UNC SHS CES’ ‘Project Sibol’ highlights urban gardening importance SHS students partake in ‘Project AKI’

UNC SHS CES’ ‘Project Sibol’ highlights urban gardening importance

JAYVEE FORTUNO

TO HIGHLIGHT THE importance of urban gardening, the UNC Senior High School Community Extension Service (UNC SHS-CES) launched ‘Project Sibol’ last April 5.

According to UNC SHS-CES President Eweneja Aquino, the said project was proposed to them by SHS Assistant Principal for Student Affairs Melinda Susana Dy, and even led the distribution of its materials such as pechay seeds, sacks of soil, and water bottles. A total of 26 participants, both from grades 11 and 12, joined the event.

“This project was proposed to us in December last year, but due to a fortuitous event, we were not able to push through it and decided to move it this year. It took us more or less than two weeks to gather information and distribute seeds, soil, and planters that the volunteers need,” Aquino added, referring to the weather disturbances that affected the Region during those times.

Aquino also mentioned that the project will not be successfully implemented without the cooperation of the officers and members, as well as the volunteers for their time and support.

“I can say that this whole experience can be described as a roller coaster ride. I, myself, started from scratch, clueless of what could happen to my plants. Facing different obstacles from time to time, and finding the best solution. But seeing my plants grow makes me so proud, and I could not wait to harvest my plants,” Aquino added,

SOWING THE SEEDS. As part of ‘Project Sibol,’ urban gardening materials were distributed to 26 participating students among Grade 11 and 12 learners. Said project aimed to highlight the significance of urban gardening. Photo by Melinda Susana Dy and words by Pauline Velasco citing her experience with the project.

Meanwhile, UNC SHS-CES Treasurer Babylen Belen felt proud when she saw her plants grow after over a week.

“It was great, to be honest, but the experience is quite nerve-wracking because even if I have small knowledge about planting, there are still so many things to know and explore. I even remember, at first, I thought the seeds were not alive because it took almost a week and a half to have a sprout. That time, I was always watching youtube videos and searching for answers to why it wasn’t growing,” Belen continued.

Belen also mentioned some of the challenges she faced during the process.

“At first when my seeds were already growing our dogs played with it causing it to die. Luckily, I just planted half of the seeds so I was able to plant another batch and so far, they are growing. Another problem that I have encountered is that I was quite busy with my schoolwork so I wasn’t able to water it every day. What I did was to remind myself early in the morning or late in the evening by using my alarm clock. It helped me because it became my breather from my schoolwork,” Belen stated.

Aside from conducting community service projects for its adopted communities, the pursuant of the said project linkages to one of the University’s core values ‘We are dynamic and Creative’ as they maximize ideas in forming a project beneficial for the volunteers, officers, and to the community. It is also the organization’s avenue to encourage everyone to engage with environmental activities while being resourceful and creative.

SHS students partake in ‘Project AKI’

JAY VHIE ABUNDA

TO BUILD RAPPORT, connect, and fill gaps between students coming from different departments of the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC), the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) conducted a series of training, known as ‘PROJECT Adopt-a-Kid Initiative’ or PROJECT AKI.

“Basically, Project AKI is a training program wherein trainers are from the college department while trainees are from the Basic Ed--from Elem to SHS”, Democrat’s Associate Editor and head of the training team of the project in their publication Norene Cantor stated in an interview last July 2.

The official publication of the college department headed the said program wherein ten staff members of The PANTOGRAPH x MALAYA also engaged in the said project through a series of training in the different field in Journalism on the following dates: April 17, May 8, and June 3 via Google Meet.

The Democrat’s motive on the series of training is to help their fellow campus journalists’ understanding and sense of purpose: “It is like an initial thought that older people are more experienced and therefore skilled than their juniors, and we believe this project is trying to bridge such knowledge on certain things in order for trainees to propagate their unique takes and eventually make their own creation using this knowledge,” Cantor added.

Despite the situation that we have right now, the said project gained positive feedback coming from the participants.

“I learned that there are more styles in writing news and editorial articles. As someone who mainly uses a few different ways of writing those articles, it helped me in finding better ways in conveying the truth to the audience as there are styles that can make a topic interesting to the readers,” Jibril Lorente mentioned in an interview last July 3.

Lorente’s statement was also agreed upon by Jayvee Fortuno who said that PROJECT AKI helped her improve her writing skills because The Democrat introduced different ideas and styles that aspiring writers can apply in different writing fields.

“It made us realize that there are much more beyond what we know in campus journalism,” she continued.

Fellow participant Curt Jairus Perez also praised the personalities of the trainers saying that they are approachable making it easier for him to understand the concepts.

Cantor shared that it would have been better if they reached more audiences, however, it is quite understandable in every way because of our setup. Despite a smaller number of participants, The Democrat also expressed its thanks to the editors who worked and put in the effort, as well as The Pantograph’s time and efforts to be with them in the project.

From the feedback given to them, Cantor believed they achieved the mission that the OSA gave “We have achieved our purpose of bridging knowledge and also discovering their creativity and skills, learned from them, and gave them ideas on what they can still work on.” Cantor stated.

The said project of OSA will be sustained and as for the Democrat, they are willing to continue this program when the OSA calls for their presence.

DESPITE THE STRUGGLES of learning amidst the pandemic, the graduating class of 2020-2021 successfully completed their Senior High School years and are now ready to soar towards the path of achieving their dreams. Among the graduates, two gems coming from the STEM strand together with other learners from their respective academic strands excelled and have shared their journeys in embracing and adapting to the demands of the current modes of learning, leaving remarkable stories in unraveling the treasures within them.

After conducting the selection process among the top 70 learners who passed the qualification process, the Senior High School Department hailed Jibril Alleen Lorente as this year’s class valedictorian, followed by John Dominic Franzuela as the class salutatorian.

These learners excelled both academically and non-academically starting from Grade 11 until Grade 12. The selection process was composed of 100% criteria, wherein the academic qualifications bear 50%, 30% for the non-academic activities, and the remaining 20% for the panel interview.

‘Valedictorian with a heart for public service’

‘Success is more fruitful when shared with everyone.’

This is how Class Valedictorian Jibril Alleen Lorente described the academic year 2020-2021 in an interview with The PANTOGRAPH x MALAYA.

Lorente, way back in Junior High School, has already excelled in the field of academics after sharing that he was a consistent top learner in their whole batch. Despite being a consistent honor learner, he was not able to fight the challenges brought by the new learning environment. In the same interview, he said that he faced many challenges before and during the pandemic, but he always went back to his main goal.

“There are times that I really don’t feel like doing anything but to play because I’m too lazy to do stuff. However, I would always bounce back because I would often think of what might happen if I am unproductive for a day: my work would pile up, and the thought of mounting work would bother me so much,” Lorente revealed.

He even jokingly said that there were times that he felt demotivated, a thought of repeating for a year would often escape his mind. Another challenge that he faced was time. Since the online classes began, Lorente said that the boundary between home and class began to blur which made him realize how much trouble it would be if he cannot find a way to draw the line where school ends and time for family and friends begins.

“To address that, I would typically do school and organization work during class hours even during asynchronous sessions so that the rest of the day can be used for myself, my friends, and my family. Although I generally continue working at night as it kind of became a habit for me to work at night after years of being a student,” he shared.

Lorente even honestly said that if he failed to address those two challenges, he might have lost his sanity at some point during the school year. However, after being exposed to different Google Applications, he agreed that he was adequately prepared and only adjusted a little bit with the blended learning setup.

When asked if he would pick the new setup over the old one, he strongly disagreed with it.

“I’d take faceto-face classes over it any day, especially when I knew that some of our batchmates had to stop schooling because they lack the devices, the internet connection, or the additional expenses. Aside from that, face-to-face classes were also easier for both LFs and learners alike as it’s easier to communicate with one another back then,” Lorente stated.

Despite the society conforming with the crab mentality, Lorente was able to break the standards after saying that he always ensures that no one will be left behind. According to him, the word that best describes his entire Senior High School journey would be ‘ONWARD’ since it was his classmates, ‘pubmily’, and him pushing forward to grow, tap onto their hidden potentials, and achieve great things together.

Oftentimes, people who are already on top would always aim for more, but Lorente is not that type.

“Personally, I, with the help of everyone around me, became more comfortable with the thought of exploring what’s outside my comfort zone... I was never alone. From group work at STEM O to editing articles with my fellow editors, we all did everything together.”

Aside from being hailed as the class valedictorian, Lorente was also the editor-inchief of the UNC SHS student publications, STEM commissioner and vice-chairperson of the Students’ Commission on Elections, and a member of Lupon ng Makata. During his tenure in the publication, he was able to become the assistant head for BREAKAWAY: The PANTOGRAPH’s special coverage of the SHS intramurals and secured the second rank during the Division School Press Conference (DSPC) in 2019. The pandemic did not stop him from collecting awards after bagging the eighth spot in the Ditto Sarmiento Journalism Cup (DSJC) and the fourth spot in the Camilo Osias Arts Festival Search for

Ten Outstanding Student Journalists (CAMAF). Moreover, he was also a diligent public servant after being consistent in giving

COVID-19 and typhoon coverages, with the help of the other staff members, that resulted in having 10,000 likes and followers on the publication’s Facebook page resulting in many partnership offers from various organizations.

‘Character over Intelligence’: Salutatorian

“Senior years are the shortest chapter in our education yet what happened in my two-year journey being an active learner is truly a gem.” That is how the Batch 2020 - 2021 Class Salutatorian John Dominic Franzuela, a learner from STEM L, described his journey as an SHS learner. Despite the sudden shift of learning, he is one of the learners who were able to make it through, and now moving forward towards another journey of achieving their dreams. Franzuela, way back in Junior High School in the same University, has already showcased his leadership skills as a Supreme Student Government officer from Grade 8 to 9, and the President of the organization in his 10th-grade year. He initiated several student development events promoting and enhancing the student body’s camaraderie and sense of belonging, which made him a recipient of the Philippine Eagle Outstanding Youth Service Award, as well as the Most Outstanding Leadership

Award, and Mayoral Award for Leadership for their batch 2018-2019. Amid enhancing his leadership skills, he was able to manage to be an honor learner from his 7th to 10th grade. “When I was in JHS, I was not really part of the honors list because it was not my goal at that time. Instead, I want to develop and enhance my innate leadership and other skills and talents,” Franzuela stressed.

Just like any other Senior High School learner, entering the Senior High School years was a challenge for him, especially that there was a sudden change in the learning environment. During his Grade 11th year, he juggled his time engaging with different organizations while being a consistent Learning Supervisor’s lister for two semesters. He was the minister of external affairs and the institutional representative of the UNC SHS Debate Circle, STEM L class prime minister, the campaign manager of Tingog Party, and a University SHS student ambassador.

Compared to the previous school year and the present learning environment, Franzuela was able to adapt with the help of various coping mechanisms and transform his mindset by accepting the hybrid approach. When asked about his preference between the two, he said, “I prefer the face-to-face setup, of course. This is because the approach is more accessible and convenient to most learners if not all, therefore, no one will be left behind, everyone would make it. More than that, the interactions, pieces of learning, and discussions of the course are much easier because it is being done personally instead of in-between screens,” Franzuela stated.

Regardless of adjustments, he made sure to be active in his organizations, while balancing his time for his academics. In fact, he was a Principal’s lister in the first semester this year. Aside from that, he was the publications officer of the Bicol Debate Union and continued his endeavor in the UNC SHS Debate Circle as the minister of training, the class prime minister of STEM L, and a UNC SHS student ambassador.

With his active participation in his affiliations, he received prestigious awards throughout his journey as this reflects on his perseverance and passion in improving one’s self and for being in service for the studentry. He showed his skills in debating as he was a grand finalist and 2nd placer in the 5th Bicol Debate Open, a Philippine representative for the PreAsian Debate Tournament and Luzon Intervarsity, a Bicol representative for the Bicol Festival 2020, PSDC 2020, and 5th Bicol Debate Open.

Aside from debating, he also excelled in other fields as he was a recipient of the Alfonso Yuchengco National Discipline Award, 3rd placer for Student Life Gimmick Parade 2019, an English Immersive Environment (EIE) champion, a Synthesis speaker, a participant for the International Environmental Summit 2021, and a proud founder of the Project Lingkayod and Project TODA-max, which served as his avenue to help other people amidst the pandemic.

“I managed this by making productivity a habit and falling in love with the process/struggle specifically through using technical techniques that fit my body and energy,” Franzuela added.

All of these would not be possible without the help and support of his friends, mentors, and his family. Regardless of his knowledge on a certain topic or his possessed skills, he uses this as an instrument to help his friends out, and by making his mentors and family proud of him. This emphasizes him being in character despite his achievements, as he is always willing to be a helping hand to his colleagues, and people.

The abovementioned journey of two of the best students of this year’s graduating batch reflects the real world beneath academic achievements and awards. Being part of the honors list is not an easy journey as it requires extra effort and perseverance towards achieving one’s goal. It is indeed true that anyone is capable of being part of the honors list but at the end of the day, it depends on your willingness to step out of the box and go beyond your knowledge and skills, as you pursue to be one of the diamonds.

PARENT-FRONTLINERS IN THE NEW NORMAL

SAMANTHA NICOLE IMPERIAL AND LEXINE RUST

AS THE PANDEMIC continues to bring unending challenges, tensions, and worries ranging from the safety of someone or their family up to how well they perform either be it in work or school, it is important to keep in mind that despite the uncertainty for the next few days or months, our front liners are still doing their best to cure people and make our nation safe from any dangers.

To honor our front liners, we talked to three (3) parents of Senior High School (SHS) students from the University of Nueva Caceres who work as front liners to know their hard work, efforts, and the difference between their workplaces before and now in the new normal.

Ramos: The Diligent Naturopathic Doctor

Clemente B. Ramos, 50, is a naturopathic doctor, husband, and father to Joyce Ramos, a student in TVL FBS 11. He describes the pandemic as something that makes it hard for everyone to cope with, and yet he continues to be one of the front liners or modern heroes, dedicating their lives to the care and safety of others.

It is both a relief and a worry for the family to see Dr. Ramos comes home after a nine (9)-hour shift knowing that he will be exposed to active cases. Thankfully, he has a strong immune system that helps him fight off the virus and for all of the swab tests, the results came out negative.

Dr. Ramos also emphasized one advantage despite the situation we are in, where we have a lot to consider, such as policies and existing protocols. According to him, it is good that there are only a limited number of patients for him to see throughout the day compared to the normal setup, where he gets to consult a lot of patients. The reduced number of patients was because of the safety protocols that must be followed.

As one of the hardworking front liners in this pandemic who cure patients, Dr. Ramos feels good not only with the thought but also the action of helping those people who are in need. Just like any other front liner, he is scared for himself and his family. As his family appreciate and feel proud for having a hero in disguise like Dr. Ramos, they are still worried about his safety and at the same time, Dr. Ramos makes sure that he keeps himself and his family safe from being exposed to the virus by continuously following the health protocols and disinfection measures. “I just wanna say to always take care of yourself! Always drink vitamins that can help your body to fight this virus. We can all pass through this. We should not forget to pray every day for the sake of ourselves, family, community, country, and the whole nation,” Dr. Ramos stated, as he was asked his message to the community.

Chavez: The Bright Physician

Jordan R. Chavez IV, MD, 49, a physician, is another front liner-parent. His children are Zena Ticiamae Chavez and Jordan Chavez V from ABM-B and STEM-O, respectively. He considers himself helpful throughout the pandemic since he is still trying to assist sick people to get better. He works 120 hours per week and five (5) days per week both in his clinic and in the hospital to treat patients now that we are amid a pandemic. He has never isolated himself when going home since the pandemic began, but he does change clothing before leaving, change clothing when he arrives at home, and take a bath frequently to avoid contracting the virus.

Knowing that he is one of the hardworking front liners in this pandemic, he said, “I don’t feel anything extra about what I am doing because it’s my job.”

He also stated that his family is feeling sad, worried, and proud at some points. He is sad and worried since this pandemic is making our life hard, especially the work they need to handle. Also, he is proud because he can help to fight the virus and can help to bring everything back to normal.

As the pandemic continues to make everyone’s lives more difficult, frontline workers are taking extra precautions and measures whenever they perform their duties to prevent contracting the virus from those who have been exposed to it or from confirmed cases.

“This pandemic will not stop soon if only the health workers are doing extra protection and precautions by heart. It’s really a change in the way we live our lives. No going back to the old habits,” Chavez said when he was asked about the front liner’s experience.

Malonda: The Incredible

Police Inspector Just like any other front liners who are hardworking,

Noel R. Malonda, 50, is not only a