Crunch time as Students View the Travelling Exhibition and the Excavations

These past two days, we have seen the steady arrival of batches of students from the San Remigio National High School who have come to view the exhibits at San Remigio Cultural Center and learn more about their town's past while also looking at the on-going archaeological excavations on site. We expect about 1,800 of these students to come this week even as students from other schools nearby, like that of the Lambusan National High School, have also began arriving.

Students from SRNHS viewing the central exhibits.

Taking notes.

Enjoying the view.

Posing by class.

Jojo Bersales explaining the finds to students

The bus waiting for students at the site nearby.

Teachers from Lambusan National High School together with their students.

The batch of exhibition visitors from Lambusan National High School.

Another batch of students from San Remigio National High School (SRNHS)

Jojo Bersales had to use a megaphone when the crowd swelled beyond 60 people.

Jojo Bersales explains the finds to students from two national high school.s

Bersales answers question right on site.

A student interviews Dr. Boboy Acabado of Univ. of Guam.

Another batch of students posing for posterity with their teacher, Edmund Apora.

And now to exhibit our finds

Last Friday, I returned to San Remigio together with our National Museum partners Dr. Ame Garong, Jose Santiago and Dante Posadas to install and inaugurate the traveling exhibition sponsored by USC Museum entitled "The Iron Age in San Remigio". The venue was the void deck of the San Remigio Cultural Center, right below where the joint USC-Univ of Guam-UP Diliman archaeological team is billeted while carrying out another round of excavations.

A day later, we inaugurated the exhibit with the presence of local dignitaries led by Fr. Tata Torres of the Parish of San Remigio, together with the Mayor's secretary, Rodney, and the Ruth Hermoso, San Remigio Tourism Officer. It was with Ruthy, as she is popularly called, that I coordinated the holding of this exhibit for two weeks while the excavations are unfolding at the parish church site.. A sumptuous dinner, sponsored by Mayor Jay Olivar, then followed the viewing of exhibits. Mayor Jay unfortunately was in Manila and could not attend the opening rites.

We are now busy inviting high schools around to come and view the exhibits which will run until June 21, 2011.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Putting the artifacts in their vitrines a few hours before the opening.

A peek of the display panel boards before the opening.

The archaeologists and students from Univ of Guam, Univ of Hawaii and Univ of the Philippines are our guests.

The exhibit area and displays.

The exhibition hall.

The dinner courtesy of Mayor Jay Olivar.

From left: Joe Santiago, Jobers R. Bersales, Sao Nguyen of Vietnam, Ame Garong, Donna Arriola and Ruth Hermoso.

The multi-nation group of archaeologists and their students awaiting the opening rites.