Awaited by Grades 6-10 Monarchs every year, Batch Parties are events that gather all of them to celebrate togetherness as a level and to rest from academic tasks. Activities in the event such as talent showcases, fun games, superlative awards, and dinner feasts were enjoyed by many. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, such events and gatherings sadly have come to a halt. Fortunately, with the collaborative efforts of fellow teachers and students, these parties were able to push through online.
Last March 5, 2021, Grade 9 Monarchs were invited for the virtual Juniors Afternoon hosted by their faculty. Continuing the tradition of Batch Parties despite digital learning, the Zoom call event highlighted each Junior's individuality as well as interest in gaming with the theme of “Who are you Among Us.” Participants were encouraged to dress up as their original character in the penultimate level celebration of this academic year.
Sir Mark Isabelo, Grade 9 Level Facilitator and Chemistry teacher notes the significance of holding a non-face-to-face Batch Party for the first time and the opportunities that came with it. He explains, “We realized that it's a [historical event]. It’s the first time that we will be doing an online afternoon party for [the Juniors]. We really took it as an advantage for them to bond and to relax, from all the tiring [online] academic tasks given to them.”
For the students
Organized by the Grade 9 faculty and Class Councils, the event was planned to ensure that all students can enjoy and participate in the activities as a way to relax during this time of online classes. Across all possible themes, the popular mobile game Among Us and more broadly gaming and individuality were chosen. Grade 9 SLGE teacher Ms. Maria Patricia ‘Pat’ Belleza emphasizes, “We wanted the event to cater to the students' interest more than us because of course, it’s not about [for] the teachers but it is for the students. We thought of what students like to do and that’s why the theme is like that.”
Sir Mark mentions that the question of “How can students enjoy?'' was one of their initial concerns. He adds, “We actually just prayed that when we show them the [sequence of] events, they will enjoy it in a way that they will participate.”
Other than the teachers, recommendations from their fellow students were asked so they can collaborate in the preparation of the happenings of the event. Students were able to speak up, suggest activities, and plan to be applied during the main event. Sir Mark remarks that hearing the students’ suggestions is always crucial as the activities were to be done by them. Meanwhile, Hwang Yi Lynn, Class President of 9-Compassion, mentions her gratitude for being able to make this event enjoyable. She added, “I also feel proud of the class officers [knowing that] we participated in preparing the event.”
We are your crewmates
The event was hosted by Ms. Jeline Pagdonsolan and Sir Peter Argada, their AI-ICT and Math teachers respectively. As students flooded the Zoom call, the hosts began by welcoming everyone for joining this afternoon event. Grade 9 teachers and students were able to show off their costumes. Ms. Pat goes on to say, “Even if we just told the students to wear plain outfits, it’s so cute to see that students wore bandanas, masks, and cute prints. It’s really nice to see students going out of the way so that they can participate and to show their support in the activity.”
Eventually, the hosts gave the spotlight to Southville's Basic Ed Principal Ms. Marie Vic 'Avic' Suarez for her Opening Remarks. She shared a relatable message about the theme of the event to Juniors, comparing their collaborative efforts to support each other in life to the tasks of Among Us crewmates. She mentions, “This Juniors Afternoon is a reminder for all of you that, all of us here are your crewmates. We are your crewmates and we will support you not only in Southville but even after Southville.”
Following these remarks, the new students of each section were introduced to everyone else in the batch. Teachers and students alike gave them a warm welcome to the Southville community. The Talent Showcase proceeded, and six students were able to perform and to express their hidden talents to their teachers and classmates. Various talents such as musical instruments, singing, dancing were showcased in the talent portion. Anthony Magcalas of 9 Fortitude who showcased his talent in creating TikTok memes states that despite some embarrassment, he felt happy with his presented output. Miguel Enzo Soriano of 9 Compassion showcased his talent in strumming the guitar performing ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ by Queen. He mentions, “Although I felt anxious about my performance, I had a good feeling of accomplishment. Since this is a recent hobby of mine, I didn't think that I would [perform] this early.”
Then, three Fun Games were provided for the students to play. The first game, Read My Lips, was coordinated by English teachers Ms. Lourdes ‘Lou’ Boco and Ms. Angelica ‘Geli Marie Rodulfo. Participants of this game were to figure out what phrase or word was being spoked out without the use of audio. Juniors carefully examined the lip movement of Ms. Lou to know what she was saying. Those who were the first to type their answers on the chat won that specific round.
The next game was the Alphabet Challenge, a game where all students in a section had to work together to win. Juniors were grouped according to their class and tasked to type in words on a Google Docs file that can complete the acronym SOUTHVILLE in a specific category like school foods. As fast as they could, the competitive sections were able to think of such words to complete the acronym with some much faster than others allowing them to attain plus academic points.
Lastly, the third game was Guess For It. Coordinated by Art teacher Ms. Precious Daluz—also the Club Moderator of The Mover—and Business teacher Ms. Abbie Vallente, this game pits the participants in a first-to-type guessing game of what cartoon or movie character was being drawn onscreen. The winner for each round received a personalized drawing created by Ms. Precious herself.
The TikTok Challenge was presented next. Participants in this showcase were able to submit a video of themselves doing some of the trending dances in TikTok. Not only the students but also the teachers participated as well in showing off their best moves. Laughter was thrown about in the sight of their fellow peers dancing out of the ordinary.
After all activities, the event finally came to a close. The hosts thanked everyone who attended the first online Juniors Afternoon, and to officially end the event, they gave the spotlight to Deputy Principal Ms. Gladys F. Mintu for her closing remarks. She says, “Life gives us many opportunities to choose from. Let’s not waste that opportunity. With grit and growth mindset, let us learn how to manage our time well, so we can complete the task needed. My Grade 9 students, you are the reason why our teachers keep on doing their best. Despite difficulties . . . be your true character.”
Overall success
Overall, the success of the event was seen among the Juniors and Grade 9 teachers. Every activity that went by made unforgettable memories. Despite some flaws present in the event such as a short duration of games and missed opportunities, the participants say remark is always more time to improve. President Hwang shares, “At first, I was a bit worried because it’s a whole new system that we never tried, but the activities provided lead me to enjoy it and at least somewhat interact with each other.”
Anthony remarks that the afternoon party was a cool and appropriately themed event. Enzo, on the other hand, comments, “[Juniors Afternoon] was quite fun. The most memorable part of the event was watching the musical performances.”
“It was an overall success because of the happiness of the students after the event. The students said it is really nice and looking forward to having more of that event. We can lengthen, make the time longer and add more of the student’s suggestions perhaps. We still have a lot of things to improve,” elaborates Sir Mark.
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