On December 10 of this year, Ateneo de Manila will be celebrating its 150th year of forming persons for others. To memorialize this event dubbed as “Sesquicentennial,” meaning one-and-a half centuries, the University prepared a three-year program that started in August 2007. Each year has a theme; the first was “celebrating excellence,” the second, “deepening spirituality,” and the third, which we celebrate this year, is “building the nation.”
Recent events have called attention to the celebration, like the rededication of the Heritage Bell in campus and the release of the commemorative car plates that are advertised extensively around school. According to its official website, other activities in the University, like the building of the new University Dorm and Leong Hall are also attributed to the said Sesquicentennial.
However, there seems to be a disconnect between how the admin and alumni are celebrating it, and how the students are celebrating, or not celebrating. The ceremony to launch the Heritage Bell, for example, proceeded despite the rain and was generally well-attended by admin and some student leaders. But for many students, the questions persist: What is the Heritage Bell? And how is it connected to Sesquicentennial?
Although one can say that yes, the students know of the 150th anniversary, one has to wonder what the community knows about the Sesquicentennial itself. Exactly what are we celebrating, other than being 150-years old? The three themes, which actually stem from the Alma Mater song, suggest a deeper celebration that implies a great spiritual and social investment from Ateneans. If students themselves are celebrating these themes is debatable.
Not to say that the Sesquicentennial is a failure; in fact, it has been quite successful in involving the alumni and a few others. Many scholarships and other infrastructures, like homes in the Ateneo Alumni Association GK Village, were made possible by alumni activities. But within the University community, the celebration has not gotten within students’ reach. In the Atenean’s everyday life, there is hardly a push to celebrate excellence, deepened spirituality, and build the nation in commemoration of 150 years of Ignatian education.
As we sail through the final year of this Sesquicentennial, let there be more ways to achieve even the third theme of this celebration. In the next few months leading up to December 10, it would be nice to see the community—from the administration, to the students, and the alumni, get more involved in memorializing this event as not only another birthday for Ateneo, but something more meaningful. After these three years of celebration, it would be good if what was most memorable for everyone went beyond remembering the look of the Sesquicentennial seal.
