Dr. Diego Yapo, president of the BRHS Class ’54 Alumni Association, said that the ’54 alumni adopted as their project the renovation of one of the original gates of the school. BRHS is the forerunner of the Mariano Marcos State University which has several campuses in Ilocos Norte.

BRHS offered an agricultural high school curriculum that’s why many of the graduates continued their studies in different agricultural colleges and universities. Many, however, also took up different courses, including business, nursing, and others.

Yapo said that many of the alumni contributed funds to support the renovation of the main gate. These included cash donations from alumni based abroad such as Constancia Asuncion Cerrada, Pacifico Quilallan, Feliciano Pecpec, Carolina Paraton Habagat, Gloria Gambalan Asuncion, Rudolf Libed, Cristina Lopez Montero, Julieta Bangkil Ruiz, Domingo Beltran, Elpidio Sagun and Lucina Castro Vinoya, all from different states of mainland United States and Hawaii.

Many alumni based in the Philippines also contributed their share.

Besides Yapo, the alumni based in Batac who are actively participating in the activities of the association, include Urduja Torres, Manuela Bensan, Rufina Padilla Reyes, Celestino P. Castro, Felix Pinacate, Severiano Paraoan, Alfonso Garcia, Zally Tagaban Rebucal, Sixta Tapon Oducayen, Bernardo Romas, Roman and Geling Natividad, Vicky Lagmay Castillo, Severino Tagudin, Dolly Acosta Corpuz, Leleng Mangabat Datoy, Lumin Bensan Quilban, Alfredo Sulicipan, Greg Pusag, Demetrio Cabralda, Florendo Adina and others. The agriculture editor of Manila Bulletin, Zac B. Sarian, is also a member of BRHS Class ’54. He also runs his farm of exotic fruit trees.

Students in the old BRHS had hands-on training in agricultural production. Many of the students had their vegetable gardens and rice fields to tend. Caponizing was one of the skills that was taught then. So with grafting and budding of fruit trees. The girls studied and trained in silkworm rearing and weaving.