their mere presence among students. They also took lessons on the art of questioning, effective teacher and creative teaching strategies as part of the pre in-service training. Many other seminars were attended to this school year and the previous years. Some of the teachers were also FAPE Trainers, FAPE-ESC Certificators and PAASCU Evaluators. The entire faculty and staff have attended a Personnel Annual Retreat. The school has initiated an International Tour Program for Notre Dame-Siena School of Marbel personnel. On October 24–27, 2006 a group of personnel went for Three City Tour – Hong Kong, Macau, Zhuhai with them were two of our parents. Another group of personnel set out on a four-day educational tour (Lakbay Aral) in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. This was the second series tour overseas by another batch of delegates—the first group of personnel went to Thailand on October 27–31, 2003. The tour was an experience of a whole new environment and culture to which the personnel were exposed so they may open their minds to the reality of the world outside their immediate environment and somehow shared these experiences to their students. By the end of the school year 2004-2005, the personnel went for a domestic tour in Cebu and Bohol. On April 3–7, 2008, the school personnel went to Tagbilaran, Bohol for a local tour. THE MOTHS ARE DRAWN IN ND-SSM enrolment is a matter of great importance for this administration as an institution that strives to survive in the midst of competition with other private schools in the locality and, very importantly, the economic regression affecting the families who send their children in the institution. In the past 10 years, the school has managed to somehow defeat the odds that brought a slump to student population since SY 1995-1996. From then on, statistics went up and lifted the spirit of the school. The sharpest rise in population yet since 2001 was in school year 2001-2002 with 0.78% increase. The trend continued this school year by another 1.32%. Finding no reason for sheer contentment, measures were plotted to maintain the slope on the positive as early as the third quarter. Many of the enrollees enjoyed scholarships and financial assistance from the school's scholarship program, NGOs, benevolent individuals, foundations, publishing houses and ESC (government subsidy). School year 2007-2008 alone, the ESC granted ND-SSM a total of 165 scholarship slots, which is 33 more than