Mr. Hipolito Calica: Math Teacher Extraordinaire

(Note: this article was prepared for the forthcoming issue of Golden Pine Tree). By Evelyn Domingo-Barker ‘61

Neatly dressed, with a carefully - combed moustache, Mr. Hipolito Calica, with his highly-strict style and no-nonsense guidelines (take no prisoners, make no zeros in tests) would forever be riveted in one’s memory. Take this: That dreaded passing down of test results (the rustling of papers in the quiet of the classroom) always lay dark clouds over our heads, butterflies in our stomachs, and nervous jiggling of the knees just below the school desk.

It was the classroom equivalent of battles fought. Mistakes in calculations were akin to the slaughter of soldiers. An anticipated loud roar of exploding cannon sounded, with a grade below 75% . An imagined thunderous noise suddenly stops short in front of our eyes when one sees a passing grade marked on one’s test paper, then a thudding migraine and an erratic heartbeat would vanish. To make things more suspenseful, the test papers were handed from the highest to the lowest scores. The only audible cry of relief that breaks the dead silence would be “haaay, matay acc- con!” from Marlo P as she gets a midway grade.

And those nerve-wracking surprise quizzes! Never on ¼ sheet, it was always on ½ sheet of paper. We would huddle on our way home whispering and strategizing how to cheat! (nil) He was too clever to know all the tricks up students’ sleeves. Imagine him spew out “TONTO!” should you slip up on a sentido común question! His high octane super- grade ‘BOLSHEVIK YOU!” would reduce your height standing to a quarter of an inch low and you’d be seen slinking under your rock, making you brain-dead the rest of the day. And those no- nonsense eyes would pierce your numb brain to kingdom come.

And for us who even ventured further on Sunday mornings as the upper class high school Sunday School at the UCCP - students included Angel Bangaoet, Pastor Frank, Joselito C, Gloria R, Diana B, Emil A, Nora C, MaryAnn Z, Jaimelita and Sarah T, plus some others - what iron will drove us to this? Sunday School was conducted in the same exact manner as his Math class: always prepared, well thought-out, a clear message of “groping in the dark, you will find hope” and a strong feeling that you must study your Math notes and Bible at home to match his illumination.

Such was the effect that Mr. Hipolito Calica had on us for two years. We had a superb math teacher and a moral compass who gave us his full attention, on minds that were progressively developing. That was “tough love”! He set high standards for us to be tested over and over. Flashbacks of schoolroom lessons in math find their way almost automatically today, as one exchanges pesos into dollars into kips, or substituting x’s and y’s in project budget preparation, the sine/ cosine, tangents or hypotenuse of our social relationships. It has helped us search for excellence in our future fields. Sadly, such standards have not spread out broader. Otherwise, what an unsurpassed Republic of the Philippines we would be, relative to our neighbors in economic, political and cultural endeavors.

This gentleman from Bauang, dressed in a chamois jacket - baseball style with ribbed cuffs, waistband and collar: I believe he had two sets: a burnt orange and a mustard color - locked us well into the pursuit of excellence.

Evelyn Domingo-Barker ‘61 attended the University of the Philippines, and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She recently retired from the United Nations after assignments at the World Bank; the Middle East, Africa and Asia with the last post of Chief: United Nations Information Services, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in Bangkok.