Researchers compete, bag fourth in RICE

Transcription

O p i ni on
F e at ure
Scien ce
sports
The future we create
One year older
This year in research
The path to victory
6 » Welcome to the Equilibrium.
8 » A review of VCSMS’s first year.
12 » The best of ValMaSci’s research this 2015.
15 » Resident ValMaScian
athletes share their secrets.
The Equilibrium »
Researchers compete, bag fourth in RICE
June2015–January2016
Volume 2, Issue 1
The official ValMaScian
English publication
fb.com/VCSMSgazette
Mathletes
win int’l tilts
in HK, SG
Five ValMaScians went overseas
this year, winning bronze, silver and
merit prizes in two international
mathematics competitions.
Vincent Cabalar
Innovative ideas. Divine-Kai Tan (second from right) presents the Hydroino 2.0 to visitors at the Regional Inventions Contests and Exhibits. Photograph: Daryl Talabo.
Vincent Cabalar
Three research groups from the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science competed in the 2015 Regional Invention Contests and Exhibits (RICE)
last September 28–30, 2015 at the Technological Institute of the Philippines
(TIP), Cubao, Quezon City.
Alec Denji Santos, Kaila Nicole Jaucian, Daryl Talabo, Ma. Theresa Angela
Gaviola, and Simon Clark Carillo won
fourth place in the Student Creative Research (Sibol Award) for the high school
category with their research project en-
titled “Multi-Faceted Window Design:
Arduino-Controlled Emergency Escape
Window Design Using MQ-2 Smoke Sensor Circuit”.
The other participants were Carl
Joshua Quines, Vincent Cabalar, Sophia Dominique Dizon, and Marc Errol Añon, with their research project entitled “Prototype Pedestrian Crosswalk
Barrier: A Novel Design to Reduce Pedestrian Accidents”, and Juan Roy Taguinod, Divine-Kai Tan, and Rio Gabriel
Rodriguez with their research project
entitled “Hydroino 2.0: Arduino Controlled Irrigation System”.
After the event, the Valenzuela Public Information Office (PIO), as well as
GMA News approached Santos’s group
to feature their work. The Valenzuela
PIO released an article about their work,
and a segment featuring their invention
appeared on GMA’s program, 24 Oras.
UNTV also featured a segment on the
invention of Taguinod’s group.
The 2015 RICE was a program of the
Department of Science and Technology – National Capital Region and the
Technology Application and Promotion Institute. A three-day exhibit was
held at the TIP’s Activity Center wherein
different schools and individuals presented their innovation products and
inventions under different categories.
The different categories were as follows:
Outstanding Invention (Tuklas Award),
Outstanding Utility Model, Outstanding Industrial Design, Outstanding Creative Research (Likha Award) and Outstanding Student Creative Research
(Sibol Award) for high school and college students. There were also a series of games with prizes and fora that
Continued on page 12 »
Arnisto tops RSSPC 2015
Carl Joshua Quines
Robots from the future. ValMaSci’s robots at the 2015 PRO: (clockwise from top right),
PH-SAT, SOAR and PH-99. Photograph: Jason Barrios. Full story on page 13 »
Genesis Arnisto topped the Pagsulat ng
Editoryal category with first place in the
39th Regional Secondary Schools Press
Conference (RSSPC), held at Mandaluyong National High School, Mandaluyong Elementary School and Highway
Hills Integrated School last November
21, 28, and December 5.
She will compete in the National
Schools Press Conference, which will
be held in General Santos on February
2016.
Jeremy Calzado bagged seventh
place in the Pagguhit ng Editoryal Kartun category and James Jastine Solivio
won fifth place in the Copyreading
and Headline Writing category, both
in the RSSPC. ValMaSci’s English radio
broadcasting team, with the members
Carl Joshua Quines, Levi Azriel Degaños,
Veronica Therese Rivera, Iris Sofia Selma,
Aldrin Dizor, Franklin Duane Madriñan
and Xandra Marie Villareal also won seventh place in the Best Technical Application category.
ValMaScian journalists have also
garnered multiple awards during the
Division Secondary Schools Press Conference (DSSPC), which was held at
Valenzuela National High School last
September 30 for the English categories, and at Valenzuela City Library Hub
last September 17–18 for the Filipino categories. Both were declared as overall
champion in the individual categories.
Winning first prize were Louise Ann
Dominique Alarde for the Editorial
Writing category and Jason Renz Barrios for Pagsulat ng Lathalain.
Second place were Jeremy Calzado
and Genesis Arnisto for Pagguhit ng Editoryal Kartun and Pagsulat ng Editoryal,
respectively. Winning third place were
Angelina Montes for Editorial Cartooning and Tracy Marie Moreno for Science
and Technology Writing. Fourth place
were Juan Miguel Antonio for Sports
Writing and Vanessa De Leon Romana
for Feature Writing. Ahlan Mae Gapido
won fifth place for Pagsulat ng Balitang Agham. Sixth place were Lovely
Angel Gonzales for Photojournalism,
Continued on page 13 »
Several mathletes from the Valenzuela
City School of Mathematics and Science
have once again seized different awards
in the recently concluded 11th International Mathematics Competition (IMC)
and International Mathematics Wizard
Challenge (IMWiC).
In the 11th IMC held at Singapore
last August 1, the Philippines topped
the other ten countries participating, including the host country Singapore and
other powerhouses such as China and
Taiwan, with 216 medals, 31 of which are
gold, 60 are silver, and 125 are bronze,
finishing first in the prestigous international contest.
Mark Vincent Carabbay bagged the
silver prize, Axirazel Lorenzo and Ryan
Christopher Santos bagged the bronze
prize, while Jasmine Faye De Guzman
took the merit prize award.
Elementary and secondary students
from both private and public schools
throughout the country also managed
to win 83 merit certificates.
China bagged 27 gold medals while
Taiwan took home 19 gold medals to
place second and third, respectively.
Thailand was fourth with 12 golds followed closely by the countries of Malaysia and Myanmar with seven golds each.
In the IMWiC held at Hong Kong last
August 9–12, the Philippines finished
second place overall with 138 medals
and 63 merit awards. The elementary
and high school students from different schools won 12 gold medals, 37 silver
medals, and 89 bronze medals.
China was declared as the overall
champion with 16 golds, followed by
the Philippines with 12; the host country Hong Kong, 11; Taiwan, 7; Macau, 4;
and Indonesia, 2. All-in-all, 913 students
participated in the competition.
Among the Philippine winners is
Sophia Dominique Dizon, who won
bronze in the competition.
All students who competed in the international competitions were trained
by the Mathematics Trainers Guild
(MTG) Philippines, a non-governmental organization which aims to increase
mathematics proficiency throughout
the nation, primarily among students.
They were trained for twelve Saturdays by the MTG at Grace Christian College, after which selected students from
the twelve-Saturday training were invited to to the Young Mathematicians
Inhouse Intensive Training Program,
which was held in Baguio.
Selected students were once again invited to the one month Mathematicians
Olympiad Summer Training Program
(MOSTP), which was held at the Philippine Institute of Quezon City.
From the MOSTP, students are chosen to participate in various international contests such as the IMC and IMWiC, among other competitions.
“Nakakuha ako ng bronze,” Lorenzo
said. “Masaya dahil after ng mahaba-habang sakripisyo ay naging sulit ang
lahat”, he added.
2 » news
VCSMS holds ASEAN
Youth Forum
June–December 2015 » The Equilibrium »
ValMaScians grab awards in Nutrition Month
Vincent Cabalar
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science held its first schoolbased ASEAN Youth Forum last November 13, 2015 at the school’s collaborative
room.
With the theme “Moving Towards
High Quality Education”, the event was
organized by the Araling Panlipunan
Club, in cooperation with the grade 10
students namely, Axirazel Lorenzo and
Lhiana Reign Bañares, both from grade
10-Schrödinger.
The event was participated by about
100 students from different year levels, holding a day-long activity such
as song-writting, poster making, and
other youth-oriented activities. Both
Lorenzo and Bañares were inspired by
the ASEAN Youth Forum they attended
in Thailand on an earlier date.
The event could not be possible without the help of Mrs. Edna De Jesus, ESP
and AP coordinator, together with the
help of other teachers from the Araling
Panlipunan department.
Dagoy, Rivera
shine in Prinsipe
at Prinsesa ng
Kundiman 2015
Veronica Therese Rivera
Two students of Valenzuela City School
of Mathematics and Science showed off
their singing prowess in Prinsipe at Prinsesa ng Kundiman 2015 held last August
19 at Dalandanan National High School
for the district level and competed last
August 25 at Valenzuela City Auditorium
for the division level.
Jake Dagoy, the representative for
the Prinsipe ng Kundiman, won fourth
place at the district meet after performing the song “Magbalik Ka Hirang”, ending his journey at the division level. “I
was a little bit nervous while singing the
first part of my song, but after a while,
I was able to put back my confidence
and I hope I gave a wonderful performance”, Jake said.
Veronica Rivera won second place at
the district meet, making her way up to
the division level, where she performed
at the Valenzuela City Auditorium, together with the eighteen other contenders singing the same piece, “Ikaw
ay Akin”. “It was a nerve-wrecking experience for me. But even though I lost, I was
able to gain some fans so it was worth
it,” Veronica said.
A series of training sessions was
conducted before the contest proper,
headed by Ms. Lyka Nayre. Each session
focused on diction, breathing, stage
presence and emotions while singing.
Math wizards
join 2015 PMO
James Jastine Solivio
Five math wizards of the Valenzuela
tested their skills in the 2015 Philippine
Mathematical Olympiad as they took
the exam last October 17, 2015, held at
Ateneo de Manila University.
Grade 7 student Vincent Dela Cruz
and grade 8 student Mark Vincent
Carabbay were trained by Ms. Marilyn Soriano, while grade 9 student Jireh Gumaro and grade 10 students Carl
Joshua Quines and Axirazel Lorenzo
were trained by Mr. Augusto Logronio.
The five students of VCSMS accepted
the fact that only one of them qualified
for the area stage, Carl Joshua Quines, as
the PMO staff announced the qualifiers
for the area stage last November 7, 2015.
Quines had already taken the exam
for the area stage last November 14,
2015, and is currently waiting for the
announcement of the qualifiers for the
national stage, which will be held next
year, in January 2016.
Proper nutrition. Vingalliah and Ceazar, Mr. and Ms. Nutrition. Photograph: Faiza Asilum.
Carl Joshua Quines
The ValMaScians grabbed several
awards during the Nutrition Month
celebration last June 2 to 31, 2015, with
the theme “Timbang iwasto, sa tamang
nutrisyon at ehersisyo”.
Varied contests were held such as the
Poster Making, Tarpaulin Making, Slogan Making Contest, Nurtrilympics, Mi-
necraft, Food Bazaar and the Mr. and Ms.
Nutrition Pageant.
For the Poster Making Contest, Carla
Pajinag was named champion, with Jardine Valdez and Angelina Montes following as second and third. For the Tarpaulin Making Contest, Kenneth King
Ko won first place, Sophia Lindo won
second place and Rushaid Elinzano won
third place. For the Slogan Making Contest, Cheska Lazaro won first prize, with
Ferlyn Mendez who was named second
and Jason Renz Barrios who won third.
In the Nutrilympics, teams composed of members from different year
levels had to complete a set number of
tasks. Points were awarded upon completion of the task, and the top three
teams were awarded. The team deemed
most organized was also awarded.
The team which won first prize
were Jireh Gumaro, Nico Marion Santos, James Tan, Aldrich Gatbunton and
Rigo Inoferio. Second place was the
team of Adrian Matthew Citra, Joscel Sagun, Denzel Darilag, Andrew Angel Española and John Byron Garin. Winning
third place was the team of Kurt Dynel
Mallaca, Jenry Ann Macapagal, Loreen
Pangkoy, Rayner Cura and Jacel Azañes.
The team named most organized was
composed of Jovencio Urbien III, Danica
Salonga, Carla Teologo, Lara Francyne
Pabillicu and Cyril Dela Cruz.
For the Minecraft Contest, students
from each grade level formed teams to
compete against other teams from the
same level, completing tasks and answer
questions related to nutrition.
Two teams won from grade 7: the
team of Andy Amurao, Dustine Yuzon
and Len Blones, and the team of Adrian
Conrad Dangue, Job Leroi Santiago and
Kenneth Uy. From grade 8, three teams
won: the team of Rio Gabriel Rodriguez,
Andrew Demition and Gabriel Santiago,
the team of Maverick Trinidad, Eddie
Jearll Ferrer and Francis Bobis, and the
team of Matthew Olaer, Vince Cruz and
Fredrick Ilan. From grade 9, the team of
Erick John De Ocampo, Jayson Divino,
Keith Catalan, Brennan Martin, and
Joshua Pulmano won, and from grade
10, the winning team was composed of
Carl Joshua Quines, Kenneth King Ko,
Vince Isip, Axirazel Lorenzo and James
Jastine Solivio.
For the Food Bazaar, 9-Morgan won
first, followed by 10-Schrödinger and
8-Lamarck respectively.
Ceazar Ian Crucillo and Vingaliah
Palao of 10-Maxwell were named Mr.
and Ms. Nutrition. Jonathan De Guia
and Annesley Gentolea of 9-Watson
won second place, Bianca Abella and
Omar Dela Cruz of 8-Leeuwenhoek won
third, Rea Revadillo and Jhanryme Decillo of 9-Curie won fourth, and Kaila
Nicole Jaucian and Harold Moreno of
10-Thomson were named fifth.
The event could not be possible without the effort of the TLE Department,
headed by Mrs. Lerine Estrella, as well
as the officers and members of the TLE
Club.
Researchers dominate 2015
Division, Regional Science Quests
Victorious. ValMaScians pose with their trophies from the Division Science Quest. Photograph: Tessa Atanacio.
Vincent Cabalar
Several students from the Valenzuela
City School of Mathematics and Science (VCSMS) bagged awards as they
competed in the Regional Science Quest
2015, with this year’s theme, “Preservation and Conservation of the Ecosystem,” last November 23 at Malinta National High School and at VCSMS.
For the Science Quiz Bee, Adrian Matthew Poblete won first place for grade
8 while Adrian Conrad Dangue won
fourth place for grade 7.
In the Science Investigatory Project
(SIP) contest, the group of Ranzmae German, Vingalliah Palao, and Baby Grace
Garganera won second place with their
project, entitled “Potential of Tubang
Bakod (Jatropha curcas) Seeds, Makabuhay (Tinospora rumphii Boerl) Vines, Kakawate (Ghiricidia sepium) Leaves and
Ylang-ylang (Caranga odorata) Flower
Extracts for Treating Different Variety of
Woods for Furnitures”, under the team
category for SIP–Applied Science.
In the SIP–Life Science category, the
group of Kelly Marie Guardiano, Juneille
Ann Cagadas and Glyza Marie Arañez
won fourth place with their project, entitled “Bactericidal Effect of Combined
Extracts of Santol (Sandoricum koetjope)
Pulp, Avocado (Persea americana) Seeds
and Pineapple (Ananas comosus) Core
Against Escherchia coli”.
Poblete and German’s group will
be competing in the National Science
Quest, which will be held in Mindoro.
VCSMS students also bagged awards
during the Division Science Quest 2015,
with the theme “A Science Nation Innovating for Global Competitiveness”, held
last October 23.
In the Science Quiz Bee category,
Adrian Conrad Dangue, Adrian Matthew Poblete, and Lhiana Reign Bañares
won first prize for the grades 7, 9 and 10
categories, respectively.
VCSMS also participated and won
first prize awards in all the categories
for the SIP.
For the SIP–Life Science category, the
group of Guardiano won first place.
Also for SIP–Life Science, Lhiana
Reign Bañares won with her project entitled “Evaluation of Genotoxicity in Tap
Water Samples from Public Elementary
Schools in Valenzuela City using Allium
cepa Chromosomal Aberration Assay”
for the individual category.
For the SIP–Applied Science category, the group of German won first
place as well.
For the individual category in SIP–
Applied Science, Veronica Therese Rivera won with her project entitled “Bone
Char (Carbo animalis) as an Additive for
Hollow Blocks”.
Avianca Francisco also won in the Division Science Quest, winning second
place in the collage making contest.
Recognitions were also given to the
science teachers of VCSMS, Ms. Maria
Teresa Atanacio won first place for her
Science Intervention Materials (SIM) for
grade 7. The group of Mr. Albert Tolentino, Mrs. Merlyn Gamboa and Mr. Mark
Euclid Marquez was awarded third place
for the SIM for grades 8 and 10.
“[Conducting an SIP] is very difficult.
Even so, you’ll be amazed by the discoveries. Just like how simple things around
us could possibly be a cure for an epidemic.”, said Keart Ramos Juanillas, division SSG president. “Yes, it is very difficult because it requires patience and
most of the data will be based upon your
observation”, he added. Juanillas also
competed in the Division Science Quest
under the Science Quiz Bee.
The VCSMS Science Department cooperated with the Senior Scouts and the
Supreme Student Government in organizing and facilitating the Division Science Quest, setting up the venue and
ushering the guests from other schools.
The success of the event could not be
possible without their respective parts
and services.
Casio Philippines visits ValMaSci
Andrew Demition
Casio Philippines and the Metrobank
Math Teachers Association of the Philippines (MTAP) visited the Valenzuela
last December 1, 2015.
ValMaSci was one of the schools
picked by Casio and MTAP due to its
standing as one of the Top 15 Performing Schools in Mathematics.
The program started with the national anthem led by the mathematics
club president Juine Arvie Lavarias fol-
lowed by the opening remarks led by
ValMaSci’s principal Dr. Jameson H. Tan
and Casio Philippines President Joel Serrano. Serrano said that “Dito, sa sampung
mag-aaral, ay takot sa Math pero yung iba
takot sa guro mismo.”
Before the program ended, Casio’s
mascot, Mathew, performed a dance
number and the audience was given a
chance to have a picture with him.
Casio also bought with them a large
calculator, named Mathewlator, where
students from various grade levels answered questions from it.
Math is important. Joel Serrano explains the value of math. Photograph: Anton Herrera.
news » 3
The Equilibrium » June–December 2015 »
VCSMS welcomes Mrs. Salonga
Genesis Arnisto
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science welcomed its new
Principal, Mrs. Ma. Christina Salonga,
last January, replacing Mr. Jameson Tan
after two years.
She has a heart of a mother and she
treats the school as her own child.
Also, Ma’am Salonga is a proud
mother of an alumnus coming from the
pioneer batch of Valenzuela City Science
High School, batch Optimus.
She started teaching at Malinta National High School. After the long years
of teaching she became the principal of
Balangkas Elementary School. She believes that a student must bring the lessons and proper conduct from his/her
elementary days until he/she becomes
a high school student. Hence, she said
that cleanliness and orderliness are essential to nurture the emotional quotient of ValMaSci students.
With her excellent skills and high
standards, she was promoted to Principal II and became the head of Arkong
Bato National High School. She admitted that even though she came from
a small institution, running a bigger
school challenges her. Until in May 2015,
great opportunity with bigger obstacles arrived. She was informed that she
will be the new principal of ValMaSci.
The truth is that she didn’t expect that
thing to happen.
Never in her dreams nor in her goals
that she wanted to be a teacher. So, being offered to be the principal of Val-
MaSci, she questioned herself if she is
deserving to lead this institution.
After much questioning and confusion she finally stepped on to the august
hall of ValMaSci, the gem of the city. In
the first days of her stay, she said that
the time was so fast. It is very hard to believe that she was now sitting on a chair
where great responsibilities are given.
In an interview, she said that “Ako
ang principal na maliit pero malaki ang
puso“. She also added her favorite quote,
“Walang pagkakatuto kung walang kalakip na disiplina“.
Thus, made her a disciplinarian with
a very motherly understanding heart.
“I am a disciplinarian with a motherly heart.” Photograph: Dem Catapat.
VCSMS celebrates Science Month
Campus scribes join Liyab 2015
Vincent Cabalar
Raising awareness. Rutherford performs their science jingle at the atrium. Photograph: Faiza Asilum.
Vincent Cabalar
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science once again celebrated Science Month 2015 with the
theme “MateREALIZE: Synthesizing
Ideas, Extracting Knowledge, and Forging Science Nation as Agents in Innovating Global Competitiveness” last September 7 – October 2.
The Youth for Environment in
Schools Organization, together with
the Robotics Guild, led its kick-off activity with the release of the dozens of
colorful ceremonial balloons.
Both science organizations launched
several school-wide scheduled contests
and activities simultaneously for the
month-long Science Month clebration.
A notable program is the “My Own
Mug Friday”, in which bringing of own
tumblers and mugs is imperative when
ordering for drinks and water at the
school canteen. The aim of this project
is to lessen the use of plastic cups. Students were awarded stubs for bringing
reusable containers which were counted
and included in the total scores and
marks of the individuals and their respective sections.
As the contests were conducted,
many students from various year lev-
els garnered awards and recognition
for winning in their respective competitions.
For the poster making contest, Angelina Montes was named as the champion, followed by Jillian Merin and Karla
Mae Pajinag for second and third.
For the mosaic making contest, Avianca Francisco was named first place,
followed by Kathleen Bartolo for second place.
For the Science Quiz Bee, ten students
were chosen in each batch by their Science teachers. They were arranged into
ten groups with four members each,
with one student from each year level.
The teams answered ten easy questions,
ten average questions and five difficult
questions.
The team of Dan Andrei Sales, Adrian
Matthew Poblete, Patricia Balatayo and
Alexis Jacinto won first in the Science
Quiz Bee, followed closely by the team
of Marc Alric Lim, Patricia Jan Solisa, Andrea Cabalar and Jasper Turado, and the
team of Shaun Christian Coralde, Danica Salonga, Emlyne Shane Duldulao
and Rushaid Elinzano winning third.
In the Minecraft Infrastructure Contest, students were tasked to create a
building in Minecraft following the
theme, an innovative school. The sec-
tion of 10-Schrödinger won first place,
followed by 7-Riemann and 8-Mendel.
The water boosted rocket competition was divided into three categories:
height, accuracy and overall design.
9-Meyer won first for height. For accuracy, 8-Leeuwenhoek lead the competition. The section of 9-Meyer was also
named winner for the design category.
Ten ValMaScians won in the Infoshirt
competition, where students designed
their own shirt. Ceazar Ian Crucillo,
Shania Ashley Cordova, Levi Azriel Degaños and Lui Joshua Cuadra won first
to fourth place respectively.
Veronica Therese Rivera was named
as the Boses ng Kalikasan, followed by
John Rey Ibañez and Miles Tolentino
for second and third place, respectively.
The Science Jingle making contest
was the highlight of the month, as each
section presented a five-minute dance to
raise the youth’s consciousness on the
importance of being innovative. The
section of 9-Rutherford was named
first place, 9-Meyer won second while
10-Thomson won third place.
The section of 10-Schrödinger was
named the overall champion of the
event for the second time in a row, as last
year’s 9-Rutherford was named overall
champion.
ValMaSci joins in MM-wide shake drill
Safety first. Evacuated ValMaScians line up outside the school. Photograph: Alec Santos.
Carl Joshua Quines
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science (ValMaSci) joined
in the Metro Manila-wide earthquake
drill held on June 30 at 10 AM.
The Metro Manila Development Authority led the drill for the purpose of
preparing for a theoretical 7.2 magnitude earthquake which would shake
Metro Manila, named as “the Big One”.
They cooperated with the Department
of Education so that all schools in the
region would partake in the drill and
also prepare for the earthquake.
In the school, Mr. Lino Vitalicio, Deputy Incident Commander, led the activity, providing instructions to the students for an orderly evacuation if the
“Big One“ will occur.
A long bell signalling an earthquake
rang at 10 AM. Students ducked under
their own desks and held on to the table legs. After the long bell, three short
bells were sounded, signalling for the
students to evacuate the building. Students held hard items to cover their
heads as they proceeded to the nearest
exit in a timely but orderly manner.
Earthquake victims were also simulated in order to prepare for the possibility of injured students. The first aid
team of ValMaSci worked to help provide a simulation of aid to these victims, whose injuries ranged from being trapped in the building to being
wounded and to being unconscious.
Mr. Vitalicio then said, as a part of the
simulation, that classes were suspended
and that relief goods will be handed out
to everyone.
The earthquake drill started at 10 AM
and lasted for one hour, ending at 11 AM
with the students going back to their
classes. Dr. Jameson H. Tan remarked
that the drill was conducted in an orderly and successful manner, thanks to
the efforts of each member of ValMaSci’s Disaster Response Team.
Campus journalists from Ang Iskolar
showed off their talents in the last Liyab 2015 – 13th NCR-wide Journalism
Training Seminar last September 16 and
19 at the Philippine Normal University
hosted by the Torch Publication.
Students from different schools in
Metro Manila participated in the annual
Liyab event with this year’s theme “Binhi:
Pagsibol ng Alternatibong Midya Tungo sa
Responsableng Pamamahayag.”
The contests and seminars aim to develop the talents of young writers. The
individuals competed in their respectively categories.
One of the active participants from
the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science (VCSMS) under Ms.
Irish Ivan Eiichi, adviser of the Filipino
school organ, Ang Iskolar. The participants from VCSMS were Jason Renz Barrios for Pagsulat ng Lathalain who placed
tenth during the recognition ceremonies and Genesis Arnisto for Pagsulat ng
Pangulong-Tudling.
Trainings were also held for different categories. A series of seminars were
also held for Lay-outing, Campus Paper
Management, National Situation Discussion, Poetry Writing, Campus Freedom Bill and Creative Non-Fiction.
As Barrios said, “Hindi ko naman talaga inexpect na mananalo ako at tuwang
tuwa ako dahil ito ang kauna-unahang
pagsali ko rito. Maraming naitulong sa
akin ang mga speaker at na-inspire ako
para ipagpatuloy ang pangarap kong maging isang mamamahayag.”
Math wizards race to the
top in Sipnayan 2015
Full concentration. Vincent Dela Cruz answers a mathematical problem during the final round. Photograph: Andrew Demition.
Vincent Cabalar
Several math wizards from the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science (ValMaSci) made it to the final
rounds of the Sipnayan 2015, an interschool mathematics contest for the National Capital Region, which was held
at the Ateneo De Manila University last
November 7 and 21.
The junior math team consisted of
Vincent Dela Cruz, Mark Vincent Carabbay, and Jireh Gumaro, whom competed
with 70 teams from other schools in the
elimination round, with only 24 making it to the semi-finals. The junior team
managed to make it to the final round of
the Sipnayan, bagging sixth place.
Three students who competed last
year returned again to compete in the
Sipnayan: Carl Joshua Quines, Axirazel
Lorenzo and Sophia Dominique Dizon, who, incidentally, were also the
team who fought in the Mathira Mathibay and Metrobank-MTAP Challenge
(MMC) in the past years.
The senior teams, the first team
composed of Carl Joshua Quines, Sophia Dominque Dizon, and Kelly Marie Guardiano, and the second team,
composed of Axirazel Lorenzo, Leal
Christian Juat and Harold Moreno, also
bagged awards in the Sipnayan. The first
team made it to the semi-finals, winning
fifth place, the second team also made it
to the semi-finals, winning fourth place.
Both junior and senior teams were
trained by Ms. Marilyn Soriano and Mr.
Augusto Logronio.
“It took a lot of training and effort,
but it was all worth it in the end, even
if we didn’t make it to the final rounds”,
Quines said. “It was a very fun and exciting experience, especially considering that all the teams qualified for the
semi-finals, which was an improvement
on last year’s performance. I hope for
better results in the future.”
The representatives for the Sipnayan
often trained for several hours after
class in the mathematics lab, training
against problems from the past years.
In the past years, ValMaSci also sent
representatives for the Sipnayan. The
members of the first team were Carl
Joshua Quines, Jan Reggie Dela Cruz
and John Dave Santos; while the members of the second team were Jade Kathleen Yu, Axirazel Lorenzo and Sophia
Dominque Dizon. The first team made it
to the semi-finals and won fourth place.
The ValMaScian math wizards are
now training for the upcoming mathematics competitions, including the
MMC and the Mathira Mathibay, which
will be held in the next year and beyond.
Opinion »
page 4 »
June–December 2015 »
The Equilibrium »
»
The Equilibrium »
Publication Year 2015–2016
The official English publication of the
Valenzuela City School of Mathematics
and Science.
Mission
To be extraordinary providers of
service through our works and our
words, in our lives and in our writing.
Vision
We aim to be the informant, inspiration and edification of VCSMS.
Truth · Impartiality · Boldness
Editorial Board
Carl Joshua Quines
Editor-in-Chief
Vincent Cabalar
Associate Editor
Denica Daniel Catapat
Managing Editor
Staff
Sherina Shyra Ramos
News Editor
Joshua Luna
Vanessa De Leon Romana
Feature Editors
Juan Miguel Antonio
Sports Editor
Tracy Marie Moreno
Lhiana Reign Bañares
Science Editors
Louise Anne Dominique Alarde
Miguel Relucio
Columnists
Angelina Montes
Cartoonist
Faiza Jeninna Asilum
Lovely Angel Gonzales
Photojournalists
John Byron Garin
Copyreaders
Andrew Demition
Layout Artist
Contributors
Genesis Arnisto
Veronica Therese Rivera
Chrysanthemum Mariah Mier
Jason Renz Barrios
Apelle Encomienda
Articles
All images used belong to their respective
copyright owners. Permission has been
asked from the copyright owners for use
in the newspaper.
Maria Cecilia Almariego-Atok
School Paper Adviser
Ma. Christina C. Salonga
School Principal II
The newspaper that you are reading right
now is evolving, and will continue to
evolve. And it is important that this evolution includes you, the reader. Your input and feedback is important for us. We
create the future of the news together.
fb.com/VCSMSGazette
@vcsmsgazette
[email protected]
Filling the leadership void
True leadership is servant-leadership.
True leaders should not boss people, or
be inactive – true leaders should push
for reforms that would benefit the people they lead. Such a revolutionary kind
of leadership is rarely seen in our time
these days. Indeed, one doesn’t need to
look beyond the classroom to see this
void of servant-leadership.
Take for example, the set of officers
per section. A lot of responsibility falls
on the president, secretary and treasurer, that is why the people elected for
these positions must be able to take the
responsibility that goes with it. Often,
class elections turn to popularity elections, with the person having the most
friends winning. When people who do
not have the resources to lead a classroom are elected to the position, the
class can fall into chaos. Too often the
officership is considered a passive po-
sition, when in fact, it is an active one –
officership is not only something someone is, it is something one does.
The lack of leadership in officership
is not limited to the classrooms. Even in
school clubs and among the SSG itself
can a lack of leadership be seen. Sometimes, the club president does all the
work, with the rest of the officers not doing anything; other times, the opposite
happens. Sometimes, no work is actually
done. The SSG’s current administration,
for example, has done far less programs
than the previous administration, not
fulfilling their responsibility.
Of course, there are also leaders
which do absolutely everything, leaving nothing for the rest of the team.
This is common when it comes to group
work: the leaders of groups do all the
work, because the leaders can’t make
their groupmates work with them. Lead-
ers should, after all, inspire the people
around them.
This problem must be changed. Effective leadership in a democracy starts
with the leaders first, then the voters.
Class officers should start programs
to better the classroom: holding meetings, keeping the class clean, purchasing
materials for the class, financial planning during events and celebrations, as
well as social balance.
Each person has a role to fulfill: the
president and vice president should organize meetings and initiate actions;
secretaries should record and should
ensure that people keep their words;
treasurers and auditors should make
financial planning open and efficient;
while PROs and sergeants-at-arms
should ensure that no one has any bitterness with one another through promoting communication.
The same goes for clubs and the
student government – if everyone does
their respective roles and plays their
part, then the overall burden of work
will be less.
The responsibility doesn’t end with
the leaders. It also goes to the voters.
It is up to them to elect people whom
they believe have the resources to initiate change; to treat elections not as popularity contests but as serious forums
for determining the future of the school.
After all, true leadership is servant-leadership. Leaders should not
avoid responsibility or boss people
around, but instead inspire the people
around them. Being a leader is not only
what someone is, but what someone
does. Filling the void of servant-leadership requires the cooperation of the
leaders and the voters – and if this void
is filled, a better future will come.
to come. This is not a newspaper which
will come and go.
We have also teamed up with Ang Iskolar to form the ValMaScian Gazette – a
coalition of the newspapers of ValMaSci,
to help bring the news closer to you. The
ValMaScian Gazette has a Facebook page
and Twitter account at fb.com/VCSMS
Gazette and @vcsmsgazette where we
post announcements as well as cover
the events that happen in the school.
Your voice is important
But in all of this, it is important that
the readers do not lose their voice. You
are important in this newspaper. Your
contributions to this newspaper are
invaluable, and indeed, what would a
newspaper be without its readers? You
are the people who make this newspaper important.
The future we create
Welcome to the new Equilibrium. We
decided to change everything about the
previous designs, and create a new, better look. Pretty much everything is different about the new look, and we hope
that you’ll enjoy the new Equilibrium
better than the old one.
The first thing you might notice is the
new masthead. The blue double chevrons, the Equilibrium’s new symbol,
was chosen to represent our values as a
newspaper. The chevrons symbolize a
forward motion, progress and change,
values that we hope to promote in being
a steadfast provider of the news.
Next, we changed the fonts. The old
design used Georgia for the body text,
while in this design we chose Coranto
instead. We feel that Coranto has a
sharp, mature and precise feel that
makes it perfectly suited for the Equilibrium’s values.
The Equilibrium’s pages now have
a focus more on typography. Pages are
now more organized, with emphasis
placed on more important stories. The
font size is also smaller, a decision made
after researching reader preferences.
The smaller point size will also allow
more text to fit in the page, making the
newspaper more economical.
The Equilibrium’s new design breaks
traditions that other school papers
have established. And we will do so.
We are paving our own path, creating
a new, revolutionary design. It might
be against the designs of other school
papers, which may sometimes be too
colorful, messy or difficult to read – our
objective is to create a clean, fresh design that the readers will actually enjoy reading.
Internal changes
And the changes are far more than
the design – the Equilibrium itself is
changing and evolving. We have grown
from our humble and small ten person
taskforce to a thirty member team, recognizing the importance of an individual, rather than producing several articles, write fewer, better quality ones. We
have also actively asked for community
involvement in this issue, placing readers as contributors to the newspaper.
The Equilibrium has also changed internally: our new team is now focused
on growth and on leaving a legacy. Senior writers help train and build up junior writers, so when the time comes
that they have to leave, the juniors become seniors and can help train new,
future writers. We’ve done this to ensure that the journalism we provide lasts
not only for a year, but to start a legacy
which will continue through the years
Editorial policies
The Equilibrium now has a mission,
a vision, and core values. We have an editorial policy now, the values of truth,
integrity and boldness, values that we
fully intend to reveal in our newspaper.
Truth, integrity and boldness – values that appear in our writing, our lives
and our actions.
Our newspaper, after all, is a local
newspaper, providing coverage of the
events of ValMaSci, something that no
other newspaper can do. Which is why
you will see fewer articles that have no
relevance with VCSMS, especially in the
science and sports sections.
We decided that a local voice is important for ValMaSci, and the thing that
we can do best is talk about events that
happened here. Events that are immediately relevant to you, the readers.
Nothing is permanent.
Change is in the lifebloood
of the press, change is in
the ink of the paper.
Nothing is permanent. Change is the
lifeblood of the press, change is the ink
of the paper. The newspaper that you
are reading right now is evolving, and
will continue to evolve. And it is important that this evolution includes you, the
reader. Your input and feedback is important for us to know your opinion
about these changes, and what we can
do to make it improve even further. We
create the future of the news together.
Thank you, readers, for your loyalty and
for your input. We hope you will enjoy
the new Equilibrium.
Opinion » 5
Conveyor belt education
REAL TALK
Carl Joshua Quines
K to 12 does not make students ready for
life. Far from it – K to 12 is a conveyor belt
education, intended to produce workers
ready for export and use.
DepEd treats children as products, as
numbers, as statistics. Jobs, grades, materials, scores in exams, enrollment, all
of them are the numbers that build up
DepEd’s model of a child. And K to 12 is
perfectly engineered to make this ‘child’
as mathematically ‘ready’ as possible.
The conveyor belt starts in preschool.
Universal compulsory preschool sounds
like a good idea, until one realizes that
this means that a child’s first experience
of school will be as burden, as work, and
not as play, as a preschool ought to be.
With DepEd providing stricter regulations regarding preschool, the possibility that teachers degrade to wardens and students degrade to inmates
is likely, as if the situation wasn’t as bad
as it already was.
Then the student reaches first grade,
where they see the reality of the lack
of classrooms and chairs in the Philippines. The thing which will likely to
happen is that they study in a makeshift classroom with about fifty-five
students, without all the materials that
DepEd expects them to have. Mother
tongue-based multilingual education
also makes them unexposed to English
and Filipino, forcing teachers to use
their mother tongue, which may not always be the best medium of discussion
for some subjects like math or science.
But not in first grade – first grade students don’t have science, but rather have
science ‘integrated’ into other subjects,
as if the grade one student is too young
to understand scientific concepts, and
not as if the first grade student is young
and inquisitve, making them the perfect
student for science. No, DepEd ignores
this entirely and instead ‘integrates’ science to other subjects.
The student then takes the NAT,
and then the NETRC reports the scores.
DepEd and the media treat these scores
as absolute measures, as if the entirety
of three or six years of education can be
trivialized with a single score. No test
score can reveal that students’ lack of
materials, or the fact that the students’
Returning to reading
through poetry
teachers are underpaid, or that students
may not have answered the exam fairly.
Yet these scores are treated as absolutes.
The student finally reaches junior
high school, after going through seven
years of cynicism, when they meet with
poorly written modules that presume
that the student had a perfect elementary education. They meet with the horrors of the zero-based grading system;
often, it is in junior high school when
the student learns the pain of trying to
pass. But what choice do the students
have? Low grades can easily become
high, but high grades do not receive the
same treatment – a system that prioritizes passing and shoddy understanding than excellent work, choosing to reward minimum efforts.
“Most senior high school
tracks don’t aim to make
students ready for life,
but ready for export.”
Then the student reaches the last
stage of their conveyor belt, senior high
school. Most senior high school tracks
don’t aim to make students ready for
life, but ready for export – caretaking,
manicuring, hairdressing – jobs that
are not in demand in the Philippines,
but in other countries. Not to degrade
the value of these jobs, they are as important as scientists and engineers, but
if a person wanted to get these jobs, it
would serve them better to work as an
intern than to spend two years learning
things they will not use.
It is in senior high school that students will also feel the pain of vouchers.
With the lack of classrooms and teachers, DepEd turns to the colleges to cater to senior high school, opting to pay
them instead, rather than spending that
money for building classrooms and raising teacher ‘s salaries. The application
for senior high school vouchers will be
an esoteric process, guaranteeing that
no student will go through it, resulting
again in a massive waste of money.
And finally, the student graduates after twelve painful years of conveyor belting. The student will now be
‘world ready’ and ‘globally-competitive’-- ready for export. Graduating at
the age of eighteen means easily getting a job afterwards, only showing K to
12’s true colors – job finding. K to 12 is
similar to a last ditch effort to decrease
unemployment by making graduates
job-aged and by making senior high
school job-oriented, not as matching
the Philippines’ standards to the standards of other countries.
Weeds and grass: Juan’s garden of leaders
Nation-minded
Louise Anne Dominique Alarde
The upcoming Philippine presidential
elections is like picking plants for Juan’s
garden of leaders, and it takes discernment and wisdom to separate the weeds
from the grass.
Since the first day of declaring candidacy, hundreds of aspirants have already shown spirit and compassion
through their words. Their words reveal their nature: some talk about huge
progress and total change, while others
talk about responsibility and running
the country.
The weeds
A nuisance may refer to a person or
a thing that causes trouble, but it can
also refer to the activity of an individual,
namely in candidacy. The Commission
on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson
James Jimenez reiterates the provisions on “nuisance candidates” and also
told the media that the poll body has
the right to turn down the certificates
of candidacy of the aspirants whom
are deemed less sensible for running.
Doubtless, it is distressing that most of
the aspirants don’t believe that the election holds our country’s future.
A candidacy is a nuisance if the aspirant falls under one of the three categories. First, someone who makes mockery
of the election system is definitely not
on the right track. The Omnibus Election Code is made to justify a peaceful
election and what a good leader should
do. An aspirant who intends to break
the law should not be able to run.
Second, the incoherence when the
aspirant aims to confuse voters through
a similarity of names to other aspirants.
Running a country is not a game
and surely, a leader should be mature
enough to think rationally. Candidates,
for example, should not state that their
reason for running is that God had chosen them, or they aim to design the
economy like they design fashion, or
even declare that they are intergalactic
police or the Empire’s Storm Troopers.
They should have a reasonable purpose
and sensible campaigns.
“If a person doesn’t
like what they do,
then certainly that
person can’t make
the best out of it.”
Lastly, an aspirant without a bona
fide desire to run for office is definitely
not competent to run, rule and discipline a country. Simply, if a person
doesn’t like what they do, then certainly
that person can’t make the best out of
it. Commitment and passion within a
work is needed to produce good work.
Being a nuisance is not a definition
of the individual, but rather their basis for declaring certificacy. No one can
question the candidate’s right to run.
But the candidate should be weeded out
if their candidacy flaunts mischief and
disruption in the process of the election.
These kinds of candidates are weeds
among the grass – if not completely removed; then, it will only grow vigorously and choke out the better plants.
We should focus on the efficient candidates because our country’s future
should not be degraded to child’s play.
The grass
If there are nuisance candidates, then
there are also the “potential candidates”
who top the presidential surveys. They
are the grass, the plants that should be
taken care of because they can make
beautiful land.
“Nognog, pandak, laki sa hirap”, who
wouldn’t recognize that line? Jejomar
Binay, the vice president, engaged in
issues such as corruption, and branding the current administration, except
his administration, as “insensitive and
bumbling”. But still, his loyalists trust
him and remain loyal after all this.
The DILG Secretary Mar Roxas got
a handful of netizen bashers because
of his humorous viral photos in the
internet, but his lack of contribution
as the department secretary was criticized even more. He still got the chance
though; there are still who believe and
expect action that will resemble his
grandfather’s deeds.
Miriam Defensor-Santiago announced her claim for presidency, as
she ran in 1992 and lost. Her health issues prevent most people from trusting
her to lead the country properly.
Rodrigo Duterte, the stern and rigorous mayor of Davao City attracts both
interest and intimidation with his brave
attitude. There are some misconceptions about him, but some Filipinos oppose his strict style of leadership.
“Walang iwanan sa bagong umaga”,
but Grace Poe seems to have left her
followers as the COMELEC disqualified her. Currently, the SC cancelled the
disqualification, but the issue about her
citizenship affecting her presidential
bid still lingers.
Rizalito David, Roy Sineres, Boboy Syjuco, Polly Soguilon, and Camilo Sabio
are some of the accepted presidential
candidates with good credentials and
backgrounds. Their target goals are indeed helpful and likeable.
Whoever the next president will be,
as long as they get the tamang daan right
this time, then there will be no regrets
for the Filipino people at all. No more
deep sighs at all. The shades of May hold
our future for the next six years so the
Filipino voters should vote wisely and
carefully.
Truly, the selection of plants in Juan’s
garden will always be one of the most
significant events in the lives of the Filipino people. The crucial part is distinguishing the weeds from the grass. It is
a must to pluck the weeds.
Principled living
Commentary
Chrysanthemum Mier
For fourteen years, I’ve been careless every day in the things I do in my life until time came when a poem I can relate
with taught me to have a better personality and traits as a child of God. Of all
the moral principles I learned, I chose
three that I am so sure will improve myself and others if used as a guide in everyday life.
For this reason, I want to keep this
principle and share it to others as well,
to prevent them from hurting themselves when affected by the inevitable.
First, don’t let social groups lead you
to do “bad” things. I was in elementary
school that time when I realized that
I don’t always need a group of friends.
Based on my experience, I knew that
most of them tend to break rules together. If a person thinks that they have
a companion in doing even the worst of
things or if they are influenced badly by
the groups which they belong to, they
will fail to do the right thing. So, if you
can prevent bad influences from changing you, surely, a better and prosperous
life is waiting for you.
Second, don’t be distracted by failures
and successes. I noticed that some people in my school are the happy-go-lucky
type. They tend to celebrate when they
achieved something, and grieve as if
someone died when they fail.
Moreover, when some people are
downcast by failures, they tend to hurt
themselves a lot, eventhough, they are
unaware of it.
As a teenager, I don’t want to be distracted even if I’m in the highest or
lowest points of my life. God planned
something greater than what we can
ever imagine, so let us keep moving.
Finally, the best principle that I want
to be my (and to be others’) guidepost
is to have patience because I believe that
waiting is a reality of life which is good. We
wait for people, events, plans to come,
to be done, and to happen.
Even when exhaustion gets into your
nerve; and even achieving and pursuing
the dreams tire your system, even when
hope is lost, and even when pain batters,
we should not give up.
We should never fail to let go of people and things which weigh us down.
We should let go of the stubborn
callouses of the past: the bad peers, the
negative emotions, the regrets, the scary
nonesense, and the guilt.
Furthermore, we should let go of the
fears of the future which is miles away
from now. Instead, walk steadily day by
day with courage and faith.
We should learn the difference between giving up and letting go. And the
patience is not a thing to be given up.
The poem referred to is “If ”, written by Rudyard Kipling.
All that glitters
Miguel Relucio
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
— JRR Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
Among all the different types of written works that man has invented, poetry gets the most attention, both from
young and adult readers. No matter the
age, it has been proven that poetry will
never fail to amuse, unlike other forms
of written works.
An example of something that can
fail to amuse someone would be a book.
Reading long passages, novels and long
stories isn’t for everyone. Not everyone
has the patience to read avidly like a
bookworm. Only a few would want to
read as we get closer to the future man
has dreamt of, since most of us today
would rather spend time doing “important” things such as skyping, tweeting,
gaming, and using other forms of social
media. Still, few would rather choose
to lay down or sit in a rocking chair by
open windows and read poetry.
Poetry is more accessible for most
people to read. It is also short compared to other forms of literature. And
lastly, it makes the readers think deeply
and freely about the elements of it, and
all cultures have their own “types” of
poetry, which is why poetry is spread
worldwide.
“The youth of today
should get back to
reading literature.”
Poetry is loved by many, with its
accessibility and universality. Indeed,
the youth of today should get back to
reading literature – and through a vessel called poetry.
IN THE MAILBOX
Should I give up?
Dear Editor,
I’m starting to lose my care for it all.
My friends talk behind my back, and my
family doesn’t notice my sacrifices. Studies suffocate me, and I feel like I don’t
have any purpose in my life. It’s tiring,
and I just want to give up caring. So,
should I give up?
—Sodium
Dear Sodium,
Frustration in everything is the root
of the problem, I believe. You failed and
you were rejected, so it’s alright to feel
disappointed.
To the friends who talk behind your
back: try to talk and be honest with
them. After all, if they are your real
friends, then they will understand.
If you do your responsibilities properly, you may not always be recognized
by the people around you, not even
your family. But always remember that
your family cares about you, even if they
don’t show that they care for you.
It’s important to take a break and focus when studying. It’s normal to feel
tired after studying for long hours, but
the important thing is not to worry
about your grades too much.
Deep down, everyone has a purpose,
even though it may not be immediately
obvious to us. Inside you is a heart and
a soul. So don’t give up. Trust yourself.
Be confident. You can do this.
—The Editor
Feature »
page 6 »
The Equilibrium »
Nihongojin chronicles: taking the JLPT N5
Joshua Luna tells us about his experiences in taking the JLPT N5 – three nerve-wracking
months of difficult preparation for a three-hour exam, as a shot for getting to Japan.
もんだい · Exam. Kenneth Ko’s answer sheet for the N5 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Photograph: Kenneth Ko.
Joshua Luna
Let’s admit it, all of us have dreamt of
going to another country. Even I am not
exempted to dream of setting foot into
a foreign land and experience a whole
lot of new things.
Some dream of indulging themselves
in the elegance of the West, travelling to
the continents of Europe and America.
Others find themselves wanting to go to
the Middle East to travel to the Fertile
Crescent in which not only the sights
are great, but the occupational opportunities are great, too.
For me, there is this one country that
I’m waiting to go to: Japan. Imagine divulging the rich culture and the beautiful sights Japan has to offer! Ever since I
was a child, my mother told me stories
about this country and I only became
more eager to go as I grew older. There,
I became a Japanese culture enthusiast.
“I took the exam … as my
first step to become a
Nihongojin, a person capable
of speaking the Japanese
language and living in Japan.”
become a Nihongojin, a person capable
of speaking the Japanese language and
living Japan. Without a tinge of doubt, I
gathered money for the registration fee
(which costs 900 pesos, which isn’t exactly cheap, but considering the opportunities it will present, it’s worth it!) and
filled out my registration sheet.
I was not alone in my cause to take
the test. With success at the JLPT as
our common cause, I, along with seven
other individuals from the Valenzuela
gathered, and took a step forward to
become a Nihongojin. Me, Marc Añon,
Lance Jasper Quitalig, Reyssel Quijano,
Kenneth King Ko, Grace Uligan, Juan
Miguel Antonio and Sean Panganiban.
With the registration fees and the
registration sheets at hand, we made
our way to the Japan Foundation office
and registered to take the JLPT N5, the
most basic proficiency test. We tiptoed
to the office and there, we saw fellow
Japanese culture enthusiasts, as well as
actual Nihonjin (Japanese people).
As much as we want to engage in an
exchange of words with actual people
from Japan, we had to submit our registration forms to the main desk. After
what seemed to be half an hour of filling out a couple of forms, we headed to
the office library.
べんきょうちゅう · Studying. An application showing several of the hundred kanji characters that need to be memorized for the JLPT N5. Photograph: Kenneth Ko.
JLPT: road to Japan
And that eagerness is the reason
why I took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I heard of the JLPT from a
classmate. It’s a test which measures an
individual’s ability to use the Japanese
language. It is divided into five levels
referred to as N1–N5 with N1 being the
most difficult and N5 being the easiest.
Personally, I took this exam as proof
that I am capable of speaking the Japanese language and as my first step to
There we saw numerous samples of
Japanese publications ranging from
mangas, novels, magazines and most
importantly, previous JLPT questionnaires. The JLPT N5 requires the most
basic knowledge about Japanese grammar, vocabulary and knowing over a
hundred kanji characters.
After much discussion and planning,
we made our way home. The JLPT was
scheduled on December 6, so we had
three whole months to prepare.
ともだち · Friends. A photograph of the seven hopeful test-takers (Reyssell is not in the
picture), taken on the day of the exam. Photograph: Kenneth Ko.
Judgment day
For three whole months we struggled
with schoolwork, projects and the periodical tests alongside reviewing for the
JLPT. (or was it me only me who struggled?) Come December 6, we stood
there, eight students ready to take the
exam truly fit to be called a boss battle.
The location of the exam served to magnify how significant the exam we are going to take is: De La Salle University.
“I managed to memorize
half of the hundred
kanji characters in a
single night (and forget
them the day after).”
At 9 a.m. we journeyed to the said
location. We walked happily, different
from what you’d expect to be the behavior of students going to take on a major exam. I remember having a cheerful
chat with my fellow test-takers about
how they reviewed the exam, about how
Reyssel skipped three levels of the exam
because she thought they were easy (she
was taking the N2), about how I managed to memorize half of the hundred
kanji characters in a single night (and
forget them the day after).
We arrived at the De La Salle University at about 11 AM, an hour earlier of the
exam. (Which was our own way of being
punctual, a culture seen in Japan and
not much seen here in the Philippines,
as evident in “Filipino time” mentality.)
We were surprised by the scene that
we saw. The university was not open yet
but there was already a line, about 50
feet in length, which stretched from the
entrance of the university to the sidewalk. What shocked us further is the
fact that it seemed that we were the
only high school students to take the
exam. Most of the other people taking
the exam were college students or people planning to work in Japan. We were
one of the youngest examinees.
We followed the line and waited for
our turn to enter. While we were waiting, we saw some Nihonjin making their
way to the university. It seems that Japanese people assigned by the Japan Foundation will handle the N1 exams while
the other levels will be handled by Filipinos. After a few minutes, the exam-takers were finally allowed to proceed. The
queue moved rather quickly and we entered the university.
The university was riddled with bulletin boards, written with our room assignments. Apparently, all of us were
assigned to the same room since we all
registered for the exam at about the
same time.
At about 12 noon, the exam started.
Armed with pencils, erasers, we answered the exam.
The exam was divided into three
parts consisting of reading, grammar
and listening with breaks in between.
To be honest, I was caught off guard by
the JLPT. There were some parts that got
me running around in circles. And the
worst part of the exam? I fell asleep on
the listening part. (Lesson learned: do
not cram or go binge review in a single
night, students!)
Aftermath
After answering the exam for three
and half hours, we egressed the campus
and walked with much dignity as if we
were seasoned soldiers that survived a
war. Before we set for home, we ate at a
restaurant that served Japanese cuisine.
(I did mentioned that we were Japanese
culture enthusiasts, right?)
Much of our dinnertime was spent
talking about the exam, which parts we
found difficult, what parts we couldn’t
understand, how we managed to answer those said parts and the infamous
“laglag pantasa” incident in which some
of the test-takers dropped their sharpeners creating much noise. The said incident caught the attention of the test
supervisors which picked up and confiscated the sharpeners. I would like
to thank them for diffusing the atmosphere of the exam.
After our hearty meal, we made our
way home and the energy and bravado
we had earlier was no longer evident.
The day proved to be quite the rollercoaster ride and it finally took a toll
on us. Silently, we separated ways and
went back home. The day ended with
our farewell.
“Taking the JLPT N5
proved to be a challenge
and we managed
to overcome it.”
Taking the JLPT N5 proved to be a
challenge and we managed to overcome
it. We finally took the first step in becoming a Nihongojin and we are ready
to take another step. Next time, we will
take the JLPT N4, and hopefully, like the
N5, we will succeed in taking it.
The road to becoming a Nihongojin
is steep. We are still miles away before
we can take the N1. We will do what it
takes to pass with flying colors. That’s
why Japan, wait for us; we are coming.
たべましょう · Let’s eat. The test-takers socialize over some Japanese food after the
stressful examination. Photograph: Juan Miguel Antonio.
FEATURE » 7
Social incursion »
Vanessa De Leon Romana talks about the
growing effects of social media in our lives.
*toot* “Your mom messaged you: Go
downstairs, let’s eat. :)” That everyday
scenario at your home when the internet connection conquers your whole
house. No more of mom shouting your
name from downstairs to call you to the
table because it’s dinner time. Before
eating, even when you’re starving, you’ll
take a shot of your meal first and update
your status with a post. “Eating this atm
#dinner.” When going out with your
family, you’ll take a mirror shot of yourself wearing your new shoes
or shirt and post “Thanks
mom for the new shoes and
shirt #ootd.” When you’re
on your trip to somewhere,
you’ll surely do this: update
your status with “otw to somewhere” or
“off to somewhere” and tag your family or friends who’s together with you.
You know exactly what I am talking
about. Yes, it is Facebook. Like Twitter,
it’s where news spreads fast. You can
also read the recent announcements
from the local government. Your city’s
improvements, your leader’s new projects and recent events. As a student, we
can also make connections and com-
municate with our friends in the list.
We can make group discussion over the
distance through messaging.
Facebook
can be helpful,
indeed but in
the scenes of
our everyday
living, where is the soul of
family? When was the last
time your mom shouted
your name to eat? Miss
that? Facebook
can connect the
world, but physical connection
is different. You
should log out
from your Facebook account
and enjoy your road trip with
friends and family and just
share it with your FB friends
later. Enjoy your meal with
conservation, not by taking
pictures of every meal. Enjoy real life and get out of
the virtual, online life that
Facebook surrounds you in.
“Tweet, tweet, tweet”. It’s not what you
thought. It’s not the chirping birds on
that tall tree you can see outside your
window. It’s from your mobile phone,
isn’t it? Your tweet was sent to your celebrity idol and he noticed it. He hits
the heart
showing that he likes
it. That ’s
how Twitter works.
A blue
bird that can
fly around
the entire World
Wide Web.
Bringing
you the latest
updates, list of
worldwide topic
trends and lets
you follow your
favorite celebrity
and view his or her profile and b e
updated
on your favorite boy band’s next concert and shows.
Twitter has its own significance in
each of us. For us, students, helps us be
updated on the recent class suspensions
and special non-working holidays. For
netizens, this brings us the latest news
updates around the world. We can react
on the topics and trends using hashtags
and mentioning your friends’ account.
Perhaps Twitter has it all. From mess a g i n g , to communication through
direct messages, to
updates
from your
favorite artist,
new products
from your favorite shop, or
some new quotes
that you might
choose to retweet.
And from time-totime, obviously, you
share and post your
feelings, thoughts and actions through tweeting.
This might be really helpful
but somewhat, you need to put down
your phone and enjoy the real life. But
don’t let this social network be the apple of your eye and make you miss the
outside world. You don’t need to know
everything that’s happening every second. Go outside and enjoy the outdoors.
*click* *snap* *snap* You took a picture
of yourself, the place you were at, the
food you’re about to eat or the photogenic sky we have for today. Even the green
grass at the park. The colorful flower at
your neighbor’s garden. After the shot,
of course you’ll add filter on your great
shot. Upload it using hashtags like
“#foodporn” “#ootd” “#atm”
also add comments about it and mention some of your followed friends.
Life really goes digital. Even photos
captured don’t have hard copies anymore. It’s all uploaded on your Instagram account. But where is the essence
of the traditional photo albums which
you can show to your children
and your grandchildren?
with any caption that
is connected to your shot.
Here goes your
online photo
album, Instagram!
Here is where
you can upload all
of the natural
great angles around
you. The photogenic nature. The
astonishing blue sky or even
the great
playing of your plating.
This
Help us express our feelings through captured photos.
Look at those photographs and feel the
soul of the images. Instagram gets you
updated about your celebrity’s latest
selfie, meal and place where she or he is
earlier. Then you, as a supporter follow
him and hit the heart shape below the
photo which means you like it. You can
T h e
internet doesn’t last
forever. One
day, Instagram may
be gone forever, and you may
not have your
photos backed up.
Better pick
up your phone and
take a squad
or family picture
and have it
printed so you have
something to look on when
you
have to reminisce the
memories. Maybe sharing
is fun. Probably, taking pictures
is the fun way of sharing your experiences and letting others know where
you are, what you’re eating or how your
pet is doing, but there are some things
that need to be remembered instead
of pictured. Uploaded photos are temporary, but memories will never fade.
“Relatable posts”. The dramas you have
in life. The late night dramas, the midnight thoughts or even the suicidal
thoughts you have are updated on your
dashboard. The message you want to
say to your loved one but you cannot
say personally because it’s so neither
cheesy nor dramatic is also on the
dashboard. The photos with the
most valuable memories can
also be posted in your blog.
Tumblr lets you release all the burdens inside you. The tiredness
at school, the secret love message for someone, the reactions
about government issues and all
the problems you have. Personal
or not. The suicidal thoughts at 3
AM in the morning or the creepy
experiences you have at midnight. Not for dramas but also
the happiness of life. The solved
problems or anything you want to
share. You can say what you want to say.
Sharing is fun. This is really true.
Tumblr is your way to express your feelings, and it can be said that it’s more
private than Facebook and Twitter, be-
cause very few people use Tumblr. Venting all your agression and your problems and having an outlet to express it
in can help, a lot.
Tumblr is a blog: a virtual, online diary. Tumblr can be a wonderful outlet
for all the emotions that you keep up
inside, and you don’t need to worry
about people judging you or calling
you names, or being bullied and rejected – Tumblr is safe, private, and
free for artistic expression. As
writers say, “Write when you’re
angry. Write when you’re sad.
Write when you’re happy.” Writing is a
good expression of your emotions and
feelings, and it can be therapeutic.
However, Tumblr is no substitute
for getting help. Posting on Tumblr
is so different from actually talking
to someone you can trust,
soemone you can feel comfortable with sharing your
problems and stresses. If you
really have depression or feel suicidal,
or have thoughts of self-harm, talk to
the guidance counselor or to a professional. Either way, it will always help if
you talk it through than vent silently.
As time passes by
Going mobile. As time passes by, mobile phones become a waste of our time. Photograph: Dem Catapat.
Joshua Luna
Nowadays, our pastimes revolve around
what could be considered as one of the
greatest innovations the human race
have ever created: the internet.
With the internet, mails which
mostly takes days to arrive can now
reach your recipient within seconds.
The tedious task of visiting libraries and
searching for books can now be done
just by visiting Wikipedia (a database
dedicated to sharing information).
Did you miss the latest episode of Al-
Dub? Don’t worry, you can always watch
it at YouTube once it’s uploaded. With
the utility and usage it offers, the internet proved to be an efficient tool in both
positive and negative ways.
The internet is now the medium from
which we do our pastimes. Due to the Internet being the efficient tool that it is,
accessing our pastimes also became easier. In recent studies it has been shown
that activities that are considered as
“pastimes” are now being accessed at
times we are supposed to be productive.
Activities that are supposed to be “pas-
times” are now becoming “addictions”.
To understand more of this topic, let’s
give examples of pastimes that are becoming addictions.
First, online gaming. This is perhaps
not the first time you’ve read about online gaming addiction. At the advent of
multiplayer online games, players became hooked with the idea of playing
with other players, friends and classmates. While you are reading this article, there are currently hundreds of
thousands of players playing games
of different genres, themes, and types,
and that number is from the Philippines
alone. What more worldwide?
Second, mobile apps and games. Mobile apps and games are different with
online games in such a way that you
can access them anytime, anywhere at
your phone. Most online games need
computers and hardware of high quality for them to work properly. Mobile
apps however, simply needs to be downloaded for a short while, and voila, you
can now use it whenever you want. Angry Birds, Flappy Bird, Temple Run and
Clash of Clans are just a few apps that
have become popular.
Lastly, social media. With communication becoming as easy as ever, socializing online is a trend that will always
stay relevant. Connecting with people
and sharing your view and perspective
is just a couple of clicks away. Of course,
freedom of expression works both ways;
you will find people who either agree or
disagree with you and sometimes, your
interactions with these people does not
always end well. The ability to exercise
freedom of expression is so enticing that
some people squander a lot of their time
in cyberspace rather than being productive real-time.
So how can we avoid wasting too
much of our time on these so called
pastimes? The answer is very simple:
self-control. Always keep in mind how
much time you should or shouldn’t
spend on these things. As a rule of
thumb, always remember that too much
of something is always bad.
Passing and learning
Vanessa Romana
“Grades are just numbers.” Somehow,
this is every student’s motto. A simple
hardworking student spends almost
eight hours each day being inside their
four-cornered classroom, spending a
third of the day with their classmates,
and their ‘lovable teachers’, as they say.
Tired of sleepless nights? Tired of
tons of homework? Overloaded with
projects to do? Too many requirements
to pass? Too many notes and subjects to
review? Too many quizzes and exams to
take? Tiring indeed – but you have goals.
You aim that one day, you can give back
a little in exchange of your parents’ sacrifices. You have dreams to pursue while
you’re a student.
“Being a student
is easy, they say.
But really, it isn’t.”
Being a student is easy, they say. But
really, it isn’t. It isn’t just about reading,
writing, solving math problems, spelling and pronouncing words correctly,
identifying the planets, playing outdoor games in PE class, singing songs
in music class, making art, eating during
break time and then going home.
Being a student is stressful. Some students even undergo depression because
of the grading system.
“We are students
who are really
willing to learn
and go to school.”
We are students who are really willing to learn and go to school before the
bell rings, and are willing to seat in our
respective seats preparing for the first
period. We want to learn. And to learn
in a fun way, and to enjoy class discussions – but sadly, pressure is there, so
effort needs to be exerted.
But most students take that reality
wrong. They study harder, exert more effort, spend more sleepless nights studying, not for the purpose of learning but
to pass. They pressure themselves to get
high grades not to learn, but because
passing is too important. Maybe you’re
one of them, too. Dying and drowning
in a river of books only because of the
high grades you aim.
“Your grades don’t define
you – your knowledge
does. Which is why
you shouldn’t focus on
getting good grades.”
Your grades don’t define you – your
knowledge does. Which is why you
shouldn’t focus much on getting good
grades. Although there’s no harm in it,
instead, you should strive to learn the
material. Don’t worry about passing, but
try to learn.
Don’t stress yourself out. Don’t focus
on the pressure it brings you. Instead
take it the other way: the mountain of
homework? A pathway to a better future. Quizzes and exams? A test of
knowledge. Lots of requirements? Practice for your future job. Be enthusiastic,
hardworking and industrious in school
and in studying not for the high grades,
but for the lessons you will learn.
Grades are just numbers that you will
see in your report card. You may be the
one in control of your grades, but low
grades don’t mean you’re weak. Maybe
your grades may not be high enough –
but as long as you’re studying hard and
learning and you keep going on in class
instead of quitting school, you’re making good progress. Grades will be forgotten after a few years. But the knowledge you have and the knowledge that
you can share with others is what matters, in the long run.
Learning is still better than passing.
Don’t stress yourself out – instead, enjoy
school and do the best you can.
8 » Feature
One year older »
Carl Joshua Quines
It’s been one year since ValMaSci opened
its gates to the public. So much has
changed since then. We’ve said hello to
a new beginning, hello to change, hello
to a new building, and hello to the new
challenges waiting for us. But we’ve said
our goodbyes as well – goodbye to ValSci,
goodbye to the teachers and people who
had to leave us, goodbye to Mang Gaspar
and goodbye to the memories of the old.
It is inevitable, of course, it is a fact of life:
hellos come with goodbyes, beginnings
come with ends. And the change from
ValSci to ValMaSci was embraced by all.
January 27, 2014. The groundbreaking ceremonies of VCSMS
commence, attended by Bro. Armin Luistro and Rex Gatchalian, as
well as several councillors. Photograph: Pauline Bartolo.
June–December 2015
Editor-in-chief Carl Joshua Quines reviews the events of the last year, from
ValMaSci’s groundbreaking to ValMaSci’s first anniversary, and beyond.
January 27, 2014 marked a beginning. That was the day of the groundbreaking of ValMaSci. That was the day
when the promise made to the batches
before us, the people who were in ValSci
four years before we have even stepped
in its grounds were told, that one day,
ValSci would become a state-of-the-art
September 5, 2014. The last day of classes
at ValSci. Photograph: ValSci’s Finest.
building. They may not be there when
the promise was fulfilled – but what matters was that the promise was fulfilled.
January 27 was a day when the promise
made by Win was fulfilled by Rex. January 27 was the beginning of ValMaSci, the
beginning of a new chapter in the history
of the VCSHS.
September 8, 2014. The national anthem is sung on the first day
of classes at ValMaSci. Photograph: Valenzuela PIO.
After nine months of construction,
ValMaSci was born. Out of what once was
a blank lot, a four-storey building rose
from the rubble, born after nine months
of anxious waiting.
But this meant saying goodbye.
Goodbye to ValSci, goodbye to the gazebo, goodbye to the fish pond which
November 9, 2014. Wes Gatchalian delivers
guration of the activity center. Photograph: P
2014
September 9, 2014. Mayor Rex dines with
Dr. Tan and the SSG in the school canteen.
Photograph: Valenzuela PIO.
March 20, 2014. ValMaSci’s construction
continues. Photograph: Valenzuela PIO.
October 10, 2014. Darwin dances to their winning s
gle during the first science month. Photograph: Teresa
September 1, 2014. Bro. Armin Luistro unveils the VCSMS marker on the day
of ValMaSci’s ribbon-cutting and inauguration. Photograph: Pauline Bartolo.
A day in Nihongo class: how language unites cultures
Basic words and phrases
With a few basic phrases, you can take your
first steps in becoming a Nihongo speaker
as well. Here are a few to start out with:
うれしい · Happy. Ai-sensei happily poses for a picture with her students, wearing yukatas, traditional Japanese attire. Photograph: Edna De Jesus.
はし · Chopsticks. Nihongo class students use the chopsticks to transfer the nuts from
one bowl to another. Photograph: Edna De Jesus.
Vanessa De Leon Romana
byes, talking about family, colors and
telling the time.
Once, Ai-sensei taught the class a song
to help them remember the Japanese alphabet, to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle
Little Star”. The first line went “a, i, u, e,
ohayou, ka, ki, ku, ke, konnichiwa.” One
class project was to take a short story,
whether English or Filipino, and transliterate it in the Japanese alphabet using katakana. The students handwritten
their transliterated short stories accompanied with pictures.
When Ai-sensei entered the room, the
class monitor said “kiritsu” and everyone
stood up. With “rei”, the students bowed
and greeted her: “sensei, konnichiwa!”
Nihongo class what about to start – a
sixty-minute class held twice a week. In
these two hours of class every week are
some of the most exciting moments of
a ValMaScian’s grade 9 or 10 week. The
class was supervised by a Japanese guest
instructor from the Japan Foundation,
the beautiful Ai Tanaka. Ai-sensei entered the class with the resident Nihongo
teacher Mrs. Edna De Jesus.
Ai-sensei bought a bag and placed it
on the table, then wrote on the board the
word はし. “Hashi,” she explained, “chopsticks. Sometimes you hear it as ohashi.”
With the help of Mrs. De Jesus, she
handed out chopsticks to everyone in
the class.
“You hold it like you hold a pencil,”
she said, demonstrating how to hold
chopsticks properly to the class.
After demonstrating how to use
chopsticks, Ai-sensei took out a bag of
marshmallows and handed one to every student. Then chips, and then chocolate biscuits, which Ai-sensei turned
into a game by dividing the class into
two groups. Each person from the two
groups were to grab one chocolate biscuit and eat it, and then go back to their
seats – the group that finished first got
the rest of the chocolate biscuits.
And then another game – Ai-sensei
bought out some nuts, and the group
which could transfer the nuts from one
bowl to another the fastest would win.
Everyone was smiling and talking, and
the occasional Nihongo expression could
be heard – “oiishi”, which means delicious, or “ureshii”, meaning happy.
As the hour drew to a close, the class
monitor once again said “kiritsu”. And
with “rei”, everyone stood up once again
and bid the teachers farewell – “sensei,
sayounara!”
On other days, Ai-sensei would talk
about katakana or hiragana, Japanese
writing systems. She would also talk
about numbers, saying hellos and good-
“Ai-sensei talks about
Japanese culture, values,
traditions and manners.”
But Nihongo class isn’t just about language, writing and speaking. Ai-sensei
also talks about Japanese culture, values, traditions and manners. Before the
class ate the marshmallows with chopsticks, Ai-sensei instructed the class to
say “itadakimasu”, which she explained
is like praying before you eat – it roughly
means “thanks for the food.”
Ai-sensei also bought traditional
Japanese dresses to the class, which
some of the students wore before they
smiled, laughed and posed for the camera. Ai-sensei would teach students about
origami, teaching the students to make
frogs and stars. Ai-sensei once taught the
class about a traditional Japanese festival, the Tanabata festival. Students, following Japanese tradition, wrote their
wishes on slips of paper and hanged
them on bamboo.
Some students are anime lovers or
otakus, and they say that the class helps
them understand and appreciate more
of what they already loved. From songs
from their favorite anime, Nihongo class
helps them understand more of what is
being sung. Anyone who would attended
the class would recognize the words being spoken without reading the subtitles. Manga reading was now richer and
more fun to read since the students already know about katakana, making
them appreciate Japanese culture more.
nihongo · Japanese language
nihonjin · Japanese people
ohayou gozaimasu. Good morning
konnichiwa. Good afternoon
konbanwa. Good evening
sayounara. Good-bye
oyasuminasai. Good night
arigatou gozaimasu. Thank you.
sumimasen. Excuse me; I’m sorry.
hajimemashite. How do you do?
douzo yoroshiku. Nice to meet you.
kawaii · cute
sensei · teacher
hashi · chopsticks
oiishi · delicious
tomodachi · friend
ureshii · happy
tabemono · food
tanoshimi · excited
But even those who aren’t anime enthusiasts or manga readers appreciate
the class. Ask any student – they would
say Nihongo class is always “utsukushi”.
And if you ask them what “utsukushi”
means, they would tell you that it means
“wonderful”.
And the students’ experience with Nihongo doesn’t end in those two hours every week, with “sensei, sayounara” – they
take Nihongo outside the classroom,
appreciating Japanese culture and recognizing its connections to Philippine
culture.
Even Ai-sensei learns in Nihongo
class, learning Filipino phrases like “ako
si Ai Tanaka”. She always ends the class
with a smile on her face, and she always
posts pictures of her students happily
participating in the classroom activities.
Truly, language is the soul of any culture – and when two cultures can speak
a common language, connecting to each
other isn’t difficult in the slightest sense.
Nihongo class is another step towards
global understanding and global communication.
Feature » 9
5 » The Equilibrium »
didn’t even have fish, goodbye to Mang
Gaspar and goodbye to having only one
faculty room in ValSci. It was not a difficult goodbye. A majority of the ValScian population was too young, at that
time, to have memories of ValSci – twothirds were grade 7 and grade 8. But for
the older years, leaving ValSci was difficult. It meant leaving the comfort zone,
leaving memories behind, and embracing the unknown.
Time passed. September 1, 2014 was
the day ValMaSci was inaugurated. It was
also my fourteenth birthday, which only
made the day more memorable.
s a speech at the inauPauline Bartolo.
If January 27, 2014 was the day the
promise made to the batches before us
was fulfilled, then September 1, 2014 was
the day the promise made to us was fulfilled. I can remember the excitement
all of us felt on that day, for the parents
and students to be in the school for the
first time.
And yes, the school was as expected.
The school was the promise fufilled – the
labs were state-of-the-art, the classrooms
were spacious, the facilities were wonderful. And after a few weeks, ValSci quickly
faded away.
That was one year ago.
November 27, 2014. Sir Nathan’s last day at
ValMaSci. Photograph: Maria Cecilia Atok.
“I still can’t accept the fact
that we’ve only been in
ValMaSci for one year. So
many things have happened
since we have moved, that
time goes by so slowly.”
December 18, 2014. ValMaSci’s first intramurals. Photograph: Dem Catapat.
I still can’t accept the fact that we’ve
only been in ValMaSci for one year. So
many things have happened since we
have moved, that time goes by so slowly.
First it was science month, then the activity center was inaugurated, the earthquake drills, the tablet launching, and
then ValMaSci’s first graduation. The entire time, Valenzuela looked to ValMaSci.
The PIO took coverage of all of our major moments.
The last year was filled with plenty of
memorable and interesting moments.
And here they are below – everything
placed together.
March 14, 2015. The cosplay portion of the
Nihongo Matsuri. Photograph: Saira Sitjar.
So that we might remember, that we
might never forget the humble beginnings, that even though we are people
with great minds, we have hearts that will
never forget the generosity and teamwork that ValMaSci has produced.
So that the future might know, that
they may see our beginnings, and that
they may know that everything great began small, that they might continue what
we have started and make it better.
September 1, 2015. One year older.
One year of great things. One year that
will be remembered by the years to come.
May the years to come be better.
June 18, 2015. A picture of the new computer lab built in the fourth
floor. Photograph: Dem Catapat.
2015
science jina Atanacio.
January 21, 2015. As part of Mayor Rex’s birthday celebration, he
launches the tablets for use at VCSMS. Photograph: Maricon Sosa.
November 13, 2014. The Valenzuela Rescue Team practices during
ValMaSci’s first earthquake drill. Photograph: Valenzuela PIO.
March 27, 2015. Bret De Leon, the valedictorian of Eximius, gives his speech
at VCSMS’s first graduation ceremonies. Photograph: Valenzuela PIO.
the p olymat h
t h e c uber
the SPORTSMAN
the Board topper
the stage artist
Bret De Leon
Mharr Justine Ampong
Tyrone Pamiloza
Ivy Elaine Cadalzo
Kristofer Kliatchko
Batch: Eximius (2015)
Batch: Zion (2014)
Batch: Enigma (2008)
ValMaScian legends »
Batch: Spectrum (2009)
Batch: Optimus (2007)
Of the hundreds of successful ValMaScian alumni,
Equilibrium staffers picked five to chronicle the successes of.
Apelle Encomienda
Carl Joshua Quines
Jason Renz Barrios
Arising from the sea of the hundreds of
individuals of batch Eximius comes the
valedictorian Bret De Leon. Bret, currently studying environmental science as
a DOST scholar at Ateneo De Manila University, considers his win at the Hyundai
New Thinkers Circuit (the HNTC) as one
of his greatest successes.
“Being a part of HNTC has been one
factor on why I had been known better.
Also, it was the first nation-wide contest
that I had won. Not only it has been the
greatest, but it was also the most memorable.” Said Bret, “since then, I started
competing in different contests”.
Another achievement that Bret
achieved was he being the batch valedictorian. All of his efforts and sleepless
nights in studying paid off.
Some words of wisdom? “Just trust
yourself na makakaya niyo yan. Wag makinig sa sinasabi ng iba. Wag ka papaapekto
sa mga masasamang words at pagbabatikos sa iyo. Instead, gawin mo itong inspirasyon para ma-achieve mo ’yung goals mo.
“Isa pa, kung hindi mo man magawa
ngayon, tandaan mong marami pang opportunities o time para makuha mo ang
gusto mo. Just strive lang and put your
best efforts. Kasi everything naman will
pay off at the end.”
Mharr Justine Ampong is known for his
unbelievably fast cube-handling records
in solving the Rubik’s cube. He gained
the nickname ‘Mamaw’ because he could
solve the cube quickly.
Back in 2013 when Ampong was in
fourth year, he obtained new records in
the national, continental and world levels. He ranked eighth nationwide in 3×3
Rubik’s cube, ranked sixth nationwide
in Pyraminx category and seventh nationwide in 2×2 category. Throughout
2013, Ampong conquered numerous contests, including the Philippine Open 2013
where he was ranked third in 2×2 and
second in one-hand 3×3.
His speedcubing started when he
joined a math competition in solving the
cube. That time, his fastest record was
only 40 seconds. He got inspired with his
new discovered talent so he strived hard
and practiced with the goal of solving
faster in his mind. His biggest achievement was when he ranked third place
in the Skewb with an average of 6.28 seconds on Febuary 8, 2014.
Ampong shared his little secret to aspiring ValMaSci cubers, “Learn new techniques, practice, share knowledge with
other cubers, and have fun. Discover your
talents and master them.”
Tyrone Pamiloza is a practicing clinician,
who specializes in orthopaedics and occupational health. He is a licensed physical therapist both in the Philippines and
in the United States. He graduated from
Valenzuela City Science High School in
2008, the same year he became a sports
awardee. This has given him the passion
to become a physical therapist.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy at Our Lady of
Fatima University in 2014. Back then, he
was an active student leader, sportsman,
and achiever. He ranked seventh out of
874 examinees across the country. This
paved way for various opportunities for
him to become a part of the academe.
He moved to the United States in 2015
and passed the licensure examination.
Currently, he runs a clinic at Layton, Utah
and treats patients with musculoskeletal
injuries and helps them to get back to
their optimum functional capabilities.
He is currently working on his clinical
doctorate degree and manual therapy
certification.
His dream is to become a physical
therapist for professional tennis players.
He sees himself in the persona of characters like Holden Caulfield. He believes
that people should “strive to be happy.”
Ivy Elaine Cadalzo topped the geodetic
engineering board exams last year. She
graduated cum laude from UP Diliman,
and is currently working as a research assistant at Phil-LiDAR2 Aquatic Resources
Extraction. She is a person who always
valued her family, and that her biggest
achievement was making them proud,
as well as inspiring other people in her
own little ways. I talk to her to ask her a
few questions about her life.
In the colorful industry of theater and
arts a ValScian alumnus is slowly taking
on the limelight in the name of Mr. Kristofer Kliatchko. Kristofer graduated as
part of batch Optimus, the pioneer batch
of students that graduated in ValMaSci
(formerly ValSci).
In an interview, he said that he “graduated college from University of the Philippines Los Banos under the BS Human
Ecology program of the College of Human Ecology. I took Human and Family
Development as my major.”
He is currently a member of Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident drama
company of the Cultural Center of the
Philippines established in 1987. It aims
to elevate Philippine theatre that contemplates social realities through artistic expression. He was casted in the renowned stage plays in the country like
Ibalong in 2013 and Sandosenang Sapatos
last August 2014.
He show that science high school
students don’t just dominate the fields
of science, technology and mathematics but can also excel in the music and
performing arts scene in our country. He
is a true inspiration for ValMaScian students who dream to become stage artists one day.
What is your motto in life?
Always believe in yourself and in everything that you can do.
How exactly did believing in yourself help
you in your student life?
I think it helped a lot especially during
the hard times. I became my own number
one supporter of myself. In every hardship, in every deadline, every exam, I
would always say to myself that I can do
it and it somehow became my driving
force to finish everything.
What advice could you give to the students
of ValMaSci who are currently struggling
with their problems?
Yes you can. Don’t give up, all is well. You
will get through it. Nothing is impossible.
Science »
page 10 »
The Equilibrium »
SIPs: the key to discoveries
Progress and innovation. SIPs hold the key to discovery, progress and innovation. They are simple tools to comprehend the complicated universe in which we live in. Illustration: Carl Joshua Quines.
September 24, 2015 – the annual Division Science Quest was held at the
and Science, with the theme “A Science
Nation Innovating for Global Competitiveness”.
The gold medals from the four categories of science investigatory projects
or SIPs, which ranged from Life Science
(team and individual) to Applied Science (team and individual categories
as well) were all successfully swept by
ValMaScians in the said event.
SIPs could range from simple queries
such as how do day and night exist or
to how solar panels can save our world
from excessive releases of carbon in the
atmosphere. Almost all science experiments performed by elementary to high
school students to professional scientists, are investigatory projects.
The parts of SIP vary depending on
its origin or the nature of its topic, however, all these originated from a simple
framework of the scientific process. The
scientific process also varies, but the gist
of the process remains the same.
Scientific investigations begin with
a simple query or purpose. Researchers ask themselves on what phenomena
are they curious about and why do they
want to study it. What may be the possible result of such phenomena? It may
be the cure for cancer or the innovation
the world was waiting for.
Afterwards, the investigation continues by searching for similar phenomena
or observations by other researchers. It
is often placed in the chapter two of research paper with the heading “Review
of Related Literature and Studies”. With
technologies such as the internet and
email, data gathering from around the
world regarding queries is now easy.
From the gathered information, the
researcher becomes fully equipped with
the knowledge needed in formulating
hypotheses. Hypotheses are scientific
guesses regarding the query. There are
various types of hypotheses, they may
be identified according to its function
or its structure. Making hypotheses is a
crucial part because it relies on the experimentation and data analysis.
The experimentation refers to the
testing of hypotheses. From this, the re-
Angiogenesis: the new
face of phytomedicine
Railways, highways, roads, cars and traffic. These are just some of the common
things that we encounter regarding
transportation. Think about these in a
smaller scale. Think about these things
happening inside your body. What
could these connections be?
The circulatory system is the body’s
organ system responsible for that transportation. The cars are the blood, carrying nutrients such as water and oxygen,
and their destination is the heart, which
pumps blood throughout the body. The
highways themselves are the blood vessels, the passage of the blood.
In real time situation, however, you
can notice that there are constant, repairs, being made to our highways.
The same happens in your body. There
is a constant growth of blood vessels in
you. The growth of blood vessels is now
called angiogenesis.
In early 1960s, Judah Folkman was
thinking of new ways to fight cancer.
“What if we cut out the supply of nutrients in the growing tumors?” Judah
Folkman asked. Since blood vessels are
important factors in growth, refraining
them from reaching a specific body organ will cause that organ to fail. The
same goes with tumors. Tumors would
shrink and die without blood vessels.
The scattering of cancer cells throughout the body can be avoided as well. Ju-
dah Folkman used this concept to create
a new phase in the study of medicine,
which is now called anti-angiogenesis.
Further improvements and studies
in the field of angiogenesis are promising. Nowadays, there are anti-angiogenic therapies conducted on cancer
patients to avoid the further growth of
cancer.
However, not only anti-angiogenic
studies displayed beneficial effects.
Pro-angiogenesis, the promotion of the
growth of blood vessels, also showed
significant roles in healing diseases
such as atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, stroke, and even miscarriage.
To test the pro and anti-angiogenic
effect of some substances, a common
way of doing so is through conducting a
chick chorioallantoic membrane assay.
In this assay, a substance is introduced
to a chick embryo, and after growth, the
number of blood vessels is counted.
“Maybe, all we need is a
little change to discover
something big.”
Sometimes, trying a new approach
to something could be worth trying. It
is all in the mattter of perspective, just
like how Judah Folkman discovered angiogenesis. Maybe, all we need is a little
change to discover something big.
searcher sets the variables, or the parts
of the phenomena which need to be manipulated in order to arrive at a consistent outcome. In research papers, theses,
or even dissertations, this part can usually be found in chapter three with the
heading “Methodology”. The steps or
processes done during the experimentation will be recorded in this chapter.
Subsequently, data gathering and
data analysis will be done. The data
which will be gathered are usually tangible by the researcher’s five senses, but
with the advancement of technology,
tons of data is gathered from phenomena which are usually invisible to our
naked senses. One example is the molecular or microscopic parts of tangible
materials around us.
Finally, the data will be used in order
to formulate a conclusion. The conclusion reveals if the hypothesis tested was
correct or not. The conclusion must be
based on the experimentation done. If
not, bias may occur. Bias refers to prejudice made by the researcher regarding
the phenomena being studied.
Conducting SIPs for professionals or
students has always been intensive. “It is
very difficult. Even so, you’ll be amazed
by the discoveries. Just like how simple
things around us could possibly be a
cure for an epidemic. Yes, it is very difficult because it requires patience and
most of the data will be based upon your
observation”, said Keart Juanillas, the division SSG president.
“If you’re doing
the reseach for the
welfare of others and
for the community, it
becomes easier.”
Likewise, Francis Marcos, a scholar
from the University of the Philippines
also stated that, “It’s very difficult to
think of a concept, however, if you’re doing the research for the welfare of others
and for the community, it becomes easier. It is quite challenging due to some
factors, fundings, and such.”
SIPs provides training for novice
researchers or solutions for scientists.
Some projects created by students are
engineering systems that improve air
quality on airplanes, or anti-bacterial
doorknobs that use UV Technology,
were winners at the recent Intel ISEF
2015. Many medical practitioners had
been using intensive mathematics and
its application to physics in order to create efficient medical apparati in order to
help people infected with diseases. The
product of this labor is the birth of new
medical machines or treatments such as
MRI scanners or chemotherapy.
In the recently concluded Division
Science Quest, research such as “Bone
Char as an Additive to Hollow Blocks”,
“Bactericidal Effect of Various Medicinal
plants to E. coli”, and “Evaluation of Tap
Water samples from various schools in
Valenzuela” have been awarded.
Indeed, SIPs are simple tools allowing people to study the universe they
live in. As Stephen Hawking said, regarding the universe, “Is it difficult to
comprehend? Perhaps. But I believe it is
still worth trying.” With the continuous
search of humanity for answers regarding existence and the nature we are living in, SIPs present a promising future
to those who are ready to take up the
challenge to discover the world.
The cradle of Coronavirus
Tracy Marie Moreno
While the cradle of civilization begun
in the western regions of Asia (specifically the ancient civilization of Sumeria), the cradle of the latest and quickest
infecting strain from the large families
of novel Coronaviruses was documented
somewhere in the Middle East. The camels have roamed the beautiful deserts of
Saudi Arabia until they became threats
-- threats that have seemed harmless until it took too many lives.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. MERS-CoV
is a viral respiratory disease caused by
a novel coronavirus. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO),
Coronaviruses are large families of viruses that can cause diseases ranging
from the common cold to Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Although majority of the cases are attributed by human-to-human infection,
camels are the primary hosts of the virus
but the exact roles and routes of transmission are still unknown. Strains of the
virus identical to human strains have
been isolated from camels in several
countries, including Egypt, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Approximately 36
percent of the reported patients have already died and is still inflating because
the disease is asymptomatic meaning
that it does not show any symptom
while it is still mild.
Until more is understood about
MERS-CoV, people with diabetes, renal
failure, chronic lung disease, and im-
The virus. An artist’s perception of the Coronavirus. Photograph: Getty Images.
mune-compromised persons are considered to be at high risk of severe disease from MERS-CoV infection. These
people should avoid contact with camels, drinking raw camel milk or camel
urine, or eating meat that has not been
properly cooked.
WHO continues their search for the
probable cure of the disease and responds to the outbreaks and healthcare facilities accordingly. WHO is coordinating the global health response
to MERS, including the provision of updated information on the situation; and
conducting risk assessments.
While the camels that have roamed
the beautiful deserts of Saudi Arabia
seemingly got ill and spread the virus
among humans, the threat that it has
imposed did not put the people in trembling fear.
Instead, the people are developing
strategies to combat the disease and
eventually find the reservoir of the virus. Although the cradle of ancient civilization became the cradle of the now
famous Coronavirus, the birth of more
unknown viruses are yet to come. The
only way to put a stop to this is to find
out how and where it happens.
Science » 11
Bone char (Carbo animalis) as an additive
to hollow blocks. Photograph: K Acierto.
Rivera’s group used bone char as an additive to hollow blocks to increase their
durability. Their results show that the
hollow blocks they made with bone
char were more durable than commercial blocks. Their research won first
place in the Division Science Quest in
the team category for physical science.
Their proponents are Veronica Therese
Rivera, James Jastine Solivio, Dianne Enriquez, Jake Dagoy and Krystelle Acierto.
Hydroino 2.0: Arduino bluetooth shielded
irrigation system. Photograph: Y Taguinod.
Rodriguez’s group continued the research his sister started by upgrading
it to the Hydroino 2.0, a system that
automatically irrigates plants and controls the temperature of the plants. The
system can also be contolled through
bluetooth. Their research was one of ValMaSci’s official entries to the Regional
Inventions Contests and Exhibits. Their
proponents are Juan Roy Taguinod, Rio
Gabriel Rodriguez, Divine-Kai Tan.
Prototype pedestrian crosswalk barrier:
a novel design to reduce pedestrian accidents. Photograph: Carl Joshua Quines.
“I am very grateful
to be a part of
a school that
made me explore
the different
possibilities of
creating new
materials out
of pollution.”
veronica therese rivera
Evaluation of genotoxicity in tap water
samples from public elementary schools
in Valenzuela City Using Allium cepa chromosomal aberration assay. Photograph:
Lhiana Reign Bañares.
Lhiana Reign Bañares used an Allium
cepa chromosmal aberration assay to
evaluate the genotixicity of tap water
in public elementary schools.
She was concerned about the quality
of tap water in schools, and she wanted
to make sure that they were clean for
children to use and to handle.
Bañares’ research involved using Allium cepa, red onion, to test whether the
tap water was clean. The advantage in
using Allium cepa is that it can be done
in any laboratory, without requiring a
lot of expensive materials or equipment,
making it suited for experimentation.
Her results showed that most schools
had a genotoxicity rate higher than 50%,
while one school even had a genotoxocity rate of 100%.
Her research won first place in the
Division Science Quest in the individual category for life science.
This year in research
Science editor Tracy Marie Moreno talks to VCSMS’s researchers
to compile the most interesting and most thought-provoking
research projects that ValMaSci has produced this 2015.
Quines’ group found out that road injury is the ninth leading cause of death
in the world. They noticed that Philippine elementary students often walk
home after school, which is dangerous.
They made a barrier that goes down
to block crossing when the pedestrian
light is red, and goes up to allow crossing when the pedestrian light is green,
to make crossing the street safer. Their
team also included a speaker with the
barrier to act as a guide for those who
have poor eyesight.
Their research was one of the three
official entries of ValMaSci in the Regional Inventions Contests and Exhibits, a contest sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology.
Their proponents are Carl Joshua
Quines, Sophia Dominique Dizon, Marc
Errol Añon and Vincent Cabalar.
“I am very happy to
be part of a school
that is very active and
productive in the field
of research. I hope that
our school continues to
make contributions to
the scientific field.”
carl joshua quines
Multi-faceted window design: Arduino
controlled emergency escape window
design using MQ-2 smoke sensor circuit.
Photograph: Alec Denji Santos.
Potential of Tubang bakod seeds, Makabuhay vines, Kakawate leaves and Ylangylang flower extracts for treating different
variety of woods for furniture. Photograph:
Ranzmae German.
German’s team combined several plant
extracts to treat wood furniture, making them more durable. Their research
won first place in the Division Science
Quest in the team category for physical
science. Their proponents are Ranzmae
German, Vingalliah Palao, Jhade Diaz,
Grace Garganera and Grace Uligan.
Bactericidal effect of combined extract of
Santol (Sandoricum koetjape) pulp, Avocado (Persea americana) seeds, and Pineapple (Ananas comosus) core against Escherichia coli. Photograph: Kelly Guardiano.
Guardiano’s group combined extracts
of common Philippine plants as a bactericidal against E. Coli. Their research
won first in the Division Science Quest in
the team category for life science. Their
proponents are Kelly Marie Guardiano,
Kate Bautista, Glyza Arañez, Matthew
Davis Materum and Junielle Cagadas.
Santos’ group was inspired by the Kentex factory fire that happened on May
13, 2015. They thought of a way that
could potentially have saved the 70 civilians who died that day because they
couldn’t find a way to escape the burning building.
They designed a window that will
open in case of an emergency, primarily when it detects smoke from a fire, to
act as an emergency exit. The window
is powered by an Arduino and hydraulics were used to open it automatically.
Their research was named the third
runner-up in the Regional Inventions
Contests and Exhibits, and the invention was featured in 24 Oras.
Their proponents are Alec Denji Santos, Kaila Nicole Jaucian, Simon Clark
Carillo, Daryl Talabo and Ma. Theresa
Angela Gaviola.
A chance of existence: water on Mars
Tracy Marie Moreno
“How can we be so arrogant? The planet is,
was, and always will be stronger than us.
We can’t destroy it; if we overstep the mark,
the planet will simply erase us from its surface and carry on existing. Why don’t they
start talking about not letting the planet
destroy us?”
—Paulo Coelho, The Winner Stands Alone
The genesis of life on Earth was and will
always be a miraculous phenomenon
but the discovery of other worlds and a
mound of possibility of life in it – even
more.
One of mankind’s greatest triumphs
is the discovery of planet Mars. Over the
years, scientists, researchers and astronomers wandered through the wilderness of the ‘red planet’ with limited information. Speculations, rumors and
hypothesis were built regarding the
planet’s extensive features that could
eventually support life.
Thanks to NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, definite surface water on
Mars was confirmed by the scientists of
NASA last September 29, 2015. The orbiter has a HiRise camera mounted on
it named as the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars
(CRISM). The birth of this new technology paved way for clearer evidences on
the surface of the red planet.
Apparently, ‘dark streaks’ were observed from the surface of Mars posed
Streaks of hope. Dark, chemical streaks on Mars’ surface may indicate water on the red planet. Photograph: NASA.
as hints of water five years ago. Unfortunately, these weren’t supported by
some scientists due to insufficient data
from the chemical composition of ‘dark
streaks’. As the number of curious scientists over this matter grew, expensive
efforts were extended on creating high
uality instruments to prove the many
hypotheses.
Furthermore, the ‘dark streaks’ are
actually “Recurrent Slope Lineae” (RSL)
which are possible flow paths of water
on Mars. The appearance of RSL only
happens annually in certain patterns
of the Martian years. The orbiter could
decide if it will observe from a closer
distance.
“If we can go within 20 meters, we
can zap it with a laser,” Dr. Green said,
referring to an instrument that identifies material inside a rock by the colors of light it emits as it is vaporized.
“Then we can learn much more about
the details what’s in those RSLs. If we
can get closer and actually scoop it up,
that would be even better.”
The features of flowing water were
actually hydrated salts (which contain
water in its structure) are evidences that
an underground reservoir of evaporated
brine actually exists on Mars.
“The source of water remains unclear”, said Michael Meyer, lead scientist
for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.
Moreover, history provides a clearer
possibility on this discovery. Marte
Vallis, a large water channel system on
Mars, is somewhat similar to the Mississippi River. Mud and clays existed
in Marte Vallis, which may support the
evidence that a larger body may have
once flown through it. Scientists proposed that the evolution of the planet
may have caused the bodies of water to
seep underground the surface of Mars.
The discovery of the existence of
water had also led to deeper scientific
speculations such as the existence of microbes on the planet.
“The existence of liquid water, even
if it is super salty briny water, gives the
possibility that if there’s life on Mars,
that we have a way to describe how it
might survive,” said John Grunsfeld,
associate administrator for the Science
Mission Directorate at NASA.
Although the existence of living organisms on this planet is vague, it is still
considered not to be refuted.
Out of this speculation, Mars Curiosity Rover (MCR) has detected methane
on the surface of Mars, suggesting possibility of past and present lives, such as
Methanogens of Archaebacteria.
From the millions of queries that baffled the minds of the geniuses and the
ordinary, a single point of data could answer a probability. The mysteries of the
universe hold more unsolved puzzles
yet to be discovered. While the water on
the surface of Mars tickled the curiosity
of mankind, is the possibility of life on
Mars ever possible?
12 » SCIENCE » News
Sipnayaw struts in Juicy
Cologne Dance Competition
Style. Sipnayaw struts their style in the competition. Photograph: Faiza Asilum.
Sci enti f ic V ie w p o ints
How ASEAN integration is
important for innovation
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which focused on the
economic aspects of each participating
country, is now on the verge of achieving the goal of regional economic integration by the end of this year. In order
to prepare the youth for such integration, the ASEAN Community has been
hosting youth camps since the previous years.
This year, the ASEAN Community
hosted a three-day seminar entitled
the ASEAN Youth Forum (AYF) with the
theme of “Moving towards High Quality Education ASEAN Beyond 2015”. In
this year’s ASEAN Youth Forum, two
students, Axirazel Lorenzo and Lhiana
Reign Bañares, from ValMaSci have been
chosen to be part of the Philippine delegation team to Bangkok, Thailand from
September 7 up to 11, 2015.
“The ASEAN
integration could
be a substantial
tool for achieving a
sustainable future..”
The ASEAN integration could be a
substantial tool for achieving a sustainable future, which requires a high quality of education in each country. In such
aspect, the ASEAN integration may also
be the key in order to achieve a great
leap in the field of Science and Technology in Southeast Asia.
The ASEAN Youth Forum
In the recently concluded ASEAN
Youth Forum, student from different
countries (Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam,
Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines) were gathered in Bangkok, Thailand to participate in a three-day seminar hosted by student leaders from
ASEAN Youth Junior.
The first day was composed of the
opening ceremony and the ASEAN Curriculum Sourcebook (ACS) hunt which
focused on inculcating the five themes
of ACS to the delegates. The second day
was comprised of the School Visit and
Cultural Performance Exchange. In the
School Visit, the student leaders were
sent to five different schools in Thailand in order to share the details and
virtues regarding the ASEAN integration and ACS’s themes to Thai students.
In the evening, the students showcased
each of their country’s pride during the
Cultural Performance Exchange. The final day marked the setting of the new
ASEAN identities made by the student
leaders who participated in the forum.
Also, the students created a mini-museum composed of artworks and presentations from the five themes of ACS.
The ASEAN Curriculum Sourcebook
From the curriculum survey, five
themes prevailed and these constitute
the five chapters of the ACS: Knowing
ASEAN, Valuing Identity and Diversity,
Connecting Global and Local, Promoting Equity and Justice, and Working Together for a Sustainable Future. These
were agreed upon through consensus
of ASEAN member states and reflect the
goals of the ASEAN Community, support the purpose of the curriculum,
and help teachers keep sight of essential points for learners to know, understand, and be able to act upon.
“Recognizing the pressures brought
about by limited resources and growing
populations, and the implications for
sustainability, while inspiring learners
to work together within their communities and beyond so they might build
a prosperous, peaceful, and sustainable
future for ASEAN” was the description
of the theme “Working Together For a
Sustainable Future” in the ACS.
Since most ASEAN countries are
focused on its agricultural aspect, few
are focused on industrialization in order to gather a greater profit. Being a
tropical region, many Southeast Asian
countries are rich in biodiversity. With
regards to such, many industrial countries are only using raw materials from
agricultural countries. However, many
factors affect agricultural countries for
not being able to steadily be focused on
industrializing.
ASEAN integration
With differences in culture, religion,
and practices, how can the ASEAN cope
up with the challenges of the 21st century? With the nearing ASEAN integration 2015, the ASEAN community embarks on a mission to grow in aspects
not only in economy but also in education. ASEAN scholars and professionals
may well be united, causing progress
in the field of science and technology.
Instead of working in foreign regions,
many soon to be professionals may have
a greater opportunity to work in Southeast Asia.
One good example is the progress
in Singapore. From a third world country during 1965, it has now transformed
into a first world country, with two of its
universities in the top 5 QS University
Ranking Asia 2015. With the open free
trade to different countries, Singapore
has been the hotspot for big companies
to invest in. With proper and strict governance by Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s
first prime minister, the country was
able to transform to become the best
country in Southeast Asia.
“With … the ASEAN
integration, many
advancements could
be made by future
generations.”
With such opportunities awaiting
to happen in the ASEAN integration,
many advancements could be made by
the future generations. Various discoveries may be awakened and innovations
to give birth to are waiting in the future.
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science’s (VCSMS) Sipnayaw
Dance Troupe showed off their talents
as they joined the Juicy Cologne Interschool Dance Competition last August
22, 2015 held in the Trinoma Activity
Center.
The Sipnayaw Dance Troupe, the official dance group of VCSMS, received
the invitation of Juicy Cologne through
a memorandum. Then, they prepared
themselves afterward for the elimination rounds.
Doing their best in the elimination
round held at the Amorado Stadium
in Quezon City, the dance troupe advanced to the finals, taking a spot in
the top seven.
After days of preparation, the Sipnayaw dance troupe was announced
as second place among the seven other
competitors in the grand finals where
the actress and the product endorser of
Juicy Cologne, Kathryn Bernardo, and
the actor and dancer John Prats were
present to endorse the product.
“We don’t dance to impress, but we
dance to express”, said Loella Mae Robles, president of the Sipnayaw dance
troupe. “In every dance we do, we do for
a reason, and the greatest reason is we
dance is for God”, she added.
The Sipnayaw dance troupe consisted of eleven members, was led by
Loella Mae Robles, and were trained by
Mrs. Cynthia Soledad Aspe, the MAPEH
coordinator of VCSMS.
VCSMS rules reading proficiency tilt
Joshua Luna
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science dominated the Division Level Reading Proficiency Contest,
held at the Valenzuela National High
School last November 26, 2015.
Out of the 21 schools that participated in the competition, both grade 7
student Maria Gwen Muska Cuisa Caparas, under the supervision of Ms. Helen
Pamatian, and grade 9 student Adrian
Matthew Poblete, under the supervision
of Mrs. Ma. Teresita Mercado, won first
place in the tilt.
Both grade 8 student Rushaid Ezekiel Elizano, under the supervision of
Mrs. Josephine Francisco, and grade 10
student Leal Christian Juat, under the
supervision of Mrs. Allen Ann Delica,
won second place.
The contestants were overjoyed with
their victory. Grade 9 student trainer
Mrs. Mercado remarked, “We performed
very well this year. The students’ efforts
paid off very well. Although it’s quite
lamentable that Leal was close to winning by just one point.”
Contestants Maria Gwen Caparas and
Adrian Matthew Poblete, who topped
the division for grades 7 and 9, will compete in the regional reading proficiency
tilt which will be held in January of the
next year.
The said contestants were selected
through a classroom-based screening
and underwent series of trainings which
focused on reading comprehension as
preparation for the contest.
VCSMS conducts first Buwan ng Wika
Nagliliyab. Section Maxwell partakes in the Sabayang Pag-awit competition. Photograph: Jason Barrios.
Carl Joshua Quines
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science celebrated the first
Buwan ng Wika from August 2 to September 2, 2015.
The Filipino club, the Kapisanan ng
Literatura at Wika, led the celebrations
for the month.
Section Maxwell won the S abayang
Pag-awit, wherein several students
from each section sung different Filipino songs. Curie won second place and
Morgan won third place in the said competition.
Researchers…
Continued from page 1
discussed different ideation tools and
techniques, and the IP or Intellectual
Property Rights and Patent System.
“Di namin inexpect na makukuha kami
sa RICE para irepresent yung school at mananalo”, said Gaviola, who was ecstatic
about winning. “Nakakatuwa at ang
sarap sa pakiramdam na na-appreciate
ng iba yung project.”
Santos’s group built and designed
a window that will open in case of an
emergency, primarily when it detects
smoke from a fire, to act as an emergency exit. The window is powered by
an Arduino and hydraulics were used to
Other activities which were held
during the month were the Filpop singing competition, Pagbigkas at Paggawa
ng Tula, Pagguhit ng Komiks, Pagsulat ng
Sanaysay and Larong Kalye.
Each section also produced and created a short film for the ValMaSCINE,
the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science film festival. The entries
ranged from horror films to comedies,
dramas and romances.
The winning short film was Mrs.
Ayala, which was produced by 10-Maxwell, winning Best Picture, Best Editing,
and Best Actress, Iris Sofia Selma.
Other notable films were GAME!,
produced by Schrödinger, Semikolon,
prodcued by Meyer, Cinderella at ang
Pitong Binabae by Leeuwenhoek, Patay
na Pangarap by Riemann, If It Last by
Rutherford, Anak Patawad by Pythagoras, Playground by Watson, Laro ng Tadhana by Archimedes, Satsujin by Faraday,
Huling Patak ng Luha by Curie, Klasmeyt
by Mendel and Malas by Morgan.
The event could not be possible without the cooperation and effort of the
officers of the Filipino Club, with their
adviser Ms. Irish Ivan Eiichi, as well as
the Filipino Department.
open it automatically; the other materials used were an MQ2 smoke sensor and
scrap materials were recycled to build
the window.
Santos’ group was inspired by the
Kentex factory fire which happened
on May 13, 2015. Their group believed
that the window could have potentially
saved the 70 civilians whom died that
day, the cause of death being the inability to find a way to escape the burning
building.
Quines’ group built a prototype barrier that blocks crosswalks when the pedestrian light is red, and opens when the
pedestrian light is green. The barrier is
powered by Gizduino, similar to the Arduino, and motors were used to open
the barriers; the other materials used
to build the prototype were recycled.
“When we found out that road injury is the ninth leading cause of death
in the world, we decided to make something to prevent it”, said Quines. “We
also observed that so many elementary
students walk home from school alone,
and we wanted to build something to
give them peace of mind when crossing the street.”
Taguinod’s group built a prototype
of a system that automatically irrigates
plants and controls the temperature of
the plants, which can also be controlled
using the Bluetooth technology.
The students’ successes could not be
possible without the assistance of Mrs.
Juliana Alvarez, research adviser of Santos’ and Quines’ groups, as well as Mrs.
Nerissa Raymundo, research adviser of
Taguinod’s group.
news » 13
AXIS competes in 14th PRO
Vincent Cabalar
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science (ValMaSci) showcased againtheir skills in robotics, being named as a finalist in the recently
held 14th Philippine Robotics Olympiad
with the theme “Robot Explorers” last
September 10 and 11, 2015 at the fourth
floor of the SM City North Edsa Annex.
Thirty students from grade 7 to grade
10, forming team AXIS, worked together
to build a collaborative team project required for the PRO’s Open Category for
the high school level. The project consisted of three prototype robots and a
booth aligned to the event’s theme. The
prototypes were named PH-SAT, PH-99
and SOAR, prototypes aimed to aid exploration of outer space.
The three robots worked with each
other to survey the planet that is intended to be explored. PH-99 is a robotic
arm that scientists can use to control
the rovers that are currently exploring
a certain planet. SOAR is the rover itself, which can take rock samples and
pictures of the surroundings and send
the data to PH-99 and PH-SAT. PH-SAT
is the satellite which collects the data
gathered by SOAR, relaying it to PH-99
and the station at Earth.
Team AXIS setup its booths on the
morning of September 10, and presented their work in the afternoon.
Three members from the team presented their work: Mikaella Bautista,
Aldrich Gerald Gatbunton and Juan
Miguel Rivera.
For the Regular High School category, AXIS sent two teams to participate. The theme was “Treasure Hunt”,
and the objective was to build and program a robot, on the spot, which would
pick up blocks of different colors, and
avoid blocks of other colors.
The members of team A were Juan
Roy Taguinod, Arzel Herrera and Jan
ValMaSci tops
2015 NAT
Christian Torres. The members of team
B were Divine Kai-Tan, Rain Alexsandria
Bauza and Omar Dela Cruz. However,
none of the teams won.
As Juan Miguel Rivera, president of
the Robotics Guild, said, “Sobrang masaya pa rin kami kahit hindi namin nasungkit ang kampeonato dahil naipresenta
namin ang aming school [ValMaSci] sa
ganitong kompetisyon.”
The success of the team’s projects,
in both Open and Regular categories,
would not be possible without the guidance of the Robotics Guild adviser, Mr.
Albert Tolentino, as well as with the cooperation of the members of AXIS.
YES-O, scouts join International Coastal Clean Up
Carl Joshua Quines
The Youth for Environment in Schools
Organization (YES-O), Faculty Club
members, the Senior Scouts of the
and Science (ValMaSci) joined the 2015
International Coastal Clean Up which
was held last September 20.
The 2015 International Coastal Clean
Up was organized by the Ocean Conservancy Philippines. Organizations such
as the Red Cross, the Philippine Navy
and the Senior Scouts, private organizations, and even faculty clubs also joined
the said activity.
The event was a milestone in the history of the YES-O for it became true to
its goal in showing love for the environment. The club introduced the value of
helping through the said clean-up drive.
Dozens of participants from ValMaSci shared their time and effort in
picking up litter, cleaning, and sweeping the bay.
They were joined by Ms. Maria Teresa
Atanacio, the prolific adviser of ValMaSci’s YES-O club.
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science reigned once again
in the National Achievement Test, as the
fourth year ValMaScian students took
their exam last March 5, 2015.
The batch 2015 of VCSMS, also
known as batch Eximius, gained an
overall mean percentile score (MPS)
of 78.07, followed by Canumay West
National High School which gained an
overall MPS of 53.52.
Out of the 19 public high schools
in Valenzuela City, VCSMS placed first
in the ranking for the school with the
highest MPS; of the 14 science high
schools in NCR, VCSMS ranked second, Parañaque Science High School,
first with an MPS of 83.17, and the third
was Pasay City Science High School with
an MPS of 76.52.
Eximius garnered an MPS of 77.38 for
Filipino, 70.89 for Social Studies, 92.81
for Mathematics, 41.33 for Science, 68.91
for English and 76.14 for Critical Thinking, all of which are higher compared to
the other schools in Valenzuela.
After months of preparing for the
NAT, students took their day-long examinations in their respective schools.
This success would not be possible
without the aid and guidance of everyone whom helped Eximius prepare and
review for the NAT.
ESP club bags
second in ESP float
making contest
Andrew Demition
Cleaning up. ValMaScians smile for the camera while cleaning up at the bay. Photograph: ICC Philippines.
ValMaSci conducts annual National Reading Month
Carl Joshua Quines
The English Club and the Reading Society conducted ValMaSci’s Reading
Month 2015 last November 5 to 27,
2015, spearheading the multiple activities which aimed to increase attention
to reading and love for literature.
A book fair was held on November
25, wherein the English Club officers
facilitated a book donation campaign.
The books ranged from novels, paperbacks, comic books to coloring books.
The Book Fair was led by the club adviser, Mrs. Angelica Tanio.
Other activites were the Declamation
Contest, wherein Iris Sofia Selma won
first place, an Oration Contest wherein
Louis Pesquerra won first place, and a
Grammar and Literature Quiz Bee.
In the Spelling Bee, Adrian Matthew
Poblete won first place, followed closely
by Levi Azriel Degaños, and Kenneth Ko
for third.
In the Poetry Writing Tilt, Ervin Beni-
Not yet. Pasteur performs in the speech choir competition. Photograph: Cecilia Atok.
tez won first; Kaiser Tolentino won second, and Mikaella Bautista won third.
In the Booth Making competition,
9-Pasteur won first place, Descartes and
Pythagoras won second and third respectively.
A Speech Choir Competition was also
held. Each class was given a month to
prepare and memorize the piece, “‘Like
the Molave’’ by Rafael Zulueta de Costa.
In the overall ranking, Rutherford
was named first, Riemann second and
Arnisto…
Continued from page 1
Ecstatic. Journalists hold their trophies for the camera. Photograph: Veronica Rivera.
and Vincent Cabalar for News Writing. Seventh place were James Jastine
Solivio for Copyreading and Headline
Writing, Ceazar Ian Crucillo for Pagsulat ng Isports, and Anton Van Herrera for
Pagsulat ng Balita.
The VCSMS English Radio Broadcasting team composed of Aldrin Dizor,
Veronica Rivera, Duane Madriñan, Levi
Degaños, Xandra Marie Villareal, Iris Sofia Selma, and Carl Joshua Quines was
declared as the overall champion in the
broadcasting and scriptwriting category. The team grabbed the first place
for the Best Anchor, Best Technical Application, Best Infomercial, Best Script
and second, sixth and seventh prizes for
the Best News Presenter.
Maxwell third, while per year level, Riemann, Pasteur, Rutherford and Maxwell
won for their respective grade level.
The said event was possible through
the efforts of the teachers of the English
Department; and the officers and members of the English Club and the Reading Society.
Meanwhile, as part of the National
Reading Month Celebration, the Filipino Department held its various Division Level Contests at the Valenzuela
City Astrodome last November 28, 2015.
ValMaSci was hailed as the second
place over-all. Jason Renz Barrios and
Jeremy Calzado were named champion for Malikhaing Pagsulat ng Kwentong Pambata. Kathleen Bartolo won Best
Skit for the Cosplay. Mrs. Lorna Hortizuela and Ms. Rowena Francisco also won
second place for the writing of the E-Modyul. The selected students from grades
9 and 10 grabbed the first runner-up in
the Filipino Jingle contest, and third for
the lyrics writing contest.
ValMaSci’s English Collaborative
Publishing team, members Carl Joshua
Quines, Denica Catapat, Lhiana Reign
Bañares, Vincent Cabalar, Joshua Luna
and Faiza Asilum, won second place for
the Best Layout and fifth place overall.
The members of the Filipino Radio
Broadcasting team won third place in
overall production and first place for
Best Infomercial.
The Filipino Collaborative Publishing team won sixth place overall, with
members Ceazar Ian Crucillo, Ayron
Herrera, Kenneth Bello, Kenneth King
Ko, Noreen De Jesus, Cheriline Garcia
and Khrystyn Manuel.
Participating in the DSSPC were Rain
Alexsandria Bauza for Pagkuha ng Larawan and Kayceelyn Britaña for Pagwawasto at Pag-uulo ng Balita.
Training the teams were Mrs. Maria
Cecilia Almariego-Atok for English and
Ms. Irish Ivan Eiichi for Filipino.
ESP club officers and members with the
help of adviser Mrs. Gheraldine Villareal
of the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science bagged second place
in the ESP Float Making Contest, held at
Bignay National High School.
The awarding was held at the
Valenzuela City People’s Park. The float
paraded from the Our Lady of Fatima
University Valenzuela Branch to the 3S
Alert Center located in Malinta.
ValMaSci’s float consisted of 20 live
characters with different themes.
Danielle Aurea Calixto, President of
the ESP club, said that they (officers and
members) designed the float for three
days and two nights.
Scouts gather
in 16th NSJ
About 21 000 scouts from different parts
of the Philippines gathered once again
around the campfire as they took part
in the 16th National Scout Jamboree
with the theme “Peace and Development Through Scouting” held at Tagum
City, Davao del Norte last October 24–
30, 2015.
Twenty eight scouts and scouters
from Valenzuela City also participated
in the 5-day encampment including Sct.
Adrian Matthew Poblete and Sctr. Albert
Tolentino of Valenzuela City School of
Mathematics and Science.
In the grand opening ceremony,
Mayor Allan L. Rellon who serves as the
camp chief of jamboree, together with
the guests including Vice President of
the Philippines and President of the Boy
Scouts of the Philippines Jejomar Binay,
Saranggani Representative Manny Pacquiao, and former Philippine National
Police-Special Action Force chief Gen.
Getolio Napeñas, Jr., greeted the scouts
with a warm welcome by a salute.
Aside from Filipino scouts and scouters, 100 scouts from ten countries also
participated as visiting delegations,
which included Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, and others.
During the camp, series of activities, lectures, and trainings were held
which aided the scouts in developing
their skills.
14 » news
ValMaSci recognizes
new SSG officers
De Vera qualifies for School Head
Sherina Shyra Ramos
After the school-based voting for the
new Supreme Student Government
(SSG) officers, students of Valenzuela
recognized the new set of officers of the
student body.
The two parties running were SEGA
(Students Engaged in Good Alliance)
and DOTA.LE (Disciplined Officers in
Tactics and Alliance with Leadership and
Excellence). DOTA.LE is a long-standing
party continuing running, while SEGA
is a party that was reformed out of the
members of the Ako Mismo party last
year, returning to run after several years.
The LOL (League of Leaders) party did
not return to run for the SSG this year.
Mikaella Bautista of SEGA won over
Genesis Arnisto of DOTA.LE for the position of president. Micaela Eduvala of
DOTA.LE won over Jhon Bensig of SEGA
for the vice president external, while
Franklin Duane Madriñan of SEGA is
the vice president internal.
Miguel Del Carmen of DOTA.LE won
over Grace Juat of SEGA for the position
of secretary, Gifty Ruzette Villamar of
SEGA won as treasurer, while Ian Merrel
Patarata of SEGA won as auditor.
Ceazar Ian Crucillo of DOTA.LE holds
the position of peace officer, beating
Leal Christian Juat of SEGA. Clarice Sumayao of SEGA is the newly elected public information officer.
The representatives for each grade
level are John Rose dela Cruz for grade
7, Hannah Nierva for grade 8, Adrian
Matthew Poblete for grade 9, and Harold Moreno for grade 10, all from the
party of SEGA.
The voting of the SSG officers was
held last March 2015 where all students
voted in the computer laboratory after
the short program and introduction of
candidates. A miting de avance was also
held, where candidates answered questions posed by students.
ValmaSci’s ever indefatigable Head
Teacher of the Science Department, Mr.
Jaime Serrano De Vera, Jr., passed the
National Qualifying Examination for
School Heads (NQESH) which he took
at Ramon Magsaysay High School, Cubao, Quezon City, last October 25, 2015.
The NQESH was taken for four
hours straight by credentialed teachers to prove that they are qualified to
lead a school. The exam inclludes school
leadership, instructional leadership,
student-centered, human resources,
community management, and school
management questions.
The list of qualifiers was posted on
the NQESH website with the qualifiers’
complete names, unranked. Their final
scores will be personally sent to them
through email.
Mr. De Vera is teaching for 12 years
now. He started his career in the pub-
ValMaSci holds
SHS Convergence
Carl Joshua Quines
The first Senior High School Convergence was held last October 14–16, 2015,
at the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science (ValMaSci) in preparation for the senior high school phase
of the K-12 curriculum.
Several students from the different
schools of the divsion of Valenzuela
came to ValMaSci as different schools
within the area that offered senior high
school setup booths. The grade 10 students then went from booth to booth
to decide their choice of senior high
school, as well as their track and specialization for senior high.
About 36 public and private schools,
all within Valenzuela or near Valenzuela, were present in the convergence.
ValMaSci, as well as other schools set
up and introduced its booth at ValMaSci’s activity center to showcase to prospective senior high school students the
various tracks and strands of the K to 12
curriculum.
ValMaSci will be offering the Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand under the academic track, and is expected to accept
120 students for grade 11.
Other notable schools attendees
which graced the Senior High School
Convergence were Valenzuela National
High School, Our Lady of Fatima University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela, Bobby and Kates Academy, among
several others.
An orientation was also given on the
first day of the event before the students
went to the booths. Several speeches regarding career orientation and picking
tracks were made, and the students were
then escorted to the activity center.
Students were also joined by their
respective parents and guardians in the
orientation of senior high school.
This event was a collaboration of
the Department of Education and the
Valenzuela City Government.
Principal-to-be. James De Vera welcomes the guests. Photograph: Tessa Atanacio.
lic sector at Valenzuela National High
School (VNHS) before he moved and
stayed at ValSci. One of his achievements
as a teacher was when he became one
of the advisers of students who competed in the International Exhibition
of Inventors.
As of now, Mr. De Vera doesn’t have
any specific school in mind, but he is
grateful and he will do his best to lead
whatever school he will be a school head
in. “Send me Lord, kahit saan”, he said.
If the time comes that he will be designated to a school, he said that his legacy as a principal will be to give full attention for his students’ welfare.
In addition to his first goal as a principal, he stated that he will modify and
polish the mission and vision of the
school he will be assigned in.
His guiding motto in life comes
from a Bible verse, from Philippians
4:13, “I can do all things with Christ who
strengthens me”.
ValMaSci conducts United Nations Month
Carl Joshua Quines
The Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science has once again celebrated the United Nations Month last
November 4, 2015, with the theme “Baliktanaw sa Kasaysayang Bumalangkas sa
Bansa Tungo sa Aktibong Pakikibahagi sa
Pandaigdigang Samahan”.
The officers and members of the
Araling Panlipunan Club, with its adviser, Mrs. Edna De Jesus, oversaw the
smooth conduct of the event.
Several competitions were held
throughout the month of October to
raise nationalism awareness and the
role of the Philippines in the world
stage, as well as to raise consciousness
of the other nations of the world.
In the Flag Identification Contest,
Bea Ericka Dulay won first place, followed by Jeremy De Ocampo for second and Eunice Ingrid Cleofas for third.
For the Portrait of a Hero Contest,
students drew a portrait of their chosen hero, whether from the Philippines
or from other nations. Angelina Montes won first place in the competition,
followed by Rae Koleen Olaes and Trina
Ordoñez for second and third.
In the Slogan Making Contest, Jason
Renz Barrios won first place, followed by
Jeremy Calzado and Dave Simon Jacinto
for second and third place, respectively.
In the History Quiz Bee, students
Bold. Aldrin Dizor, first placer in the Your Hero Looks Familiar competition, makes a
statement to the audience as Tandang Sora. Photograph: Edna De Jesus.
from various grade levels formed
four-member groups to answer various
history questions about the topics discussed in Araling Panlipunan. The group
of Christopher Mark Bauso, Justine Gil
Acanto, Lee Aeron Santos and Jeremy
Lyka Agmat won first place, followed by
the group of Marc Alric Lim, Jeynor Piolo
Baylon and Miguel Karlos Del Carmen.
Paris Dela Cruz, Jillian Barrio, Van Ramuel Nicolas and Jana Raven Valenzuela
won third place.
For the Collage Making competition, the section of 7-Descartes won first
place, followed by 10-Schrödinger and
10-Thomson for second and third.
In the PictoQuiz, students identified
a given nation from four pictures. The
group of students from 7-Descartes won
first, followed by the groups from 7-Pythagoras and 8-Lamarck.
A spoken word competition was
also held, the ValMaScian Speaks, the
theme was about romaticizing nationalism. The five finalists performed in the
culminating event after an elimination
round. Jhanryme Decilio won first place,
followed by Harold Moreno and Jason
Renz Barrios for second and third.
The main event of the month was the
Your Hero Looks Familiar, where students cosplayed as various heroes from
history. Aldrin Dizor won first, cosplaying as Tandang Sora. John Rey Ibañez
won second as Apolinario Mabini and
Ceazar Ian Crucillo won third as Padre
Burgos’s head, the body being Loella
Mae Robles.
Genesis Arnisto, the president of
the Araling Panlipunan Club, said it was
challenging to lead the event. “Mahirap mamuno sa ganitong event, pero masaya pa rin dahil successful ang naging
kinalabasan ng aming pinaghirapan at
pinaghandaan.”
The event could not be possible without the cooperation of each member of
the Araling Panlipunan Club.
Logronio named one of Most Responsible Public Servants
Carl Joshua Quines
Mr. Augusto Logronio was named as
one of 2015’s Most Responsible Public
Servants last December 19, 2015 at the
Valenzuela City Auditorium, for his
service as a Mathematics teacher in the
and Science.
He was awarded with other teachers
that were given the same honor.
Of the two dozen public high schools
in Valenzuela, and the hundreds of
teachers of Mathematics, Logronio was
the only person cited for Most Responsible High School Mathematics Teacher.
The Supervisors as well as the Schools
Division Superintedent judged the
achievements of each teacher.
According to Logronio, “Ang pagtanggap ng bagong karangalan ay isa
ring bagong responsibilidad para sa akin.”
His excellence in his work can be
clearly reflected in the work of his students, from the NAT mean percentile score of 92.81 in Mathematics, the
highest in Valenzuela, to the students
he trains to come home victors in their
national and international levels.
His attitude when it comes to teaching according to him, could be described as “patient and forgiving, even
though mistakes are highly possible.”.
This achievement brings pride to the
Mathematics Department, which continuously supports the Mathematics
teachers of ValMaSci like Sir Log.
Responsible. Augusto Logronio (third from left) accepts the award of Most Responsible Public Servant at the Valenzuela City Auditorium. Photograph: Irish Ivan Eiichi.
Barrios triumphs in BSP Essay Writing Competition
Carl Joshua Quines
Jason Renz Barrios has once again
bought honor to the Valenzuela City
School of Mathematics and Science, as
he was awarded first place in the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas Essay Writing Competition, for writing a short essay with
the theme “Karunungan sa Pananalapi
para sa Kabataan”. He was also recognized for his essay at the Valenzuela City
Library Hub last July 29, 2015.
Barrios was overjoyed in his win over
the 18 representatives from the other
schools in the division of Valenzuela. He
participated in the regional level of the
competition, representing Valenzuela,
last August 29, 2015.
The theme of the regional level of the
competition was “Matalinong Paggamit
ng Piso para sa Pag-Asenso”. He trained
himself steadfastly for several weeks before the conduct of the regional competition proper.
As Barrios said, “Isa itong espesyal na
pagkakataon para sa akin sapagkat totoo
namang nakaka-inspire ang pagsulat ng
isang sanaysay lalo na kung patungkol sa
ikauunlad ng kapuwa nating Pilipino.”
His essay was about the economic development of the Philippines, as well
as the importance of financial literacy
and how this affects the youth of today.
His essay highlighted the multiple economic problems present in the nation,
and what the youth of today can do to
help solve these problems, through becoming financially aware of these.
Barrios improved his essay over the
days leading to the deadline of the submission with the aid of the teachers of
the Filipino Department.
His success could not be possible
without the aid of the teachers of the
Filipino Department, namely Ms. Rowena Francisco and Mr. Robert Allan
Mercado, Filipino Department Coordinator, for editing Barrios’ essay.
Sports » 15
The path to victory:
“I felt [like I was]
floating on water as I
stepped up the podium
and received my medal.”
how our judokas became part of the Philippine team
Sports editor Denica Catapat talks to ValMaSci’s resident judokas to outline their path to
become a part of the best judo players in the Philippines.
The Judokas of Valenzuela City School
of Mathematics and Science (ValMaSci)
had once again proved to the whole nation that they were entitled to be called
the country’s best judo players when
they defended the championship in
the annual Batang Pinoy 2015 National
Games whichwas held in Malolos, Bulacan.
Sean Levyn Panganiban grabbed
the gold medal in the 50 kg weight division, in the male category, while Faiza
Jennina Asilum won gold in the 52 kg
weight divison, in the female category.
ValMaSci’s judokas trained furiously
hard and have reached their breaking
point in preparation for this tournament in competing against the Philippines’ finest judo players.
“In order to win, we needed to sacrifice and balance judo and our studies”,
said Asilum. It wasn’t easy for the judokas to give everyting they had for the
game. “As an athlete we have to prioritize both things [judo and studies] to
make sure we give equal attention to
them”, Asilum added.
Based on Asilum, her most feared
opponents were the two finest players of UST women’s judo team.
Asilum was the youngest and
the least experienced among
them. Despite all the challenges she faced, Asilum managed to
grab the bronze
medal. “They
left me an injury as a remembrance”,
Asilum said.
“I felt like I was floating on water as I
stepped up the podium and received my
medal”, Panganiban beamed. He said he
was proud of himself and of his teammates as well, their hard work for more
than 10 years paid off.
Panganiban stated that his next
nearest goal is to win in the Asian Level
Competition.
ValMaSci’s judokas have a record of
bringing home gold medals for years
now. Last year, they fought and brought
down their opponents, digging the gold
medal in the national league of the judo
Batang Pinoy 2014 which was held in
Naga, Camarines Sur, from November
11–14, 2014.
The same players, Asilum, an orange belter
at that time, and
Panganiban, a
brown belter,
b o t h r eceived
sean panganiban
“As an athlete,
your greatest
opponent is
yourself.”
gold medals and the honor to be personally congratulated by the Valenzuela
City Mayor, Mayor Rex Gatchalian in a
post-event courtesy call.
They didn’t rest on their laurels, but
they continued training for the International Tournament in Macau. Unfortunately, the said event was held the same
date as the Batang Pinoy 2015.
Asilum explained “We chose the National Batang Pinoy Tournament over
Macau because we had more chances
of going to other places if we won, and
fortunately, we did win.”
Though the trip to Thailand has been
a no-win situation, Panganiban didn’t
mind at all and is still thankful and
proud to represent the country.
Striving to prove that they are the
best, and to courageously represent
this vibrant City of Valenzuela and the
whole country, the judokas never stop
training and never lose their faith
to take their performance to a
whole new level.
mikaella bautista
“Winning is not
about placing
first. It’s about
making friends.”
“Always focus on
every game and
don’t let anything
distract you.”
miguel relucio
angela grande
“Winning the game
was our goal, but being
happy and enjoying it
was the real treasure.”
gifty ruzette villamar
“In order to win, we needed
to sacrifice and balance
judo and our studies.”
“Bilog ang bola.”
marvin sauro
faiza jennina asilum
“Support from
each member of
the team is all
that is needed.”
kyla salva
“It was just a matter of
technique and skills.”
mikaella bautista
“Giving up is
for rookies.”
“Knowing that I am
playing for our school’s
pride inspired me.”
aldrin dizor
leita saccuan
“Pray hard and
work hard.”
jake dagoy
“Sa team, walang
lamangan, wala
dapat sisihan, walang
pasikatan. Team
means family.”
“Laban lang wag aatras.”
micah dampog
“We are happy, but we
just hoped that our efforts
and sacrifices for training
[would have] a good result.”
kyla salva
godfrey montero
“As an athlete we have to
prioritize both [judo and
studies] and make sure we
give equal attention to both.”
faiza jennina asilum
The path to victory. ValMaScian atheletes share their experiences as they journey in their path to victory. Illustration: Carl Joshua Quines.
from the courts
A good game for the crowd
Denica Catapat
The crowd-infested ValMaSci gymnasium roared as Meyer went full throttle in a double over-time depleting Curie in a neck-to-neck elimination game
that turned out to be a PBA-like game
for the VCSMS Intramurals 2015 last Friday, December 11.
Dave Bragado of Meyer, who earned
total of 49 points, opened up the game
with consecutive threes which was
quickly overlayed by Archie Tanio, who
as well, made three points rain.
The first two sets of the game was
tough. Both Meyer and Curie’s defences
were up and rough necked, taking each
other’s bull by the horn.
“Napaka intense ng laban parang
championship” said one of the audience
as she watched with narrow eyes. The
game of defense went on tough up to
the fourth quarter where they are trimming each other’s deficits by ones.
Before the time ended on the fourth
quarter where the score is as close as its
bait, four seconds left on the clock, Carl
Gongon of Curie skated on thin ice as
he shot for two points and fortunately
nailed it before the horns blew.
The whole court was shocked; the
committee was confused of whether the
ball was shot before or after the time
out. The crowd in favor of Curie rejoiced
as they thought the lead was uprooted.
The committee, together with Mr.
Joey Pacia, game administrator, and
the officers and team captains made a
decision to not count Gongon’s supposedly winning shot, and to go overtime.
The whole place was once again
wadded with terror and anxiousness as
the players furiously fight for the ball.
Bragado received couple of injuries as
he stumbles his way to shoot the ball.
On the scoreboard another tie was
lined and only seconds remaining. Tanio
tried to take a lead with his free throws
but unfortunately didn’t make it until
the time finally ended, 64-64.
Another over-time was decided to be
given and the court was turned into a
paradise of three points given by Tanio,
Daniel Espiritu of Curie and Bragado.
At the end of the time out, Meyer
made its way to leap their lead which
the Curie wasn’t able to dominate, 80-71.
Both teams showed extraordinary
skills and performance that gave the
audiences a satisfaction and left them
with a new subject of conversation.
The winning team for this game
will be advancing to compete against
Watson. “Sana magtuloy tuloy hanggang
championship”, said Kyle Cordova of
team Meyer.
”I am so proud of my classmates,
I even lost my voice just to cheer for
them”, said Robyn Untalan, a Meyer fan.
After all, sportsmanship among the
teams prevails and the memory of this
good game will be remembered.
Possession. Team Meyer protects the ball against Curie. Photograph: Dem Catapat.
Sports »
page 16 »
The Equilibrium »
VCSMS Intramurals 2015 commences
Relucio,
Grande bag
second in
chess meet
Juan Miguel Antonio
Fairness. ValMaScian judokas give a demonstration of their skills in the spirit of fairness and sportsmanship. Photograph: Ashley Salazar.
Denica Catapat
Shots were fired as the students of
the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science enthusiastically
cheered as they welcomed the opening
of the VCSMS Intramurals 2015, with
the theme “Breaking Borders, Building
Unity” last December 10 at the VCSMS
grounds.
The program was led by the masters
of ceremonies, Sharmaine Presnilla and
Adrian Matthew Poblete, together with
the intramurals committee that consisted of grade 9 students and MAPEH
department teachers Mrs. Cynthia Aspe,
Mr. Joey Pacia and Ms. Helen Pamatian.
A parade of all the sections presided
by their sporty-looking muses and escorts from the atrium to the school
grounds started the program.
After the national anthem, a doxology, and pledges, the sections then
creatively executed their yells, one-byone. Their yells were judged according
to originality, performance and creativity. The best yell was awarded.
ValMaSci’s Taekwondo Team, members Micah Jill Dampog, Quiana Evia
Abesamis, Ashley Salazar, Patricia Solisa,
Faye Sierra, Kylene Jutie, Frederick Ilan,
Vince Boquiren, Joscel Sagun and Erick
Abendan, were applauded in their demo
during their production number. They
displayed various taekwondo skills and
artistry, breaking plywood boards and
kicking with dignity.
Later on, the muses and escorts vigorously projected their beauty and pageantry skills. They were dressed in sports
wear and embellished with sports-related accessories.
“Yung excitement na gusto naming
makita sa klase, nakikita namin ‘yun sa
inyo ngayon.” said Ms. Marilyn Soriano,
Mathematics Department Head, during
her opening remarks. As Ms. Soriano
said, in comparison of the student’s
excitement in class, it is far different to
their excitement in the intramurals. The
awarding of winners was conducted on
Taekwondo club: building a legacy
Denica Catapat
The ancient martial art, typically associated with technique, athletic discipline
and footwork, is slowly making its way
into the mainstream as something of a
new style of dance or performance art.
However, the emphasis is not the technicalities, but rather the sport’s artistry.
This year, the official sports club of
the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science (ValMaSci) known as the
Sipnayaw Club led by Mrs. Cynthia Soledad Aspe, ameliorated their wide span
of community by promoting the Taekwondo Sport to the school.
Years before, the ValMaSci is known
for being intellectually and academically active and not for sports. Later on,
for the past few years, the praxis slowly
changed and the students start to embrace the love for sports. Eventually,
different kinds of sports were implemented and the students became vigorously active.
As the Taekwondo Club embarked,
many students applied for it. Some of
the students got experience with the
sports with different levels or in the taekwondo world, they are called “belts”.
Some students were first timers and
are enthusiastic to join the team and
to learn taekwondo with their schoolmates.
“I know I will have more fun specially now that I am with my friends,”
said Robyn Faye Untalan, a proud member of the taekwondo club.
The officers of the club were nominated that day who were black, red and
yellow belters.
The Team was able to display their
skills as they were assigned to compete
in the 2015 Taekwondo Division Meet
that was held at the Canumay West Elementary School last October.
They trained every Friday after School
by their trainer, Coach Ryan Catolico at
the Saint Joseph School with other taekwondo players.
“We trained hard because this is our
first time to compete representing our
school”, said Micah Jill Dampog, Secretary, Red Belter.
The following fighters received their
awards: Ashley Salazar (Blue Belter),
Kylene Jutie (White Belter), Silver Medalist; Micah Jill Dampog (Red Belter),
Dave Narvaja (Black Belter), Erick Abendan (Blue Belter), Joscel Sagun (Blue
Belter), Frederick Ilan (White Belter),
Bronze Medalist.
“We don’t know who were the other
contenders and what their technique
would be, we just did our best and enjoyed it. At least we have learned many
things from them,” said Dampog.
Even though they are not advancing
to the regionals, the players were still
delighted to fight bearing the name of
the school with pride, honor and glory.
“We are hoping that many students
will join us next school year and we will
build a legacy when time comes”, said
Quiana Abesamis, Vice Preident of the
Taekwondo Club, Red Belter, with all
the hopes of success for the new Sports
Club.
Hard work. ValMaSci’s taekwondo team smiles for their achievements. Photograph: Denica Catapat.
December 18, 2015. In basketball Men,
10 - Maxwell grabbed the championship title followed by 9 - Dalton at 1st
Place, 8- Leeuwenhoek at 3rd and 7 - Archimedes at 4th. In the female category,
the Grade 8 Team crushed the Grades 9
and 10 Team, bringing home the trophy.
9 - Rutherford bagged the Yell Champion Title.
The Intramurals was said to be a succes obtaining their goal to break the student’s borders and make unity. The students are now looking forward to the
continuation of the Intramurals (SportsFest) this Febuary, 2016 with more exciting and hard-kicking events including
Volleyball, badminton and more.
Known for its high academic standards,
the Valenzuela City School of Mathematics and Science once again showed their
competitiveness in sports. In the 2015
Division Meet held at Malinta National
Main Campus, first-timer Miguel Relucio instantly captured the second solo
in chess for the boys division with five
wins, draws and losses one apiece.
“Wala akong time sa practice kasi hindi
na ako nakakapaglaro ng chess”, said Relucio in an interview.
In his last match, he fought against
Arnel Grande, the brother of ValMaScian Angela Grande. Angela Grande also
bagged second place with six wins and
one loss.
“Akala ko nga matatalo ako, kaya nilaro
ko lang. Tapos lumamang ako kaya napangiti ako”, he said.
“Sabi [ni Arnel], ‘resign’. Tapos inulit
ko para marinig ng lahat at macount siya
na lost. Napatingin lahat ng players dahil
gusto talaga nilang matalo si Grande”, he
added, smiling.
Arnel scored five wins and one draw
before he encountered Relucio.
“Pagkatapos ng laban, kinamayan ako
ng head ng sports ng Valenzuela”, Relucio said.
On the other hand, Angela Grande
said “I’m too busy for training”.
In the past year, she dominated in
the games in the regional meet, winning
third place with 5-1-1, but was disqualified due to her illness.
“Nakakapanghinayang”, she said, describing the past regional meet.
ValMaSci’s volleyball team perseveres in meet
Sporty. ValMaSci’s volleyball team poses for a groufie. Photograph: Leita Saccuan.
Denica Catapat
and Science (ValMaSci) set the court
on fire as they manifested their blazing hot spikes in the qualifying round
of the Girls’ Volleyball District Meet held
at Polo National High School (PNHS)
Gymnasium last July 30.
Gifty Ruzette Villamar led the ValMaSci Team as she showed her expertise
and led the team to win third place. Despite the fact that the team didn’t made
it to the division meet, Villamar and one
of her teammates, Kyla Salva, were requested to be a guest player for the Polo
National High School team who will be
competing for the division meet.
The first and second sets of the
game were easily blown away as the
ValMaSci team swept past PNHS 25–15.
PNHS then got a second wind and gave
their best shot and trimmed the deficit
against ValMaSci down to the wire, 20–
25. With high hopes, the ValMaSci team
gave the PNHS a fair shake, but the walls
of their defences were just unreachable.
ValMaSci team admitted their modest disappointment from their blindsided loss. “We are happy but we just
hoped that our efforts and sacrifices for
training had a good result”, said Salva.
The team trained every day after
class, including days when classes were
cancelled. They were at the edge of failing and without their most supportive
coach, coach Marvin Sauro, they would
be in the home stretch.
“Always play with all your heart and
do anything to keep your communication inside the court open, and remember, bilog ang bola.”, Coach Sauro
always tell his team.
“Winning the game was our goal,
but being happy and enjoying it was
the real treasure”, said Villamar. After
all, the team satisfyingly brought the
name of the school with pride and without any doleful attitude. For them, that
was all that mattered.

Researchers compete, bag fourth in RICE

Transcription

Similar documents

Zachary Allen-Palenske`s Portfolio

Sonia Kovalevsky Math Day Poster

here

Drawing Math Stories: Linking Language, Art, and

This Issue - Inside Bard

Play, Play Again

bowser-morner, inc.

Mathematical Modeling as a Means to Demonstrate the

NCCTM Central Region Conference - NC Mathematics

The perspectograph - For the Learning of Mathematics