They say education is the great equalizer because it has the power to level the playing field and create opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their background. However, the path to getting an education is not the same for everyone.
Some children are privileged enough to live in or near the city, where education is easily accessible, while others must trek for hours just to get to school. Before the establishment of Supon National High School, the latter was the everyday reality of the students from Supon and nearby barangays in Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur.
Students wake up early to embark on an arduous, hours-long journey through rugged terrain to reach Depase National High School Main. By the time they arrive, they are often late, exhausted, and hungry. This leaves them unable to focus in class or participate in extracurricular activities, thereby restricting their learning capacity and overall educational experience.
During the rainy season, the students also risk their well-being by traveling through muddy roads and slippery hills, which can lead to accidents and injuries. Meanwhile, others opt to stay at home to help with their parents’ livelihood or to do household chores instead. As a result, they miss out on important learning opportunities and get left behind in their schoolwork.
In such situations, having a school nearby is ideal as it eliminates the need for children to travel long distances to get an education, effectively reducing absences and dropout rates. However, establishing a school in a remote community is a big endeavor that demands wholehearted commitment to ensure its success.
What one might see as a road fraught with obstacles, Teacher Ryan Madamba saw as a path paved with opportunity. Being fully aware of the students’ plight and fueled by the desire to lead a school to develop his skills, Teacher Ryan was given the opportunity to become the Teacher-In-Charge of Depase National High School – Supon Extension in June 2018.
Initially, Teacher Ryan encountered numerous challenges, including a lack of support from the Department of Education (DepEd) and the national government, inadequate learning facilities, and a shortage of teaching staff.
Relying solely on donations from Depase National High School Main and the Barangay Local Government Unit, the school began operations with only two makeshift classrooms made of bamboo and plywood.
“Clay floor namin o yung literal na paa ang nakatapak sa lupa,” Teacher Ryan reminisced. [“Our floors were made of clay or it was the literal ground your feet stepped on.”]
At that time, the school had a teaching staff of only three, including Teacher Ryan, and he was the sole teacher receiving a salary from DepEd.
Despite these struggles, Teacher Ryan and his colleagues persevered and continued their good work. They were able to put up additional makeshift classrooms for all four levels of junior high school and their teaching staff had expanded to nine.
The extension school has also seen a steady increase in student enrollment since it first opened its doors, rendering the original makeshift classrooms unsuitable for learning. However, the construction of new classrooms to accommodate the growing population was too large an undertaking for them to tackle alone.
Teacher Ryan soon learned about the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation and its Co-Founder and President, Doc Anton Lim, through Sir Josh Mahinay, his former classmate and Founder of BEAGIVER, a sister organization of the Foundation.
Not long after their introduction, the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation adopted Depase National High School – Supon Extension and partnered with Bosch Philippines and other private donors to build the Yellow School of Hope, a two-classroom typhoon-resistant building.
Building the Yellow School of Hope, however, was not without its own set of challenges. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delays in construction became inevitable, but this did not diminish Teacher Ryan’s determination or dissuade him from realizing his vision for the school.
Slowly but surely, with the assistance of our partners and the enthusiastic engagement of the community, the school successfully finished each phase of the construction process. All their patience, effort, and hard work paid off when the Yellow School of Hope was completed in October 2021 and turned over in March 2022.
Raynalane Manubag, a former grade 10 student at the school, expressed heartfelt gratitude, recalling that “Before, classes would be canceled when it rained, but now teachers can continue teaching uninterrupted… Now, everything has become easier and lighter for us… This assistance is not just a simple donation. It paved the way for us to fulfill our dream of providing quality and accessible education to the youth in our community.”
Undoubtedly, Depase National High School – Supon Extension has come a long way from its humble beginnings through the compassionate leadership of Teacher Ryan. On June 29, 2022, the Local Government Unit of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur recognized his valuable contributions by awarding him with a plaque for his positive impact in the lives of the students and the community of Supon.
On September 27, 2022, Depase National High School – Supon Extension achieved another milestone, as it was officially established as Supon National High School. This granted the school independent status as a public national high school.
Since Supon National High School joined the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation’s list of adopted schools, it has seen an increase in the amount of donations and support it has received from various donors.
Most notably, the school received an Educational Hub package sponsored by the Grace and Mercy Foundation of South Korea.
“Thanks to the educational hub, our tasks have become easier, and our understanding of things we need to learn has expanded. Even though I don’t have my own smartphone, I can effectively accomplish our assignments, research projects assigned by our teachers, and other things we want to learn through the internet,” said student Babie Grace Gamok.
In July 2023, Bosch Philippines provided power tools to the school, enabling the introduction of carpentry classes as specialized subjects in Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE). The tools are now being used for minor repairs on classrooms, furniture, and other school facilities while the classes provide instructional sessions on their proper usage.
Through the years, the Foundation and its partners did not hesitate to fulfill the school’s need for classroom equipment, such as printers from PwC Philippines and Metrobank Foundation, desktop computers from Sivantos and HSBC Philippines, stand fans, a tripod, and an air conditioner from Abenson, an infrared thermometer from Tzu Chi Foundation, and 100 monoblock chairs Abenson and W&J Lim Foundation. Even the families of the students received food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In late May 2024, the school received a donation of 100 monoblock chairs from PwC Philippines through the Isla Lipana & Co. Foundation, Inc., along with a box of dictionaries from WS Pacific Publications, Inc.
Supon National High School has enjoyed continuous support from both the community and local government, such as the time the Sangguniang Kabataan of Kanipaan in 2021 funded the concrete pathway for the Yellow School of Hope, as well as the installation of a safety fence around the school by the students’ parents.
Aside from the generous donations the school received, it has achieved numerous milestones as well. In January 2023, the school hosted its first-ever intramural event, followed by the inaugural Moving-Up Ceremony for Grade 10 students in July, a core memory to be remembered for years to come.
Most recently, Supon National High School was selected by HOPE: Business for Good as a recipient of one HOPE Classroom. Inspired by the Yellow Boat Story shared by Doc Anton Lim at the inaugural HOPE Awards in 2023, HOPE committed to building a classroom for one of the Foundation’s adopted schools. The construction of the HOPE classroom began in early April this year and has now been completed, ready for turnover.
It’s truly remarkable what Supon National High School has accomplished in such a short amount of time. This progress would not have been possible without the daring hope and vision of Teacher Ryan. His willingness to dream big and take bold actions has been the driving force behind the school’s impressive transformation.
Despite playing a significant role in the success of the school, Teacher Ryan humbly acknowledges and shares credit with everyone who helped in paving the road for the establishment of Supon National High School.
“After all, this is not for ourselves, but for the kids, the learners, because education is for all and we are just an instrument to them in achieving their dreams,” he said earnestly as he thanked the Foundation during its 13th year of sailing hope.
