By Sophia Felices, 11-2
September 23, 2020
One of the things Assumption Antipolo values dearly is community spirit. The community continuously makes efforts to shape their students by building authentic connections with the people around them, something that has been lacking since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The various restrictions have caused a palpable disconnect between individuals, even within our beloved school community. That is why the school chose to push through with the annual interaction between the Grade 7 and Grade 12 batches last September 19, 2020, more commonly known as Kapatiran.
Prior to the event, each Grade 7 student was paired with three “Ates” or Grade 12 students. They were asked to wear costumes under different themes and post videos of themselves wearing them on Flipgrid, a video-sharing application. The recorded videos were then presented on the Kaptiran day itself. The Grades 7 and 12 participants spent most of their Saturday morning doing various bonding activities, such as giving and receiving advice about a wide range of topics including how to cope with online school and taking care of one’s mental health.
Despite the change of platform, both batches ended their morning with new learnings as well as meaningful connections with each other.
In an interview with Julia Dela Cruz of Grade 12, she summarized the event to be a success. She commended the officers of both batches and teachers-in-charge in organizing this year’s Kapatiran. She and her partner had managed to maintain a sincere connection and continued to stay in touch up until now. Although the online setup has posed many challenges in terms of living out community spirit, events like the Kapatiran allow students to strengthen sisterhood while having fun at the same time. This is a testament that fruitful, meaningful, and memorable experiences can be made regardless of the platform used.