It is with a heightened sense of joy and fulfillment that I welcome you all, our beloved guests, to this year's National School Press Conference!

The opportunity for us in the Schools Division Office I Pangasinan to host this momentous national activity is something we have cherished. Despite the challenges and difficulties that we have encountered, we have remained steadfast in our preparations for the significant youth development program. With this, we have forged in us a more enduring spirit of unity and cooperation.

As educators, we believe that in each child has a spark of genius struggling to come out and fulfill its mission to mankind. Such are our participants to this press conference, and we believe that the kind of atmosphere we provide them means a lot for such talents to bloom and blossom.

To this end, we would like to believe that we have done our best to make this affair worth cherishing. But our best may not be your best and so please bear with us in whatever shortcomings there maybe. May you find in the hearts of our people the characteristics of Filipino hospitality and amiability that will draw us closer together.

More than ever, let us bond together and focus our efforts towards "Fostering 21st century skills and character-based Education through Campus Journalism".

MARIA CELIA JUNIO-FERNANDEZ, Ed. D.

Schools Division Superintendent