SMSSAFF, Inc. Documents
smssaff.org
Document
Summary / Gist
St.
Mary’s
School
of
Sagada
Alumni
and
Friends
Foundation,
Inc.,
was
granted
tax-exempt
status
under
section
501
(c)
(3)
of
The
Internal
Revenue
Code
(USA)
effective
May
4,
2004.
As
such,
contributions
to
SMSSAFF,
Inc.
are
tax
deductible
under
section
170
of
the
Code.
SMSSAFF,
Inc.
is
also
qualified
to
receive
tax
deductible
bequests,
devices,
transfers
or
gifts
under
section
2055,
2106
or
2522
of
the
Code.
SMSSAFF,
Inc.
lost
its
501c3
status
during
the
Covid
years;
but
regained
it on _______.
SMSSAFF
was
incorporated
in
the
State
of
New
Jersey
in
______;
lost
its
incorporation
during
the
Covid
Years
and
re-incorporated again in ________.
This
is
a
narration
of
how
SMSSAFF
came
about
and
its
evolutiion
during
the
6-year
stint
of
Mr.
Sagalla
as
president of the organization.
Dr.
William
Henry
Scott,
the
famous
Philippine
Historian
narrates
the
Staunton
years,
the
missionaries
that
followed,
the
first
graduates
of
St.
Mary’s
School,
the
difficulties
and
successes
of
the
school
as
well
as
developments
that
negatively
impacted
the
school
to
the
brink
of
closure.
These
included
the
gaining
of
independence
of
the
Philippine
Episcopal
Church
(PEC)
from
the
Episcopal
Church
of
the
United
States
(ECUSA)
and
the
proliferation
of
public
schools
in
Sagada
and
support coummnities of St. Mary’s School of Sagada
This
5-year
plan
was
envisioned
and
implemented
in
November
2004
by
Dr.
Dennis
Faustino,
SMSSI’s
head
master,
with
the
support
of
the
Board
of
Trustees.
It
was
an
ambitious
plan—to
resuscitate
a
dying
institution
and
bring
it
back
to
the
level
of
excellence
it
once
enjoyed
in
the
past.
It
was
ambitious
because
the
plan
included
major
changes
affecting
all
the
systems
inherent
in
an
educational
institution—from
the
curriculum
to
instructional
practices
and
methodologies,
from
teaching
resources
to
infrastructure
support,
from
finance
to
basic
core
beliefs
and
philosophies
on
what
SMS
should
be.
It
was
also
ambitious
because
things
needed
to
be
done
within
five
years,
to
show
results
in
order
to
win
back
the
school’s
credibility,
and
sustain
the
faith
of
parents
who
had
sent
their
children
here
and
of
individuals
and
corporate
friends
who
had
no
personal
connection
to
the
school, yet have given selflessly because of a dream.
Whereas
the
first
five
years
were
spent
on
survival
(i.e.
re-establishing
systems
and
programs
to
meet
the
basic
requirements
of
an
educational
institution),
the
focus
of
the
2010-2015
five-years
plan
was
on
developing,
improving,
and
stabilizing
what
was
started
in
the
2004-
2009 Plan
“It
is
now
time
for
the
school
to
focus
on
development
–
working
towards
nurturance
instead
of
aiming
on
mere
survival,
stability
versus
unpredictability,
and
proactive
plans
of
action
as
opposed
to
reactive
damage
control
–
a
daunting
task
particularly
given
the
difficult
social
environment
that
is
Sagada’s.
Why
do
we
design
a
strategic
plan
for
ten
years?
The
answer
is
simple.
The
school
needs
to
effect
changes
in
its
community,
instead
of
the
community
changing
the
school
to
conform
to
its
traditional
image
of
“the
glory
days
of
the
past.”
And
it
will
take
ten
years
or
longer
to
change
the
culture
of
the
society.” Dennis Faustino, SMSSI headmaster.
Questions and Answers
by Lambert Sagalla
These
were
frequently
asked
questions
during
the
years
when
closure
of
St.
Mary’s
School
was
hotly
debated
by
the
school
administrators,
alumni
and
friends.
The
questions
asked
were
derived
mainly
from
the
different
arguments
given
by
those
who
believed
that
the
school
had
outlived
it’s
usefulness;
while
the
answers
given
were
extracted
from
those
who
believed
that
the
quality
education
that
the
school
was
known
for
during
its
almost
100
years
of
existence
can
still
be
revived
and
play
a
key
role
in
the
socio-economic
advancement
of
the
hinterland communities of Northern Philippines.
Closing
St.
Mary’s
School,
as
advised
by
some
well-
meaning
individuals
who
believed
that
SMSS
had
outlived
its
usefulness
and
should
close
its
doors,
was
never
and
option
to
Frank
Longid.
He
shared
so
much
of
his
time,
talents
and
treasure
in
an
effort
to
avert
closure
of
the
school.
His
“never-say-die”
fighing
spirit
galvanized
legions
of
alumni
and
friends
to
rally
behind
the
resuscitation
efforts
to
help
extend
the
life
of
SMSS.
Unfortunately,
he
died
in
May,
2003
without
seeing
the
fruits
of
his
labor
of
love
for
SMSS.
See
his
article:
“Building
Fires
and
Digging
Wells
For
Those
Coming
After
Me”
Engr.
Rufino
Bomasang
is
a
distinguished
U.P.
College
of
enginering
graduate
with
an
equally
distinguished
career
in
both
the
government
and
the
private
sectors.
Rufino
assumed
the
leadership
of
rallying
alumni
and
friends
to
support
the
Herculean
effort
to
avert
the
closure
of
SMSS
after
Frank
Longid
passed
away.
Engineer
Bomasang
facilitated
the
incorporation
of
SMSSI;
assumed
the
chairmanship
of
the
newly
constituted
board
of
trustees;
and
brought
his
vast
internaltional
business
connections
to
support
the
various
projects
needed
to
transform
SMSS
and
become
once
again
a
school
of
choice
for
quality
education
in
the
Cordillera
Adminstrative
Region
(CAR).
He
is
a
firm
believer
of
the
mantra
that
“quality
education
grounded
on
time-honored
values”
is
the
best
hope for making SMSS relevant now and in the future.
Dr.
Dennis
Faustino
is
a
topnotch
educator
and
an
experienced
school
administrator.
He
crafted
and
implemented
two
5-year
development
plans
[a
3rd
5-Year
Development
Plans
was
aborted
by
the
Pandemic];
and
is
currently
drafting
a
10
year
development
plan
for
2025
to
2035.
These
will
certainly
institutionalize
quality
education
at
SMSS
and
restore
it
to
the
trajectory
earlier
missionaries
have
established
for
the
school.
Dennis
was
the
Catalyst
of
the
vision,
time,
talents
and
treasure
volunteered
and/or
donated
towards
intitutionalizing
quality
education
forged
along
international
standars
at
SMSS.
The
results
of
his
endeavor
captured,
the
support
and
gratitude
of
the
great
majority
of
stake
holders
including
the
Sagada
folks,
the
SMSS
world-wide
family,
the
Episcopal
Diocese
of
Northern
Philippines,
the
Department
of
Education,
and
civil
society
proponents
of
quality
eduation
such
as
the
ABS-CBN
Foundation.
Well,
there
are
always
“nay
sayers”
but
they
are
slowly
and
surely being swept into the dustbin of irrelevancy.
St. Mary’s School of Sagada Alumni and Friends Foundation, Inc.
(SMSSAFF, Inc.)
Kiltepan Sunrise, Sagada,
Documents
St. Mary’s School of Sagada Alumni and Friends Foundation, Inc.
(SMSSAFF, Inc.)
