By Mika Sanchez, 7 - 3 and Yana Uy, 12 - 3
October 12, 2021
(L-R) Mary De Leon, Cheska Atienza, and Moira Gregorio
Diana Ross said it best: there’s no place like home.
On September 10, 2021, the Grade 12 girls welcomed home Batch ‘27, the high school family’s newest members. A week full of bonding activities, this year’s virtual Kapatiran was certainly like no other.
The event, which aimed to help the new Grade 7 transition into high school, was officially launched last Monday, September 6, with each Grade 7 student receiving tasks to give them clues as to who their Kapatiran sister or KapSis was. The second task was given the next day, revealing the identity of the elusive “Player 2”.
The culmination activity took place on a Friday, beginning with an icebreaker Q&A hosted by Francine Tejada and Tine Imperial from Batch ‘22. Afterwards, Grade 12 Batch Representative Lexi Guerra officially opened the activity with a speech reminding the participants of the purpose of Kapatiran: forming meaningful bonds with our sisters in AA.
“As sisters, let us be there to guide, support and love each other as we journey through these challenging times,” she said. “Let us be open to the countless possibilities that this event holds, and most importantly, let us enjoy this time that we will be spending together today.” She assured the Grade 7 that their Ates would always be there for them to help and support them—all they had to do was reach out. Guerra also reminded the Grade 12 of the responsibilities they bear: to step up and step into the role of being the Ates, pass down their learnings to their little sisters to guide them through their new journey, and finally, become the start of their own legacy.
Accompanied by a teacher from Grade 7 or 12, the students broke into Kapatiran Troop calls to accomplish the two virtual centers. The Grade 7 were given the opportunity to ask their Ates about high school life and hear all about their own Grade 7 memories, which inspired them as they started making a virtual time capsule for new high school memories. The Grade 12 girls also created video messages for their Batch ‘27 counterparts to be viewed at the end of the year.
After the tasks in the centers had been accomplished, both levels converged once more for the second half of the program. The finalists of the #DynamicDuo costume contest were awarded and the girls presented their batch performances. Following this was a parody of Pinoy Big Brother, “Pinoy Big Ate”, where students of the Grade 12 shared their experiences throughout high school and gave words of advice to their little sisters. Finally, the Class Advisers concluded the activity with heartfelt speeches of thanks.
Although Kapatiran had come to a close, the bonds formed between the Ates and their bunsos are sure to last lifelong. After all, Batch ‘22 and Batch ‘27 share a common home and there’s no place quite like it.
(L-R) Danielle Bernardo, Ally Tiongco, and Alysha Ignacio
(L-R) Anikka Reyes, Francine Tejada, and Janna Lacerna
(L-R) Harriett Leyble and Ish Bendaña
(L-R) Kayla Cabungcal and Erish Castor