On a damp but sunny Wednesday morning, tenth grader Kim Min Young (Charis) stood eagerly waiting by the Luxembourg Campus gate. Dressed in Hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, she was one among seven national attire-clad volunteers that were given a simple task: welcome and usher in any student that enters. That entrance soon overflowed, a first in over two years.
Charis joyfully observed what unfolded — students rushed to their old friends, some hugged, and all were simply catching up in a place where they always used to meet. All this happened while she greeted students and led reconnected friend groups to have their pictures taken at a photo booth. “I was very touched and I felt happy for them because . . . all students were just reuniting with their old friends and meeting their online classmates in real life,” she said.
Basic Ed Senior High School (SHS) and International Baccalaureate (IB) students physically returned to school for the opening of Academic Year 2022-2023 last August 31, 2022, marking the start of full-scale Hybrid Virtual Online Learning and Teaching (HyVOLT).
After over two years of online learning, the newly reopened Luxembourg and Tropical Campuses hosted friendly reunions between fellow Monarchs and day one orientations to the limited face-to-face setup. Meanwhile, those who opted to study via Virtual Online Learning and Teaching (VOLT) joined class Google Meet calls in sync with the on-campus discussions.
Class advisors and strand coordinators conducted campus tours, classroom introductions, and onsite procedure orientations to reintroduce the basics of face-to-face learning. Students also had the chance to partially roam around the newly-constructed Monarch’s Park, a centralized green space within the school grounds which replaced the Luxembourg Campus basketball court and quadrangle.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted SISC to introduce VOLT, temporarily suspending all regular onsite classes. Pilot HyVOLT classes began during the second term of Academic Year 2021-2022, with Grades 1-3, 12, and IB 2 reporting to Munich Campus. Favorable response to the HyVOLT program, as well as loosening quarantine restrictions, contributed to its implementation for all levels.
‘An amazing day’
Students who haven't set foot in school since VOLT classes, alongside those who had their first time exploring the campus, finally met up with each other in person. Cordial interactions between the students and school staff were fleeting around the campus, with many excited about the gradual return to normalcy. The once near-empty school corridors were finally teeming with student and teacher life again.
Though she took part in the school’s Volleyball Varsity last year, it was only until the opening of classes that Juliana Tan of 11-Innovation (ABM) felt the joy of being back on campus. She goes on to say, “It was being able to interact with classmates face to face again that made me really happy as it's been over two years since the last time we were able to do this.”
Her batchmate, Bea Magbanua of 11-Competence (STEM), never got to explore the school grounds prior to this year’s opening. A VOLT enrollee last 2020, she was most excited about the campus tour besides rejoining her friends. Bea also remarked how the lifted virtual boundary made socialization between her peers much easier.
Charis, though a junior student herself, was nonetheless empathetic with the surging emotions of her seniors. “I am sure that everyone has been waiting for that moment, you know, just the normal things we did years ago,” she remarked.
“I am so glad that I was able to capture that beautiful moment, and I hope that they all had an amazing day on their first day [of] classes,” Charis concluded.
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