Newsletter Vol 1 Issue 1

3 News Feature AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
the first virtual salubong
by Schaer Chantal Abadier and Clare Trinidad
. ‘Salubong’ is an annual event for the
Senior High School (SHS) department of
Trinity University of Asia (TUA) organized
by the students and the faculty to warmly
welcome the SHS community, especially the
new students, into the new school year.. This
year, the ongoing pandemic made it a challenge
for the different members of the SHS community
to warmly welcome one another. However,
despite the ongoing circumstances, the event
was successfully held on the 4th of September
with everyone’s active participation. Using
this generation’s knowledge on modern
technology, the celebration of this annual event
was administered online for the first time. The
Student Leader’s Council (SLC), along with
the support of the Senior Eye (SE) and the
different faculty members of the SHS department,
organized the event which allowed the celebration
of ‘Salubong’ to make its way to the online platform
Different activities were organized to show the
spirit of the SHS community and to greet each other
warmly as the new school year begins. The program
began with Ma’am Cecile Baniqued, the Officer-in-
Charge (OIC) for the SHS department, in giving her
opening remarks, and her warm welcome to everyone
attending the event despite the ongoing pandemic.
One of the many different surprises planned by the
event’s facilitators was a special number done by
alumni of TUA-SHS. Samantha Laong, Ryan Felias,
and Vico Cortez, who allotted time from their busy
college schedules to perform for the SHS community.
They were more than willing to showcase their talents
and serenaded everyone with Ben & Ben’s song
named “Ride Home.” After their special number,
Sir Jerome Roxas, the new MAPEH teacher of the
SHS department, introduced another important
and special event. Normally, students would be
heard loudly cheering in the school gymnasium.
However, this year, that was made possible through
the online platform as the different classes of SHS
each put together a video presentation of their
classroom chant. The muse and escort of each class
were also given the spotlight as they portrayed the
different frontliners of the pandemic. Despite the
challenge of it being done through a video rather
than in an area where all students were present, the
creative chants and presentations still showed the
spirit and talents of the SHS students. Different
teachers, specifically the judges of the event who
were Ma’am Cecile Baniqued, Sir Rodrigo Lofredo,
and Ma’am Rosary Quiling, also commented on
the event and the presentation of the students. Sir
Rodrigo Lofredo, who students call ‘Sir Dong’, said,
TUA SHS Virtual Salubong 2020. Photo Courtesy: TUA
SHS facebook page
“Kagabi pa lang hindi na ako makatulog kakaisip
kung ano yung presentation ng mga ito (students).
Go, go, go Senior High! Panalo ito!” Sir Jerome
also commented, “Even though we aren’t together
physically, nararamdaman natin ang spirit ng Senior
High School.”
With a jam-packed morning filled with
different events and surprises, the celebration of the
Virtual Salubong did not end there. The SLC, with the
support of the Senior Eye, prepared different games
for the students to enjoy together despite them not
being able to interact with each other face-to-face.
The different games planned were Bring Me, Family
Feud, Deal or No Deal, and Guess the Word, all
of which still showed the students what it is like to
be a TUA-SHS student. Despite it only being done
online, the students still enjoyed the different games
planned and their unity as a section was still seen as
they played along.
The SHS students also shared their experiences
on the first Virtual Salubong.
Samantha Laong, a TUA-SHS alumni and the
former president of the SLC, still attended and
helped organize the event despite her hectic schedule
as a college student. She shares, “I almost backed
out like 2 days before the big day of SHS because
my schedule got mixed up and I had only attended
meetings twice but I do not want to disappoint my
SHS fam. I’m very much relieved and grateful that
the very first virtual SHS Salubong succeeded.”
As for Moira Precones, a former SLC officer,
shared that her experience organizing an online event
for the TUA SHS was both exciting and thrilling. “I
didn’t know what to expect since it’s my first time
with these kinds of functions. Usually, we would do
it the traditional way, but I realized that it was also a
fun moment because you can still feel the energy of
your fellow SHS Members,” Moira shares.
Ben Ngaya-an, currently a Grade 12 student,
shared his experience as well saying, “It’s a bit
disappointing. Though the online salubong was also
fun, having a physical celebration with your friends
and classmates is still a different thing. Still, efforts
should be praised for making it possible for the SHS
students to enjoy the event.”
A current Grade 11 student named Isabella
Coruna shared, “I feel like it will be challenging to
transition into this new normal set-up, because it is
my first time doing online classes. In the first two
weeks of opening and welcoming here at TUA, the
school somehow made me feel excited to face the
school year even if it’s just online.”
This year’s ‘Salubong’ is yet again another
successful event that brought the SHS community
together, even though it was only held using the
virtual platform. Despite everything, it was
heartwarming to see everyone come together to
celebrate the beginning of a new school year. Surely,
this event will be a memorable one for everyone.
NEWS
TUA SHS Begins Their Online Classes
by Schaer Chantal Abadier
August 24, 2020 marks the beginning of a new
school year for Trinity University of Asia, Senior
High School students. On the first day of their
online classes, the Grade 11 and Grade 12 batches,
along with their teachers, met virtually. During
the morning session, the SHS family warmly
welcomed the incoming Grade 11 students. As for
the afternoon session, the Grade 12 students met
with both familiar and new faces.
The first day of the SHS department was filled
with a series of orientations to begin the new
school year. During the plenary session as a batch,
the students were oriented once again on the TUA
Learning Cloud (TLC), which would be their mode
of learning during the online classes for the first
semester. Other things that were discussed were the
Buwan ng Wika celebration. The TUA SHS students
were encouraged to join two different contests, the
Tiktok contest and infographics contest, with the
theme of “Ang mga Katutubong Wika sa Maka-
Filipinong Bayanihan Kontra Pandemya.” Through
Tiktok videos, students were encouraged to show
different ways to take care of one’s health amidst
the pandemic. As for the infographics, the students
were asked to raise awareness on the prevalence of
fake news on social media pertaining to updates on
COVID-19. The SHS students were also invited
to a conference on Friday named “Pambansang
Kumperensya sa Filipino 2020” with the theme
“Paglinang sa Wika, Panitikan at Pamamahayag sa
Filipino.” Other than the announcement of the
different Buwan ng Wika celebrations, the SHS
faculty also addressed the concerns of the students
as the plenary session ended. After the two plenary
sessions, the students met with their classmates and
their advisers and greeted each other with warm
smiles despite the new mode of education.