By: Monsty De Castro and Irene Rustia
Twenty years ago, Rosebuds made history through their unbending resolve in initiating Rosehill’s official student-led publication team, the Montage Club. That same year, they pieced together the first-ever issue of Montage.
Since its inception, the school publication has undergone a flurry of shifts in its structure, format, content, and members, who have continually added new dimensions to the paper over the years.
In light of its 20th anniversary, the history of Montage thus far merits its own brief montage on its now, then, and in-betweens.
The Pioneering Batch of 2003
The story of Montage begins with Batch 2003. As Rosehill’s first high school graduating class, they were the masterminds behind many of the school’s firsts: the creation of the volleyball team, the yearbooks, and the school’s first movie premiere, which was memorably for a Lord of the Rings film.
“There was nobody older than we were, so we had to start everything,” shares Issa Velete, the first editor-in-chief of Montage. “Anything that we really wanted to do, we had to push for because they never existed in the school before.”
In recalling what kind of girls they were, Lovella Alejandrino, the earliest Montage adviser, proudly reminisces that she had worked with “some of the most passionate girls,” who fortunately made constructing the paper feel like a breeze. Little primary girls, she fondly recollects, were so inspired by their older ates that they would eagerly approach members of their team with pieces they had written.
“They had such a can-do attitude. No one and nothing would stop them from doing what it was that they wanted,” she says.
These student leaders-turned-writers wanted an outlet to chronicle and provide a clear glimpse of their Rosehill life and ultimately write about their teenage curiosities. As the school publication’s name suggests, their undertaking was to fashion a montage that could impartially represent school affairs, as well as the distinct writing styles and perceptions of its writers.
The genesis of Montage then was “very organic,” as Ms. Alejandrino put it. “It didn’t feel forced because everything stemmed in what they were interested in, to begin with.”
Issa Velete remembers wanting to release articles that could spur its readers to think and question a little bit more so as to break away from the risk of enforcing an echo chamber. “The last thing you want is a group of people that just follows without thinking… In hindsight, it’s about making sure that you have a healthy debate, to try to understand both perspectives.”
After skimming through the pages of the first issue, however, Issa lightheartedly reflects that “there were a lot of like pacute pieces.”
“When you’re this old,” she shares humorously, “what you would want is to make sure that the… content becomes more relevant and more meaningful, and not all fluff pieces.”
The Conception of Broadcasting & the Reconstructed Format of Montage
Beginning in 2012, Ms. Clyde Arawiran became the adviser of Montage. And with her guidance, students participated in the Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC), for which they began training in news, feature, and editorial writing.
“When we started having to comply with such standards of the competition, that’s when Montage also changed into becoming more of a newspaper… than a mere venue for publishing student and school achievements,” says Ms. Arawiran.
Hence, from a magazine style, the publication of Montage transitioned into a format similar to that of a newspaper.
In 2017, Montage Broadcasting launched with Martina Olivarez of Batch 2018 as the first director and Ms. Arawiran as the Broadcasting moderator.
“Some teachers from Antipolo schools would hear the Rosehill girls talking, and they encouraged [us] to join the broadcasting category because they said our students were good at speaking,” Ms. Arawiran shares.
“We needed to create broadcast media so that people could actually hear and appreciate the important things we have in store for them,” explains Keanna Araneta, the current Broadcasting director. “We reach the Rosehill community through our voices in order to keep them up to date with international, national, and Rosehill news.”
Back to the Future
As the work & school set-ups shifted online since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, so too have the operations of Montage. In the previous school year, its members relaunched their Facebook page, established their website, and expanded the Journalism and Broadcasting Club into an organization.
“This is the first year of it officially being an org, so we’ve welcomed many more students,” says Jess Precilla, the current editor-in-chief of Montage.
Nevertheless, growing the team remains one of her big priorities. “With more members, Montage will be able to achieve bigger things and gain newer insights and perspectives,” she explains.
Jess’ other focus is to produce online content that caters to a larger audience. She says that this will be through setting up a Montage Instagram account later this school year and publishing pieces on more relevant albeit controversial issues.
“I’m really proud of what Montage has achieved these past years; however, I do want Montage to go beyond the Rosehill community,” Jess says.
While the Broadcasting Team concentrated on producing video interviews for the Montage Facebook page last year, this time, they have centered their efforts on live streaming their regular General Assembly broadcasts, through which they report the latest school-wide, local, and international news in approximately five minutes. No doubt, it has been a challenging endeavor, but one they have adjusted to.
“All GA broadcasts are live! We have been through many technical and connection difficulties; however, with each other’s help, we get to push through,” says Keanna.
Montage’s victorious evolution may root in the typical routines of traditional journalists, from interviews to strategic writing practices and guidance. However, the spirit of Montage relies on the campus spirit that is ever so commune and celebratory of the student body, showcasing their multitude of talents and utilizing their voice.
“You know how campus journalists are portrayed in teen dramas as awkwardly dressed, roaming the halls for the sole purpose of getting a quote for the paper? Nope! Life as a Montage staff writer is much more nuanced! Yes, we hunt for quotes, and yes, we can plop down to write anywhere, but it is precisely those activities that help us understand more deeply what it is to be a student and what systems surround students on the regular,” former editor-in-chief Karen Racelis shares.
“The subject of campus journalism is campus involvement, so if you love being a student and you want to improve the conditions of the student body, write about it,” Karen adds.
Montage has modernized for newer purposes and audiences, yet still, it retains that same student eagerness for authenticity and creativity, which made it so fulfilling and exciting back in 2001.
PAREF Rosehill's Official Student Publication 