LAST YEAR IN ATENEO (1876-77) -AFTER THE SUMMER VACATION, RIZAL RETURNED TO MANILA IN JUNE 1876 FOR HIS

LAST YEAR IN THE ATENEO -HIS STUDIES CONTINUED TO FARE WELL, HE EXCELLED IN ALL SUBJECTS -THE MOST BRILLIANT ATENEAN OF HIS TIME, HE WAS TRULY THE PRIDE OF THE JESUITS - RIZAL FINISHED HIS LAST YEAR AT THE ATENEO IN A BLAZE OF GLORY -HE OBTAINED THE HIGHEST GRADES IN ALL SUBJECTS PHILOSOPHY, PHYSICS, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, LANGUAGES, MINERALOGY, ETC. GRADUATION WITH HIGHEST HONORS -RIZAL GRADUATED AT THE HEAD OF HIS CLASS -HIS SCHOLASTIC RECORDS AT THE ATENEO FROM 1872-1877 WERE AS FOLLOWS: - (1872-1873) ARITHMETIC; LATIN I, SPANISH I, GREEK I=EXCELLENT - (1873-1874) LATIN II, SPANISH II; GREEK II, UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHY=EXCELLENT - (1874-1875) LATIN III, SPANISH III, GREEK III, UNIVERSAL HISTORY; HISTORY OF SPAIN AND THE PHILIPPINES, ARITHMETIC & ALGEBRA=EXCELLENT - (1875-1876) RHETORIC AND POETRY, FRENCH I, GEOMETRY AND TRIGONOMETRY=EXCELLENT - (1876-1877) PHILOSOPHY I, MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY, PHILOSOPHY II, PHYSICS, BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY=EXCELLENT -COMMENCEMENT DAY, MARCH 23, 1877, RIZAL, WHO WAS 16 YEARS OLD, RECEIVED FROM HIS ALMA MATER, ATENEO MUNICIPAL, THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS, WITH HIGHEST HONORS -IT WAS A PROUD DAY FOR HIS FAMILY, BUT TO RIZAL, LIKE ALL GRADUATES, COMMENCEMENT DAY WAS A TIME OF BITTER SWEETNESS, A JOY MELLOWED WITH POIGNANCY. -THE NIGHT BEFORE GRADUATION, HIS LAST NIGHT IN THE COLLEGE DORMITORY, HE COULD NOT SLEEP. -EARLY, THE FOLLOWING MORNING, THE DAY OF GRADUATION, HE PRAYED FERVENTLY AT THE COLLEGE CHAPEL. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN ATENEO -RIZAL, UNSURPASSED IN ACADEMIC TRIUMPHS, WAS NOT A MERE BOOKWORM, HE WAS ACTIVE IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES -AN EMPEROR INSIDE THE CLASS ROOM, HE WAS A CAMPUS LEADER OUTSIDE -HE WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER, LATER SECRETARY, OF A RELIGIOUS SOCIETY, THE MARIAN CONGREGATION - ACCEPTED AS MEMBER OF THIS SODALITY BECAUSE OF HIS ACADEMIC BRILLIANCE AND DEVOTION TO OUR LADY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, THE COLLEGE PATRONESS - A MEMBER OF THE ACADEME OF THE SPANISH LITERATURE AND THE ACADEME OF NATURAL SCIENCES. -THIS ACADEMIES WERE EXCLUSIVE SOCIETIES IN THE ATENEO, TO WHICH ONLY ATENEANS WHO WERE GIFTED IN LITERATURE AND SCIENCES COULD QUALIFY FOR MEMBERSHIP -IN HIS LEISURE HOURS, RIZAL CULTIVATED HIS LITERARY TALENT UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF FATHER SANCHEZ. -FATHER JOSE VILACLARA, ADVISED HIM TO STOP COMMUNING WITH THE MUSES AND PAY MORE ATTENTION

TO MORE PRACTICAL STUDIES, SUCH AS PHILOSOPHY AND NATURAL SCIENCES -RIZAL DID NOT HEED HIS ADVICE -HE CONTINUED TO SOLICIT FATHER SANCHEZ S HELP IN IMPROVING HIS POETRY. -ASIDE FROM WRITING POETRY, HE DEVOTED HIS SPARE TIME TO FINE ARTS. -PAINTING UNDER THE FAMOUS SPANISH PAINTER, AGUSTIN SAEZ -SCULPTURE UNDER ROMUALDO DE JESUS, NOTED FILIPINO SCULPTOR. -BOTH ART MASTERS HONORED HIM WITH THEIR AFFECTION, FOR HE WAS A TALENTED PUPIL. -RIZAL, TO DEVELOP HIS WEAK BODY, ENGAGED IN GYMNASTICS AND FENCING. HE THEREBY CONTINUED THE PHYSICAL TRAINING HE BEGAN UNDE HIS SPORTS-MINDED TIO MANUEL. SCULPUTURAL WORKS IN ATENEO -CARVED: IMAGE OF THE VIRGIN MARY ON A BATIKULING (PHILIPPINE HARDWOOD) USING HIS POCKET KNIFE. -FATHER LLEONART ASKED RIZAL TO CARVE HIM AN IMAGE OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS-FINISHED WITHIN FEW DAYS -FATHER LLEONART WASNT ABLE TO BRING IT TO SPAIN, ABSENT MINDED -IMAGE OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS DISPLAYED IN FRONT OF THE DOOR OF THE DORMITORY, REMAINED FOR YEARS -PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT PART IN RIZALS LAST HOUR AT FORT SANTIAGO ANECDOTES ON RIZAL, THE ATENEAN -FELIX M. ROXAS, ONE OF RIZAL CONTEMPORARIES > HE RELATED AN INCIDENT OF RIZALS CHOOL DAYS IN THE ATENEO, RESIGNATION TO PAIN AND FORGIVENESS. > RIZAL WAS WOUNDED WITH A BOOK, CAME FROM TWO ATENEANS FIGHTING (MANZANO & LESACA) >HE CONTINUED TO ATTEND HIS CLASS WITHOUT BITTERNESS NOR RANCOR TOWARDS THE GUILTY PARTY -MANUEL XERES BURGOS, WHOSE HOUSE RIZAL BOARDED BEFORE HE IS AN INTERNO IN THE ATENEO > HE ILLUSTRATED RIZAL AS TO HELP SOMEONE AT THE RISK OF HOS OWN LIFE > RIZAL RETRIEVED A KITE FROM THE HIGH CATHEDRAL TOWER, JULIO MELIZAS MISFORTUNE, BIGGER BOYS MAKING FUN AND LAUGHING OF HIS MISFORTUNE POEMS WRITTEN IN ATENEO -DOA TEODORA, DISCOVERED RIZAL WAS A POETICAL GENIUS -FATHER SANCHEZ, INSPIRED RIZAL TO IMPROVE BY OPENING RIZALS MIND TO WORLDS LITERATURE -MY FIRST INSPIRATION; FIRST POEM WRITTEN, DEDICATED FOR HER MOTHERS BIRTHDAY POEMS THERE WER A LOT WRITTEN BY RIZAL.  UN DIALOGO ALUSIVO A LA DESPEDIDA DE LOS COLEGIALES ( A FAREWELL DIALOGUE OF THE STUDENTS)-LAST POEM WRITTEN BY RIZAL IN THE ATENEO  MY FIRST INSPIRATION- ABOUT HIS BELOVED MOTHER, HE FELICITATES HIS MOTHER IN HER BIRTHDAY EXPRESSING HIS FILIAL AFFECTION IN SONOROUS VERSES.