UP Rural High School
Everyone I know knows I am proud to have gone to UPRHS. Not only the friends I have made and kept all these years, but the images of long unfinished cement corridors, wobbly ceiling fans, antique sewing machines, rusted out bannisters, foul urinals and creaking floorboards make me feel I am a proud graduate from that adolescent petri dish: hardened, willing, and far-sighted.
But there was a time when, remembering Peter's denial, I would be somewhat ashamed to say "Rural" as part of my school's name, except maybe if I were back in Los Banos.
The deal is that most people in the Philippines would think of "Rural" as, well, "rural". That is, backward and agricultural. "Classless philistines" would be the superlative. In fact, taking into account how I've come into contact with graduates of more "prestigious" schools, like Ateneo High or Xavier, this would be their honest impression. Even if it did have "UP", which is the state school's prestigious monogram, as a prefix.
This "stigma" also has one other side: that there is another school, UPIS, which is in Diliman (the largest of the state campuses). There is no such thing as a UPIS-UPRHS rivalry when I was in high school, because they always had the best facilities, the best students, the best basketball team. We were, well, sun-burnt castaways from the farthest regions in the Philippines. We were smart, articulate and intelligent, but sometimes with bad hygiene. Most of all, I believed we suffered from the notion that because we go to a "Rural" high school, we lacked sophistication. In laymen's terms, we were simply not cool.
Then when I left for graduate school, everything about how I felt about being a UPRHS graduate changed. First, you realize that high school in an agricultural setting was hella good. Sure, we don't have band practice, and none of us were jocks or cheerleaders, but how many have seriously -- at the ripe age of 13 -- artificially inseminated a full-grown cow? What about taking part in the foreplay of a 1,200 lb carabao? Nostalgia aside, when compared with other schools, I would never exchange those memories for anything. And these are unique to UPRHS, and, most of all, a direct result of it being "rural". And that's way cool.
Now what mattered most, and what continues to be forthright is this: UPRHS, set in idyllic Los Banos, and surrounded by a community with the highest PhDs per capita than anywhere else in the Philippines, cultured unique values of self-worth, academic achievement (among 10 very good friends I made in that school, 5 have all gone to take graduate degrees in the United States, 3 of whom now have PhDs), and humility. Along with the usual virtues one picks up in a good high school (like coming home on time and never bringing booze to a school party), there is a small sense of paradise that came with going to a school where the nearest mall is 3 hours away and the best place to hang out is in the field under the stars.
That aspect too is unique to "rural".
I went to visit the old school, now gone the way of weeds and disrepair. And even in that state, I no longer think about "rural" as a stigma, but, among many ways, as a nice little "did you know?" aspect that I take with me everywhere I go. I don't know anyone who went to that school and regret having gone there. Because maybe they too now understand what "rural" means.
(Photo from UP Horticultural Society)
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sa iyo kami ay nagpupugay
o sintang paaralan
aral mo'y lagi naming tatandaan
sapagkat ika'y mahal.....
It's sad that they have moved the school to another location, Tne old building remains, unkempt, grafitti and poster strewn.
I was proud to be a ruralite then and still am proud that I was a ruralite.
old rural is now an extension of the physci building. they have all the math 1, 11, 17, etc classes there.
What is the state of the "new" UPRHS?
Does the current UPRHS still have access to UPLB facilities which gave us an edge over many other high schools?
Does the current UPRHS still have an amazing team of instructors?
Is the current UPRHS filled with diverse and extremely talented individuals from all walks of life?
Can we still call UPRHS one of the best high schools in the nation?
I don't know. Yes. Did it ever have an "amazing" team? "Extremely talented"? No.
I don't think it ever was a "top" high school. It has failed to do one thing. It has failed to keep its own students UPRHS students.
Besides, all the good teachers are at Ateneo or La Salle. Money talks.
I went to UPIS my first 1.5 years of high school. The school was far from glamorous. On my way to school on a jeep along Katipunan, I'd pass by a couple of exclusive schools (Ateneo and Maryknoll). I'd finally arrive at a campus smack dab in the middle of a "bukid." Last I heard, the facilities are in a state of disrepair. But like you, I'm proud to have received quality education from a fine institution.
I recently graduated from UPRHS last year. Yes, UPRHS still caters to high quality education. But sadly enough I do have to admit that somehow it's not as edgy as the other schools out there. It lacks the experience that other students are exposed to. I guess that's the price you pay for moving it to such a REMOTE area. It's like we had our own world out there...honestly...I don't know if it affected my decision, but know I'm studying in Ateneo. A far cry from the bucolic atmosphere of UPLB and UPRHS. Nevertheless, I am PROUD to be a Ruralite
I am a Ruralite..... AND IM PROUD TO BE ONE....
uprhs. i believe that this institution still belongs to the top high schools in our country. in this school you could meet an array of idiosyncrasies- patrons of art, true leaders, and, of course, whiz kids. name the course and it had one. a lot of ruralites have become institutions of country - in the business and commerce, arts and culture, government, and science. i assure you that next year, in the 75th diamond anniversary of uprhs, you will witness a progressive change in the state of this school that you had described as the school in the middle of the "bukid." in this school you can learn about the basics of our national economy - agriculture. that's what makes rhs a unique school. next year, you will see that rhs will make it to the top of quiz bees, community services, and the like. i will be very glad to see MY dear school re-evolve from a school in the level of a paddy to a center of excellence as steadfast as the mountains.
Happy...
you are a stupid c*nt. us not in the leagues with the lasalles and ateneos hs? ive met more doorknobs from those schools than i care to remember.
ateneo and la salle sucks,,,,..!!!!they don't have good students, meron lang silang pera kala mo ang galing galing na!...ang rural kahit nasa "rural" area nga , dekalidad naman ang pagtuturo!
i am currently a graduating ruralite..
well, all i can say is that rural is not at its best now..
jro