My Senior High School journey was not all rainbows and butterflies yet I cannot deny that it was so far the best years of my schooling life. Mistakes were done, lessons were learned, and memories were made. Despite some emotional, mental, and physical breakdowns, it does not compare to the many happy moments I experienced with people that are true. Below are some events, experiences, people that will surely leave a mark to my existence:
February 19-22, 2018
The top 1 highlight of my Senior High School life: #DumagueteDreams. I have been a member of the Filipino school publication since I was in Grade 8. Ever since, I competed at the Division School Press Conference as the Layout Artist of the Collaborative Publishing for 5 straight years now. For the first 3 years, we never won first place and never got to proceed to the regional. As the oldest member of the group, I was brokenhearted. Nervous and at the same time hopeful to make a break, I joined again in Grade 11 (my fourth year in the team) and finally, I-we got a taste of victory. We were overwhelmed and just content to have won, that we did not really expect much in the regionals. So imagine the shock we had that from winning the first time in DSPC, we proceeded to RSPC, and we actually won, all in one year!! SO, we practiced, flew to Cebu, rode a bus to Dumaguete, and wasted no second in enjoying every moment. Although we did not win (we expected this as our rivals are very, very, veeery good), still meeting acquaintances is a good experience. Of course, being not hard losers, we decided not to dwell to much on the loss and just be grateful for the opportunity. That is why, the day after the awarding, we visited some famous spots in Negros Occidental, namely, the Casaroro Falls; which requires you to take 365 steps and a long, rocky journey to see its glory, and Pulang Bato Falls; a mystery and a beauty, where the rocks submerged in water are colored red. Not to mention the awarding was held at Siliman University, I was astounded by its vintage Filipino vibe, it was so beautiful and the ambiance of the place was great. Lastly, thing I would never forget in Dumaguete is the feeling of peace, the place was just so quiet and peaceful you would imagine yourself settling in the small city. The overall experience was surreal and would always be in my heart.
March 24, 2018
Bye Grade 11, Hello Grade 12. March 24 was the day when our Grade 11 efforts and hard work were recognized. I was just happy to have passed Grade 11 with high honors, literary and excellence awards, and perfect in attendance (which I am awarded with since Grade 8 **I still don’t know how I managed). Aside from being ecstatic that fav friends (what we call ourselves; origin unknown) all got awarded, I am very much happy to see my parents’ face light up with pride and beaming proudly over my achievements.
April 9-15, 2018
Love these days! My friends and I got to join a regional camp held at Mangima Resort at Bukidnon. Oh, it was not all fun, there were more struggles than pleasure, but still it was bearable since I was with the best people. It was a five-day camp with a jam-packed schedule of activities. We had horseback riding, orienteering, firefighting demonstration, ABC; Be Yourself Symposium, bonfires, First Aid demonstration (includes CPR and water safety). We were also taught a traditional dance and some artworks. And of course, the best day was the last, we went to Dahilayan Forest Park and tried their zipline which was the longest zipline in Asia! On our way home, we stopped by Buda and tried their famous hot chocolate and suman. It was the most memorable and meaningful camp eveeer.
July 6, 2018
Acquaintance Party: Retro Fusion. I was unexpectedly elected (well, not elected more like appointed, since we did not have rivals lol) as the Assistant Secretary and Treasurer of the Supreme Student Government. The acquaintance party was the group’s first major event of the school year and we believe that it was a success. Activities like Battle of the Bands, Pop Superstar, and Music Video Parody were done by each year level of each campus. The highlight was the rave retro fusion party, it was so hype, fun, and loud. The positive feedbacks of the students were enough to keep us going for the rest of the school year.
September 8, 2018
BSI Completely Worn!! So, my friends were members of the Red Cross Youth since they were in Grade School, I was not. But, in my last year in Senior High School, I decided to join the Bandaging Relay (I passed the screening!!) Days of going home late, practicing until we dropped, and literally being sweaty was done with the aim to win in the Interschool First Aid Competition. And alas, our efforts were paid off for the school won 1st runner up!! And our Bandaging team was ranked second with only point something points to win Best in Bandaging (s-a-y-a-n-g) but we were still happy to have won two places higher than last year. Not only did we learn first aid, had fun in the competition, but we also brought honor to the school.
November 15-18, 2018
Thank you G for another win. My latest journey has got to be the Regional Schools Press Conference 2018 held at Digos City. After winning first place for the second time at DSPC, we were again sent to RSPC as Davao City’s representative for collaborative publishing. This time, though, neither the English nor the Filipino team won. We were hopeful because almost all of us are Grade 12 students (fav friends); meaning our last year in this journalism competition. But, we are still grateful to have won third place, the English – second place, and overjoyed for one friend who won in the individual category and will be sent to Pangasinan for NSPC. So here are some pictures of me, my teammates, and collab squad aka fav friends (nyark). PS. Hoping that the next jump pic would be with our togas on (:P)
I don’t really have note-worthy SHS experience in 2019 yet but I look forward to it. All these experiences made me believe the Bible passage, Romans 8:18, “The sadness you feel now cannot compare to the joy you would feel tomorrow.” That is why I don’t dwell with mistakes but learn from it, don’t stay sad over a loss but improve to win, and don’t overthink but do what my mind and heart tells me to do.
THE VINTAGE PRINT 