the Student Affairs and Services (OSAS) and the Supreme Student Council (SSC) were at the helm during the celebration.
