Rizalian Teachers, Our New Found Heroes

Jos é Rizal University Senior High School Division celebrated World Teachers’ Day last October 5, 2022, to show gratitude and appreciation to one of the identified heroes of the university, the Teachers.

Lockdowns were lifted, and the HyFlex setup was established. Rizalians return to their oldnormal surprises, such as the typical “may nag-aaway sa room,” “Ma’am, may nagsuntukan,” followed by their prepared surprises. Mrs. Hiromi Lacsano, the Student and Discipline Coordinator, informed the teachers of bullying cases, giving them an excuse to visit their respective advisory classes. They had no idea of a homeroom surprise. Each section expressed gratitude; some presented tokens of appreciation, while others demonstrated their Husay Rizal by singing, dancing, and reading poems.

The Senior High School Student Council (SHSC) posted missing person posters with the instructors’ names and faces throughout the SHS building, referring to them as Missing Heroes, which SHS Rizalians should track down by channeling their inner detective skills. Aside from the missing hero posters, the SHSC presented flower bouquets for each teacher through the class presidents.

Additionally, the SHSC decorated the bulletin board with Missing Heroes designs. The

By Sabrina Aiko-Mari N. Santos

principal, Mr. Romel C. Navarro, with the faculty and staff, attended the occasion. Mrs. Carissa M. Enteria, Chair of the Languages and Social Sciences Department, unveiled the cover of the bulletin board to reveal the faces of the missing heroes. Whereafter, missing heroes then were found. The newfound heroes, the teachers, got their envelopes with their names. Inside each envelope was a QR code that linked to a compilation of appreciation messages from their students.

In the afternoon, the SHSC gathered all teachers for a mini-program. Ms. Sheryn Monique Batalla and Mr. Darl Jae Loza served as emcees. The Dulaang Rizaliano organized a film presentation for the instructors, while the Harmoniya arranged a musical intermission. Games for teachers were organized - TikTok Challenge and Charades.

Before the program ended, Mr. Raphael Jourvy Gavino, the president of the SHSC, read a joint statement from the highest governing organization of each division (Supreme Student Government, Senior High School Council, and Central Student Council) expressing gratitude to the SHS teachers, faculty members, department heads, and principal.

Teachers were nostalgic as they celebrated Teachers’ Day in a traditional face-to-face gathering again. Even during the pandemic and the new normal, students never forgot to show appreciation for the modern heroes known as teachers.