The ceremony honored both the High School Department and the College Department, reflecting NMCCI’s continuing commitment to quality education and the holistic formation of its learners. The program featured the academic procession, opening ceremonies, presentation of candidates for graduation, confirmation and acceptance of graduates, conferral of degrees, distribution of diplomas and awards, special messages, and the recessional.

A particularly significant feature of this year’s commencement exercises was the institution’s use of the ceremonial scroll diploma during the graduation rites instead of the ordinary document-style diploma. This served as an important highlight of the event and underscored NMCCI’s effort to preserve the dignity, symbolism, and visual identity traditionally associated with graduation. The ceremonial scroll has long represented academic completion, solemn transition, and the honor of being formally recognized before the academic community. Its use added distinction to the ceremony and reinforced the deeper meaning of commencement as a milestone worthy of reverence and memory.

The program also gave due recognition to student excellence and leadership through the delivery of special addresses by members of the graduating class. The Valedictory Speech was delivered by Aiza S. Coyme, while the Salutatory Speech was given by Fe M. Tulbo. A Message of Gratitude was delivered by Kate Desiree G. Bongales, a graduate of B.A. in Economics, and the Pledge of Loyalty was led by Daisy Rose M. Alvarez, a Senior High School graduate with honors.

The ceremony was further enriched by the Commencement Address of Rowelyn B. Nob, LPT, who served as the guest speaker and was formally introduced by Michell M. Corpuz, LPT, Grade 12 Adviser. Their participation added inspiration and substance to the celebration, encouraging the graduates to carry forward the values, discipline, and aspirations nurtured during their years at NMCCI.

More than a formal academic exercise, the Commencement Exercises 2026 stood as a meaningful expression of gratitude, achievement, and hope. It marked not only the culmination of years of study and perseverance, but also the beginning of new responsibilities and opportunities for the graduates. Through the solemnity of its rites, the recognition of academic excellence, and the symbolic use of the ceremonial scroll diploma, NMCCI reaffirmed its commitment to honoring graduation as a moment of dignity, tradition, and lasting significance.

In many schools today, one can observe a growing preference for added regalia and altered ceremonial forms in basic education—printed stoles or sashes bearing words such as Completer, Graduate, STEM, HUMSS, ABM, or TVL, the use of graduation hoods in some Senior High School ceremonies, and, in some cases, the replacement of the traditional ceremonial scroll diploma with an open diploma placed in a certificate holder. These may appear attractive and formal at first glance, but they raise deeper questions about propriety, symbolism, and the preservation of educational distinctions.

A simple stole or sash is not necessarily objectionable. In Senior High School, a modest stole identifying a learner’s strand may serve a practical and ceremonial purpose. Used with restraint, it can provide identity without diminishing the dignity of the occasion. The problem begins when such accessories become excessive—overloaded with printed words, heavily ornamented, or treated more as decorative costume than as restrained academic symbol. At that point, the ceremony begins to shift away from solemnity and toward spectacle. The rite may still appear impressive, but its symbolic clarity is weakened.

The more troubling development in basic education, however, is the observed use of graduation hoods in some Senior High School ceremonies. This is not generally seen across all levels of basic education, but it has been observed in Senior High School, likely because that level marks the completion of the K to 12 cycle. That impulse is understandable. Senior High School is indeed a significant academic milestone. Yet significance alone does not justify every symbol. The academic hood belongs to a long-established tradition of higher education. It signifies degree-level academic attainment and forms part of the ceremonial dress associated with college and university scholarship. However important Senior High School graduation may be, it remains part of basic education. It is not a college or university degree conferral. When basic education adopts the regalia of higher education too freely, the meaning of the ceremony becomes blurred.

A similar problem appears in the changing use of the diploma in basic education graduation rites. Some schools increasingly prefer the open diploma in a certificate holder because it appears more formal, more readable, and more visually polished. It presents the document clearly and resembles the actual flat form of the diploma itself. Yet this modern preference also creates a symbolic problem. An open diploma in a holder tends to resemble the presentation of ordinary certificates used in recognition programs, trainings, and other school ceremonies. In that form, graduation begins to look visually similar to many other events where open certificates are distributed.

By contrast, the ceremonial scroll diploma has long carried a more distinctive symbolic value. It is not merely an old-fashioned way of holding paper. It is traditionally associated with the uniqueness of graduation itself. More importantly, the scroll diploma is often symbolically paired with the graduation cap, and together these two images have long served as the most recognizable visual emblems of graduation. Invitations, stage decorations, printed programs, souvenirs, and commemorative materials frequently use the cap-and-scroll combination precisely because it instantly signifies academic completion, solemn transition, and ceremonial dignity. This is why the replacement of the scroll with an open certificate-style presentation feels inconsistent. Even when some schools abandon the scroll during the actual rite, they often continue to use it in their graduation imagery. That reveals that the scroll has not lost its symbolic force. On the contrary, it remains one of the strongest cultural signs of graduation.

This inconsistency is telling. If the scroll diploma continues to appear together with the graduation cap in invitations and decorations, then institutions are still acknowledging that it remains the clearest and most meaningful symbol of graduation. Yet when it is removed from the ceremony itself and replaced with an open holder, the rite risks losing part of its unique identity. Graduation in basic education should not be made to resemble either a miniature college commencement or an ordinary certificate-giving event. It should preserve symbols that truthfully reflect its own level, meaning, and dignity.

The underlying issue, then, is not simply one of style. It is one of symbolism. Ceremonies communicate values, and symbols teach people how to understand an occasion. In basic education, especially in Senior High School, the temptation to borrow too much from higher education or to modernize ceremony in ways that weaken traditional distinctions can result in inflated symbolism and blurred meanings. Basic education does not become more honorable by imitating college regalia, nor does graduation become more meaningful by adopting a presentation style that resembles ordinary school recognition rites.

Every educational stage deserves its own fitting ceremonial forms. Basic education ceremonies can be solemn, beautiful, and dignified without borrowing symbols that properly belong elsewhere. Modest stoles or sashes may be tolerated when used sparingly and meaningfully. But graduation hoods in Senior High School should be approached with caution, and the ceremonial scroll diploma should not be discarded lightly. The dignity of a rite lies not in excess, imitation, or novelty, but in propriety and truthful symbolism.In the end, basic education ceremonies should not merely aim to impress; they should aim to mean rightly. They should preserve the distinctions proper to their own level, honor the symbolism that truly belongs to graduation, and resist the temptation to borrow forms that confuse rather than clarify. When basic education borrows too much, it risks losing the very identity its ceremonies are meant to uphold.

Northwestern Mindanao Christian Colleges, Inc. (NMCCI) successfully held the Search for Mr. and Ms. NMCCI 2026 on February 26, 2026, as one of the major highlights of the institution’s 80th Foundation Celebration. The event brought together student candidates, faculty, staff, and members of the school community in an evening of elegance, confidence, talent, and school pride.

The pageant served as a vibrant celebration of student excellence and individuality, providing the candidates with an opportunity to showcase their poise, personality, stage presence, and versatility before the NMCCI community. Throughout the competition, the candidates were evaluated in the following segments: Production Number, School Uniform, Long Gown/Formal Attire, Question and Answer Portion, Talent, Sports Attire, and Photogenic.

The pageant also gave recognition through its minor awards, highlighting the special strengths of the candidates in each segment of the competition. In the male category, Mark Andrew T. Elmedulan won Best in Production Number and Best in Question and Answer Portion. Dave D. Dandasan, who was crowned Mr. NMCCI 2026, also earned Best in School Uniform, Best in Formal Attire, Best in Talent, and Photogenic. Jester Balazo received the award for Best in Sports Attire.

Ms. Photogenic – Friexzille Marie B. Nalla

In the female category, Nicole O. Remedios won Best in Production Number, Best in School Uniform, and Best in Question and Answer Portion. Friexzille Marie B. Nalla, crowned Ms. NMCCI 2026, received Best in Long Gown Attire, Best in Sports Attire, and Photogenic. Liezel B. Rubio was awarded Best in Talent.

The full list of candidates in the male category included Arwin T. Bodiogan, Jester Balazo, Dave D. Dandasan, Arman T. Oracion, Jason O. Viernes, and Mark Andrew T. Elmedulan. The female candidates were Fe M. Tulbo, Friexzille Marie B. Nalla, Liezel B. Rubio, Nicole O. Remedios, Aiza S. Coyme, and Jamayca C. Adelfa. Each candidate contributed to the success of the event through their confidence, preparation, and spirited participation, making the pageant a memorable part of the foundation celebration.

More than a pageant, the Search for Mr. and Ms. NMCCI 2026 was a meaningful expression of school culture, student participation, and institutional pride. It reflected NMCCI’s continuing commitment to holistic formation by nurturing not only academic excellence, but also self-confidence, leadership, grace, and social presence among its learners.

As one of the memorable highlights of the 80th Foundation Celebration, the event stood as a joyful and inspiring showcase of the talents and potential of NMCCI students. Through activities such as this, the institution continues to strengthen student engagement and create opportunities for learners to grow, excel, and take pride in being part of the NMCCI community.

In contemporary culture, Valentine’s Day is associated primarily with romance, courtship, and the exchange of affectionate tokens. Yet the date of February 14 entered Western consciousness first through the Christian liturgical remembrance of St. Valentine. The challenge for theology is to clarify what sort of connection truly exists between the martyr Valentine and the modern observance. The historical record does not support a simplistic claim that St. Valentine “founded” the romantic holiday in its present form. Rather, the Christian feast preceded the romantic custom, and the latter gradually developed upon the symbolic and calendrical foundation of the former (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026a, 2026b). (Encyclopedia Britannica)

This distinction is crucial. If the historical Valentine is remembered first as a martyr, then the theological significance of the day must be grounded in Christian witness rather than in commercialized sentiment. The proper theological question is therefore not merely how St. Valentine became linked to lovers, but how the Church’s memory of martyrdom can illuminate the meaning of love itself.

St. Valentine in the Christian Tradition

The earliest evidence concerning St. Valentine is fragmentary. Traditional Christian sources indicate that more than one martyr named Valentine was remembered on February 14. The Roman Martyrology preserves the memory of two figures: a Roman priest and a bishop associated with Terni, both commemorated as martyrs. Older Catholic scholarship likewise notes that several Valentines appear in early martyrologies and that at least two of them were connected with the Via Flaminia and dated to the third century (Attwater & John, 1993; Delany, 1980; The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026b). (Vatican News)

This uncertainty does not erase Valentine’s significance; it clarifies it. The Church’s most stable claim is not a detailed biography but a liturgical memory: Valentine was honored as a martyr. That is why the Catholic tradition continued to recognize him as a saint even after his feast was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of the scarcity of historically secure details (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026b). (Encyclopedia Britannica)

From a theological standpoint, martyrdom is decisive. A martyr is one who bears witness to Christ by fidelity unto death. In this sense, Valentine belongs not first to the sphere of romantic mythology but to the ecclesial communion of witnesses whose lives interpret love through sacrifice. The deepest Christian meaning of Valentine, therefore, is not eros detached from truth, but love rendered credible through costly fidelity.

The Later Emergence of Romantic Valentine’s Day

Although St. Valentine’s feast was ancient, the association of February 14 with romantic love developed much later. Britannica notes that Valentine’s Day did not become a celebration of romance until around the fourteenth century. Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules is especially important in this development because it associates St. Valentine’s Day with the choosing of mates, thereby helping establish a literary and social connection between the feast and courtly love (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026a, 2026c, 2026d). (Encyclopedia Britannica)

This means that the modern observance is neither simply identical with the ancient feast nor wholly unrelated to it. Rather, a medieval cultural reinterpretation took place. A Christian commemorative date became the occasion for the symbolic elaboration of human courtship. Over time, letters, cards, flowers, and gifts became attached to that date, producing the observance now recognized internationally (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026a, 2026c). (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Importantly, the frequently repeated claim that Valentine’s Day directly replaced the Roman feast of Lupercalia is historically weak. Britannica notes that while such a replacement has often been suggested, the origin of Valentine’s Day as a romantic observance was likely much later, making a simple continuity thesis historically implausible (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026e). (Encyclopedia Britannica) Thus, the Christian feast and the later lovers’ festival are connected, but not by a straightforward act of ecclesiastical substitution.

A Theological Interpretation of the Connection

A theological account of Valentine’s Day must proceed from the Christian doctrine of love rather than from the later commercial form of the observance. In the New Testament, love is not reducible to emotion or attraction. It is covenantal, self-giving, and normed by the love of Christ. Within that framework, the significance of a martyr such as Valentine lies in the witness that genuine love entails fidelity, endurance, and sacrifice.

This theological logic permits a meaningful connection between St. Valentine and the later celebration of lovers. If a saint is remembered on a day culturally associated with love, then the saint serves as a hermeneutical guide to the moral and spiritual shape that love ought to take. Valentine’s witness suggests that love is not validated merely by feeling, desire, or symbolic exchange, but by perseverance in truth and the good of the other. The saint therefore prevents the reduction of love to sentimentality.

This line of thought is consistent with Pope Francis’s pastoral observation in Amoris Laetitia. Reflecting on contemporary culture, he remarks that in some countries commercial interests have been quicker than the Church to recognize the potential of Saint Valentine’s Day. His remark does not endorse commercialization; rather, it implies that the Church should reclaim the occasion as a moment for forming couples in mature and discerning love (Francis, 2016, para. 208). (Vatican) Valentine’s Day, on this reading, becomes an opportunity for Christian pedagogy: a chance to interpret courtship, affection, engagement, and marriage within the horizon of vocation and holiness.

Love as Caritas Rather Than Mere Sentiment

Theologically, the most important distinction is between love as caritas and love as transient sentiment. The martyr Valentine can be understood as a figure of caritas because martyrdom is the highest form of embodied fidelity. Even if later legend embellished the details of his life, the Church’s memory of him as martyr is sufficient to establish that his name is linked to sacrificial witness, not merely emotional attachment (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026b; Vatican News, n.d.). (Vatican News)

Once this is recognized, the theological meaning of Valentine’s Day becomes clearer. The day need not be dismissed as secular corruption, nor should it be accepted uncritically in its commercialized form. Rather, it may be reinterpreted through Christian anthropology. Human love is good, but it reaches its proper dignity when conformed to virtues such as fidelity, chastity, truthfulness, patience, and self-donation. In that sense, St. Valentine is not merely an emblem of romance; he is a reminder that every authentic form of love must be accountable to moral and spiritual depth.

Conclusion

The connection between St. Valentine and Valentine’s Day is historically real but conceptually layered. The ancient Church commemorated Valentine as a martyr on February 14. Centuries later, medieval culture attached to that date themes of courtship and romantic affection. The modern celebration emerged from that later development, not directly from the earliest ecclesial meaning of the feast (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026a, 2026b). (Encyclopedia Britannica)

For theology, however, the decisive point is not chronology alone but interpretation. St. Valentine’s importance lies in the fact that he stands within the Christian grammar of witness, holiness, and sacrificial love. Thus, the most profound bond between St. Valentine and Valentine’s Day is not sentimental romance but the call to understand love as faithful self-giving under God. Properly reclaimed, Valentine’s Day can serve not merely as a cultural festival of affection but as a Christian reminder that true love must be formed by truth, virtue, and sacrifice.

References

Attwater, D., & John, C. (1993). The Penguin dictionary of saints (3rd ed.). Penguin Books.

Delany, J. J. (1980). Dictionary of saints (Rev. ed.). Doubleday.

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2026a, March 26). Valentine’s Day. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2026b, February 5). St. Valentine. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2026c). Why do we give valentine cards? (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2026d). The Parlement of Foules. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2026e, February 16). Lupercalia. (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Francis. (2016). Amoris laetitia [Post-synodal apostolic exhortation]. Libreria Editrice Vaticana. (Vatican)

Vatican News. (n.d.). St. Valentin – Information on the Saint of the Day. (Vatican News)