The Explorer Quarter 3 SY 2021-2022

CDC gears up for limited face-to-face classes (p.4)

It’s a Twoosday!

A palindrome, an ambigram, and a momentous incidence! (p.8)

Philosophize This! (p.7)

THE EXPLORER VOLUME XI ISSUE II JANUARY-MARCH 2022

Online Official Publication of Centro De Cultura

Cauayan City, Isabela

LITERARY: SCHOOL

(P. 9)

HONEST RESPONSE: The teachers and staff participate in answering questions related to personality and IQ test during the morning session of the psychological test .

PSCHOLOGICAL TEST FOR FACULTY, STAFF DONE To assure that all employees are free from the unseen difficulty that may affect their work efficacy and efficiency, CDC, along with its partner, BLEST Psychological Service, conducted a psychological evaluation on February 9. (continued on page 3)

STUDENTS, TEACHERS HAIL VIRTUAL AWARDING (P.3)

2

NEWS

Faculty, staff get booster shot, ready for f2f As a way of preparing for the limited face-to face set-up, all faculty and staff got their booster shots against COVID-19.

1,2,3, SMILE! Grade 9 learners paused for a while for the picturetaking during the virtual Valentine’s Day.

RED ROSES ON RED ALERT: A LONG-DISTANCE BUT HEARTY CELEBRATION

by Marchella Accad

Being able to share a day dedicated to the people you love, whether they are your family, friends, or perhaps more, is one of the many reasons why CDC decided to stir up a little something for this year’s Valentine’s Day. This February 14th brought CDCians and staff alike together in the Valentine’s Day mood, despite the social distancing norm. With dressing up in colors that correspond to specific types of love, digital roses along with friendly letter exchanges, and even some rather thrilling book recommendations, all put together by the SPG and SSG, CDCians proved that long-distance learning is not all it takes to prevent them from celebrating together –

especially on this day of love. Aside from giving and accepting gifts, there is also love itself.

Wi t h t hi s, t e a c he rs t ook t he opport uni t y t o di sc uss i t s va ri ous t ype s wi t h t he st ude nt s e ve r y hom e room m ee t i ng t hi s l ove m ont h.

Though, differences aside, whether it is familial, friendly, selfdirected, or even the type one might feel towards a certain special person, love is love. And this year’s Valentine’s Day is all about demonstrating it. #

24 teachers, including the staff, were vaccinated with Moderna and Pfizer boosters since January.

Meanwhile, CDC school conducted surveys of its clients to further plan for the next strategies and get ready for the possibility of adopting the f2f "new normal" set-up. This includes identifying fully vaccinated learners by allowing them to upload their vaccination cards’ photos and asking parents' response whether they would like to send their kids to school or just continue the pure online set-up.

During her announcement, Ma’am Prima Condat, confirmed that the school was done with its implementing guidelines after it received approval from the Regional Office to conduct the limited face-to-face classes.#

3 Enhance Psychological Test from page 1 CDC—COVID-19 is manifested by a cough, sore throat, or fever. Meanwhile, mental health problems are hard to notice, hence it begins with undergoing a series of tests.

The test is divided into two parts, the Personality and IQ Test, and the Mental and Motor Skills Test. The activity begins with a 90-statement personality test and one will respond by rating each statement from 1-5 as never, occasionally, often, generally, and always, respectively.

This type of assessment requires a no change of answer, so the respondents are asked to rate the statement right after reading. The next type of personality test requires you to draw a girl and a boy on paper. The respondents describe this, identifying where it is, what

NEWS

each gender is doing, and how each feels.

To end the morning session, they were provided an IQ test for 45 minutes where they identified pictures that identified differently from the choices.

During the afternoon session, everyone participated in the mental and motor skill test. Here, takers should respond only within 25 minutes. The test involves naming and drawing shapes, walking several steps while the eyes are closed, and identifying the numbers written on one’s palm.

The test lasted for a half-day and the results will be communicated once they are done with the analyses.

Moreover, Ma’am Prima Condat, Vice Chief of Academics, assured that results would be treated with the utmost confidentiality among the staff and the rest of the faculty. #

JOB WELL DONE! Grade 9 Sorsoganon beamed with pride as they proudly show their certificates during CDC’s virtual awarding.

STUDENTS, TEACHERS HAIL VIRTUAL AWARDING

by Precious Dioquino

“Ma, I got these awards!” Sheena Dimaculangan, a Grade 9 minders that they were required to pin their ribbons on either

learner, beamed with pride as she flexed her character and side of their chest and wear their online uniforms. Teachers flashed a presentation on screen to exhibit the names of learners academic awards for the first semester of online awarding. along with their accomplishments. The awards were generated by advisers to complement their academic and character develIn an interview, she said, "I am extremely pleased with the awards that I have received. It was more of a fulfillment on opment for the past two quarters. my part since my hard work had paid off, and it also motivated me to do better in future activities. At first, there was nervousSheena highlights the prospect of practice being a crucial ness, but I immediately felt at ease when I saw my awards, and I factor when it comes to development. Despite the inevitable am very grateful for them. However, it doesn’t stop me from shortcomings of perfection, she believes that with enough pergiving my best again so that I can do better, and it also pushes sistence, anyone can do better than yesterday. me to work harder and smarter. " During the evaluation of the recently conducted virtual Two years after the start of the online classes and the halt awarding, Sir Redentor Samante, Math and Filipino coordinator, in offline ceremonies, learners and teachers celebrated virtual suggested that classroom awarding should be done per quarter awarding through Zoom for an active day of recognition on to motivate the students to strive in their studies..# January 26. Prior to the awarding, the learners were given re-

4

NEWS CDC held Math Olympiad, learners compete for the title

by Chedrique Estonilo & Mariel Fermindoza

FEBRUARY 24—Following the elimination round, 32 learners were qualified for the final round of the Math Olympiad held at the CDC school.

A RECAP OF SCORES: Sir Ricky Lagua announces the final scores for each contender during the Math Olympia finals for Grades 3 and 4.

Meanwhile, the contest came to a close with the participants and Days before the final rounds, a ten-item quiz was posted champions of each level receiving e-certificates. # on LMS Aralinks, under the Math subject’s tab quiz for the elimination round. With the encouragement from the math facilitators, Grades 1-2 Grade 3-4 Grades 5-6 the contest moved forward with its final qualifiers for the elemenChampion Aliyah Aliyah June Seana Kalista Nadine tary and high school departments. There were thirty-two finalists Octaviano Santos Maramba from the elementary department—eleven from Grade 1–Grade 2, st 1 Runner-Up Xian Philippe ten from Grade 3–Grade 4, and eleven also from Grade 5-Grade Kheirene Yael Anthony Rivera Medina 6. For the high school, twenty students were qualified from Maramba Grades 7–8 and ten also from Grades 9–10.

2nd Runner-Up Sochie Maria Jasmine During the contest, questions were divided into 3 rounds: easy, average, and difficult. Each round has five questions.

Clinchers were also prepared in case of a tie-break. Additionally, rules such as not turning off their cameras or microphones throughout the competition were followed.

The competition aims to help the learners develop discipline on their own towards mathematics. With the help of a math teacher, it is one of the activities that can motivate the learners to become truthful, active, and alert and to develop their critical and problem-solving skills.

Ysabelle Maramba

Isabel Carbon

Grades 7-8 Champion 1st Runner-Up nd

2 Runner-Up

Peter Troy Cristian Lara

Grade 9-10

Harley Ken Lopez

Sophia Nicole Lara

Jochebed Rebekah Uy

Krishna Geisha Lasdin

Chedrique James Estonilo

Charmagne Jill Bueno

CDC gears up for limited face-to-face classes Following the declaration of Alert Level 1 in the Province of Isabela, CDC now prepares for the implementation of the limited face-to-face classes by conducting immunization surveys with its clients and participating in an orientation-consultation meeting with the school heads of the Cauayan City Division.

allowed to eat to avoid removing their masks, which could lead to possible exposure to viruses. Furthermore, the learners will only attend the face-to-face session in the morning to do their laboratory work and other tasks that require performance assessments. Therefore, they are still required to attend their synchronous classes.

After the result of the survey, the school made its plans and guidelines based on Dep Ed Memorandum No. 71, series of 2021. The faculty and staff have also met multiple times to plan the introduction of the face-to-face dry run.

Meanwhile, English Coordinator Ms. Melodie Sandra Magday stated her support for the limited face-to-face lessons and urged her team to create lesson plans for the dry run that would meet the needs of the students.

“We need to start conditioning our learners that they will be coming to school soon for the limited face-to-face. With that, we have been working on setting up the rooms for each level because we would like to make sure that our learners and teachers are safe when the face-to-face starts, "said Ma’am Prima R. Condat, during the general meeting of faculty and staff. She also explained that the dry run period will start on April 25 and last until May 6. During the time of implementation, the learners are not

Ma’am Prima reiterated the following guidelines for the learners during face-to -face: a) eat full meal, heavy breakfast; b) be well-rested, sleep for 8 hours nightly; c) wear CDC online shirt, any long pants, rubber shoes—both for boys and girls; d) wear face mask—tight fitting, well secured with holder strap; e) bring a water tumbler filled with water to drink; f) bring sanitizers, alcohol, and tissues; g) Do not bring any electronic devices unless specifically requested by the subject teachers; h.) Do not bring school bag, textbooks, pad paper, pencil,

pens, markers, crayons, erasers—nothing; i) do not bring foods to eat in school— biscuits, sandwiches, juices, milk, cereals— nothing; j) Asymptomatic-has/had no fever, colds, flu, body ache, diarrhea for the past 72 hours prior to the scheduled face-to-face classes.

Furthermore, she added that parents should guide their children in such a way that when the kids suffer any signs of COVID, they will be immediately excused from their classes, regardless of the schedule.#

ROOM READY, FINALLY! Tables and chairs on the ground floor were cleaned, arranged, and now ready for face-to-face classes.

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EDITORIAL

Illustration by Sophia Lara

The Internet: The New Age of Innovation and the Point of No Return?

Though the beginning has been quite bumpy, this school, like many others, has undoubtedly adapted well. Indeed, one can keep going and keep improving this state.

However, in the dusk of the pandemic, the possibility of the return of face-to-face arises, and now we are stuck with the decision: are we going to take the opportunity to evolve the technological school medium, or return to "normal"? One thing is certain: the pandemic has shaken the foundations of our everyday lives. Indeed, the world will never be the same. It will never return "back to normal," and that is not only because of the minuscule biological wreckage of the Coronavirus but also because of what it has forced upon certain social sectors. Schools, offices, meetings, programs, and the like were propelled to screens, and modern humans' already tech-driven lifestyle was amplified.

Now, there is no doubt that the school would prefer to think the possibility through instead of diving headfirst into it face-to-face. Aralinks has been very helpful, and multiple students would thank it for the education it has provided in such isolating times. Really, there are lots of benefits to having your home as your office, but we cannot wave away the disadvantages of such a set-up either. Additionally, the lack of social interaction is relaxing for short periods of time, but one cannot relieve a human being of its basic instincts to group together.

The mental and physical side effects of prolonged screen time are becoming more prominent. Certainly, the benefits and drawbacks almost equal each other out. Though most lean towards the favor of traditional learning, one cannot help but wonder, in the world's digital age, when will we finally forgo face-to-face learning?

Is it possible to remove such a huge aspect of our lives? We have indeed opted for books rather than scrolls, for electricity rather than candlelight, for markers rather than clay, and for new inventions in general, but those are merely objects–can we really remove an action so ordinary from our lives? Neither do we practice human sacrifices or dueling. However, social interaction is not just an action it is a part of who we are. We are designed to coexist and communicate. Even from behind the screen, social media dominates our lives. Indeed, however absurd the idea may seem, it is scientifically believable that we will actually forgo physical interaction in the near future. Now, one might think this is ridiculous, as we have been learning this way for years. Technology is not yet adept at such a leap, putting the next generation's intellect in jeopardy. Physical interaction is not fading away yet! However, in the past couple of decades, we have become more dependent on technology. It has enthralled humans with its wonders and practically infinite capabilities: libraries of information, unhindered communication,

awe-inspiring calculations. Several people use it avidly to boost their careers, supplement their education, or color their lives.

Indeed, emails and messaging applications are favored over post offices, bookstores are closing, and a majority of humans have taken to using their devices as a means of bonding. The interaction has always been dying the pandemic just sped it up.

According to Wikipedia, technological singularity is a hypothetical point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable human civilization. Whether this is an apocalypse, or the absolute zenith of humanity is unknown. Although this would undoubtedly skyrocket our research and our state of living, the importance of the human nature of teamwork should never be underestimated. Our evolution as a species is what has brought us to this point. It would only be logical that we should continue coexisting with technology–never dominating, always grounding .#

THE EXPLORER WRITERS (S.Y 2021-2022)

Sophia Nicole Lara

Mariel Frances Fermindoza

Precious Channe Dioquino

Marchella Accad

Chedrique James Estonillo

Nessa Lorraine Abe

Peter Troy Lara

Sajan Preet Blaggan

Arieana Angela Garin

6

OPINION

Perfect Trade-off; or Bargains for Perfection

by Sophia Lara

We always strive for the best. Admittedly, not always the best in terms of net value, but the best in the here

and now. Maybe you are too lazy to fix your room, so you instead pick out a book and read it on your bed.

You are doing what you think is best for that moment, and instead of thinking about the long-run and opting to organize your workplace and dwelling, you acquire the best book you can find and comfort yourself in the best position on your bed. Though this is an exaggerated example, it undoubtedly happens in societies. We bargain about the different virtues we would want to have in the pursuit of perfection—to have the best of all worlds. And, despite the fact that cleaning your room goes against your hardwired laziness [your nervous system calculates energy consumption; see footnote*], you bargain for progress.From one perspective, it appears illogical and lazy. The prominent tradeoffs are happiness, security, freedom, and information. For the rest of the article, we assume perfect means 100% apparent.

The Giver highlights this by causing the main character to run away from the constricting nature of his community [caps-lock intended] after finding out the procedures of his society (thus turning his content outlook on his life upset) to travel long distances to an elsewhere that doesn't seem to exist, combatting hunger and extreme temperatures along the way.

dered the now-deceased king to take his throne. Now unruffled by guilt, his major concern is fear. His later mass murders were fueled by this, and in the end, it brought his downfall. Yes, his legacy of murder is done, but, theoretically, won't it start again? In the same play, he likens it to trudging too far in a pool of blood. Going back would mean greater effort than continuing on the miserable track. Indeed, we have been fueling the cycle, even in our small ways. In the end, the real danger wouldn't be the wrath of Mother Nature, whom we have angered so these past few years, or her death, which we have encouraged. It isn't going to be a cosmological disaster or an instantaneous vacuum decay.

Maybe we have set our scope on the wrong beast. #

And sadly, this is not just cleaning a room; in that scenario, it is possible to have both sides of the bargain, both your desk and your rug. In these times too, we can forget what to look for in favor of convenience and safety.

It seems like in real life, you should have one side of the coin facing the floor. However, there is a way to let both sides feel the sunlight. And like Fancy thinking the Beast was how a coin usually falls on one face because of its presence, its removal something you could hunt and kill! (...)

It is reasonable that happiness would let you eat your cake and keep it You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of and security do not mingle with free- too. This phenomenon, of course, is you? (...) I’m the reason why (...) dom and information. For instance, stability. things are what they are? (...) This is since we are in an era where information is freely acquired, we have Verily, stability is an important ridiculous. You know perfectly well coined the term "info-hazard," which trait to have. It keeps you grounded and you’ll only meet me down there—so poses a threat to the well-being of you sensible, not prone to unpredictable fits don’t try to escape!" and others. Additionally, both Ecclesi- of turmoil. The stability being talked -Lord of the Flies, Orwell astics and Huxley's Brave New World about here is that acquired from acts of state that happiness is incompatible with evil, the safety provided by the sins you information. Information is the cause of have committed. In essence, it helps exploring, and some areas of discussion stabilize the circle of blood. If you are are not very pleasant to delve into; the free from physical, emotional, or social concept of existential nihilism, for in- consequences after you have directly stance. Freedom, along with security harmed a person, what is to stop other and happiness, means being exposed to beings from doing it to you? In Shakenew and therefore uncharted territory; speare's Macbeth, for instance, our main the oldest emotion is fear, and the oldest character, Macbeth, successfully murfear is that of the unknown. Lowry's

7

OPINION

The Truth To Trendy Note-taking Techniques

by Mariel Fermindoza

From expensive gadgets to an immense amount of stationery, the hottest trends on the studious side of social media have influenced the habits of those willing to "improve" in their educational program, but it is still a hot question if these trends do actually help a student’s academic performance.

Many students have tried a number of famous study hacks, particularly in writing, in the hopes of improving their note-taking methodology by following the usual standards created by numerous students and artists online. The standard was usually an aesthetically pleasing and informative piece of paper, well-designed with different sorts of stationery ranging from cute washi tapes to quirky doodles.

Then, the topic shifts to the writer’s creative lettering. This includes the consistent strokes of the pen and the symmetricity of the words relative to the page’s margin.

The criteria encourage a sense of freedom for those who hold the pen. It welcomes artistic and imaginative students to be creative with their notebooks and personalize them to their own liking for them to easily navigate through them. It trains a student to be more systematic with their notes and drives them to experiment with their creativity while learning. The additional colors and additional drawings of the concept maps will pique the interest of those more used to visual studies; Therefore, they conclude that this method of note-taking, decorative but informative, is one of the most effective and recommended.

However, aesthetic note-taking is not as worthwhile as some say it would be. Firstly, it is time-consuming. It isn’t ideal for students with live lectures and speedy discussions. Switching between different materials and blueprinting a whole page’s layout can come as a hassle.

With a lot of things to think about, from the lesson’s main points to the layout of the notes, the loss of concentration and the shifting of priorities add to the burden of consistently making your notebook more aesthetically pleasing. It is crucial for a student to complete their notes since they serve as their reviewer and main resource during exam weeks and quizzes.

Having to miss any important details of a topic may even affect the student’s final grade. Secondly, if a student puts their heart into this and is consistent, it will be expensive. Stationery, especially highquality ones, is not easy to get one’s hands-on. Some even come from other parts of the world and cost a few hundred dollars. Also, considering that these things aren’t permanent nor long-lasting, budgeting for a restock of materials will further add to the bill. With how much time it consumes and how expensive it can be, one can’t help but wonder if the promised improvement is worth it all.

Philosophize This!

The way I see it, having an abundant amount of stationery is unnecessary. The extra pens and the extra memo pads do not certify a perfect mark or a high grade. Although it may help, these materials do not catapult a student to the top of the class.

One can already achieve so much with just a pen and a notebook that there is almost no reason to buy more than one pack of pens.

However, it doesn’t mean that the techniques we see used by other people are useless or ineffective. They are still considerably helpful and productive all the same.

This proves that the efficiency and productivity of making good notes are subjective as they vary between students.

It’s all about finding what’s compatible with you and your studies and working hard to achieve your goals. As students, it is by default that we find study techniques that will help develop a habit to improve our academic performance. These include growing into a mindset of discipline, patience, and self-motivation. To conclude, the goal of implementing and developing good study habits, be it aesthetic or simple note-taking, is to have good and improving academic performance in the end. #

by Precious Dioquino

Isolation is the liberator of the mind, while distraction is its foe. Maybe this is why the philosopher Heraclitus chose a

lifestyle devoid of any human interchange. He understood that, without any possible liability, this ensured his freedom of thought.

In the course of two adolescent years, I was robbed of experience and was given more chances to rationalize and scrutinize my progression. We know that during these times we tend to have existential crises, particularly on subjects that put down our lines to success. I don't want to sound like some opportunistic 21st century sophist, but in seclusion I was disturbed by the uncertainty of being stuck.

expectancies?" We may use comparison as stand even the harshest of hurricanes. an easy "motivation" to improve when all it does is degrade our foundation. RememTo quote Fabienne in AkoSiIbarber that we started this for ourselves and ra’s Play The Queen, "You don't praise the crumbling because of anything else but captain of a ship just because they know quitting is a failure. how to sail. You praise them because they know how to steer clear of the rocks and It took a reasonable amount of time for me endure the crashing waves they will ento understand that there are more than just counter on their voyage." careers that we should put our minds and efforts into. Building and allocating other Next time you're in doubt, philoso"Development is subjective, but am infrastructures will never make a skyscrapphize this: Will being cynical about my er feel lonely.

We must not underestimate I giving my full potential, or am I withdesign, but harden our masonry to withpace make me more than resist? # holding myself because of fear or biased

8

FEATURE

It’s a TWOSDAY!

02.22.22

A palindrome, an ambigram, and a momentous incidence!

by Sophia Lara

How two you two? A happy Twosday two all of you!

Recently, we have witnessed a very unique and tworiffic date. It consists of all twos (when written as such: 2/22/22), and can be written the same backwards and upside-down (albeit on a calculator for the full effect). All the more amusing is the fact that it lands on a Tuesday! Twoly a once-in-a-lifetime event, especially since next twosday decades away won't land on a Tuesday.

Consider yourself a lucky twollurian!

See two!

February 23, 2022

I have always wanted to every night so that he would not feel homesick. become like him. He loves my brother, my mom, my lolo, and My dad is a hardlola. working man, and I admire him He went abroad to work for that. I love my dad so much as a civil engineer, and we can and he is my number one hero. only see him once a year. It’s hard for him to be far from us, -Joshua Ayeona but he sacrifices for our family's better future. We would call him Photo from The Journey

9 SCHOOL

by Peter Troy Lara and Sajan Preet Blaggan

School is a place where we learn; A place where we address our concerns; We learn things we need to know.

By going to school, we can make friends and not foes.

School is a place where students meet; An area where we greet.

There are teachers who give us vital lectures.

They guide us in our lives of adventures.

They teach us to work smart, And avoid being hard.

It is a place where we are interconnected, To be ensured that we are directed to improvement.

Education for a student is essential, To reach out to their potentials Teachers support us through activities, They assess our weaknesses and capabilities.

School is vital place to be— A very special place, you see.

It is where we strengthen our bond And help each other hand in hand.

LITERARY

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LITERARY

Photo from University of Maryland Medical System

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LITERARY

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ACTIVITIES

Appreciation Embroidery Project

ANNA SOFIA MACADANGDANG

Grade 7 Kapampangan

FRANCESCA ATHENA PASCUAL

Grade 7 Kapampangan

FRANCIS JOHN GAMBOA

Grade 7 Kapampangan

SOPHIA REI ALDANA Grade 7 Kapampangan

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. –Confucius

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Arieana Angela Garin Grade 6 Ilonggo

ACTIVITIES

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ACTIVITIES

Embroidery Project

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ACTIVITIES

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ACTIVITIES

Marielle Pauline Meris

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ACTIVITIES