I Love You L3000

CREATING

Competitions meant transportation and commuting, especially if the venue is far from where the school is located. And studying in a public school also meant that trying to get a vehicle will be a challenge, most of the time. But, that has never been a problem for me and my “Journos”.

Barangay Bagong Silangan is just like any other Barangays, we have our officials here and our Institutes. But a gem that we really have is our “Kapitan”, Kap. Willy Cara.

Kap. Cara has always been very supportive and responsive to the needs of our town, especially the students. If they have a concern, rest assured that they will be answered in no time. And that includes the transportation we needed to represent our barangay and our school in the District transportation we needed to represent our barangay and our school in the District Competition for Journalism.

I remember the morning of that day, I was so nervous that it felt like I just wanted to puke right there and then. I did not know how to calm my nerves down and just waited for the arrival of our ride. Then it came. Our very own L300 that was given to us by our kapitan. It even had a driver who was willing to send us off and then wait for the contest to finish to drive us back to our homes. It was heartwarming, for someone to offer us so much of their time. We did not have to pay for anything, all we had to do was go to the competition and kill it.

I will never forget the experience I had with them in that L300. We started our trip with a prayer session. We prayed that dedication, hard work, and commitment, one can make a meaningful impact in the lives of students and the education sector as a whole. As BSHS's new assistant school principal, Sir Noble is determined to use his knowledge and leadership wskills to help the school reach new heights of success, adding his expertise to the crew, and charting a course on a brighter future. everything would go well and that no matter what the outcome of the contest was, we would enjoy the experience.

Throughout the whole ride, we were anything but quiet. We were talking about anything and everything, from topics that we prepared to write, to what meals each of us had before we left our houses.

Laughter filled that van, and with the laughter rising, my nerves started falling.

I did not worry about the competition as much as I did before. I thank the heavens for the set of people that was with me that day. And of course, the L300 that was the witness of every little smile that decorated our faces.

Without that ride, I would not have these memories that I so very much cherish with my fellow writers. The trip made it seem like we did not have a competition that we will eventually stress ourselves out about in a few hours.

Without that ride, we would not have achieved the winnings that we did. Both District and Division Level, we did not come home empty handed. That van is the soul proof of everything that happened before and after our competitions, and for that, I can say that that L300 is something that I will forever remember.

This would not have been possible without our Kap. Cara. He blessed us, the journalism team, with memories to treasure without even knowing it. And if it were not for those people who were around me, I probably would not even know how to calm myself to get ready for the storm that was about to come. With a simple L300 life that day was a bit more easier and enjoyable.

We are all trees at some point in our lives. A tree that sits still with authority, independence, maturity, and connection even after a strong wind blows. Just like trees, we tend to encounter storms. We got blown by tasks, missions, and orders. But in the end, we are known to be the unrelenting trunks.

As the wind blows, it shapes us into someone we never thought we would be, just like Asia Shane Saen and Karizza Manaligod, grade 10 students from Bagong Silangan High School, who happens to become one of the trees.

At seven, they already started leading the people they were unfamiliar with. But sometimes, we will realize that those people are the ones who built who we are today. They are the tree branches that support our growth. Like the two, even though they grew from different environments wherein Asia trained to be a leader at a young age while Karizza trained herself to lead her own. They still clicked with each other with the same principles and beliefs.

Eight years have passed since they started learning to be a great leader, and became the school's well-known leaders because of their never-ending leadership. This school year 2022-2023, Karizza was elected as the president of BSHS's Supreme Student Government, while Asia was elected as the Vice President.

A tree has its strengths and weaknesses, flaws, and imperfections. Just like a tree, their journey was never that easy. But they remain standing no matter how cold, dark, and mysterious the night is. No matter how hard and violent the winds blow, they are inseparable.

Even after these hardships, luck remains on their side. Last February, their SSG adviser chose the two to represent the school. They got the chance and opportunity to be one of the scholars of Centrex, Quezon City’s training ground for future leaders,because of their numerous achievements.

Leadership might sound stressful, and some may hate it. You can’t move people to action unless you move them with emotion. The heart always comes before the head. So, to move people into action, leaders need to engage and connect emotionally to their followers.”

Beneath the ground, a tree has a root system that acts as an anchor. Even before we became a tree, it is already engraved in our souls. Integrity, self-awareness, courage, respect, empathy, and gratitude; without this, even with a gentle blow of the wind, you will fall.