Ateneo Ripples: A celebration of Eloquentia et Sapientia
Eloquentia et Sapientia or Eloquence and Wisdom is one of the major educational dictums of every Ateneo school. This has been the inspiration of the many students as they continue to do more for academic, social, and spiritual victory.
Some people believe that success is a God-given blessing that falls effortlessly into your lap. They think that luck is the governing factor that differentiates two people. However, success is not merely a gift, nor is it just a bizarre stroke of luck. The staffers of Ripples, the official student publication of Ateneo de Iloilo-Santa Maria Catholic School High School Department, had to learn this the hard way.
The road towards the development of the journalistic program in Ateneo de Iloilo started to become clear in the 1990s until year 2002 when groups of aspiring journalists from the school sporadically joined the journalism seminar-workshops sponsored by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and the Department of Education, among others. They never left these conferences empty handed. Awards, here and there, were a given.
In 2002, the position of school paper moderator was taken over by Engr. Herman M. Lagon, who functions in school as a physics and math teacher. A weekly columnist of The News Today and SunStar Daily Iloilo, he has also had much experience in the field of journalism. That year he received a national award in feature writing from the PIA, and, later, received other honors such as the Most Outstanding School Paper Adviser in the Philippines 2005, from the Department of Education (DepEd); the Most Outstanding School Paper Adviser in Western Visayas 2006 from the PIA; and the Most Outstanding Teacher in Western Visayas 2007 from the Private Secondary School Administrators Association of the Philippines (PRISSAAP).
The school year 2002-2003 saw not only a new school paper adviser, but also a time of significant changes for the Ripples. In the Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC), the high school team garnered four gold medals and three silver medals, as well as allowing nine students to qualify for the Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC). That same year, the RSPC qualifiers for the high school level returned with one gold medal, one silver, and two National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) qualifiers.
In the DepEd-sponsored Golden Pen Awards, the year 2002-2003 team received 33 awards in journalism, as well as a Graciano Lopez Jaena Award for Excellence in Journalism presented to Pamela Joy Go, who was that year's editor-in-chief. Likewise, in the PIA seminar-workshop, the group received a total of 11 regional awards, and the prestigious IWAG award was presented to Pamela Joy Go.
That year, the Ripples also shone in the Quintin Yuyitung Foundation National Contest for Chinese-Filipino Schools. In the search for the Most Outstanding Editor-in-Chief, Pamela Joy Go received the champion's spot, as well as in the English feature category, where she was tied with Claudine Yao for the 1st place. Jenny Angelene Tarazona was also named 1st runner-up in feature writing in Filipino.
School year 2003-2004 ushered in another year of development for Ateneo de Iloilo's journalism. In the DSPC, the Ripples received eight gold medals and one silver medal, and had 11 RSPC qualifiers. Following was the RSPC, which brought to the school two silver medals, two bronze medals, and two participants in the Top 5 spots, thus giving them five NSPC qualifiers, including one for broadcast journalism.
The DepEd's Golden Pen Awards that year gave the Ripples 46 awards and four Golden Pen Awardees, including Sports Editor Vicente Magallanes, News Editor Neil Andrew Llorente, Editor-in-chief Flora Antonina Rebadulla, and Opinion Editor Jose Ryan Pelongco. The PIA awarded the team 14 regional awards in their seminar that year, and the same organization honored the school with three IWAG awardees, namely, Flora Antonina Rebadulla, Carlo Sagge, and Nestonel Estrada, who was also the champion for opinion and news writing English for the Quintin Yuyitung contests.
The next school year, 2004-2005, brought the Ripples six gold medals and three silver ones from the DSPC, which allowed 11 students to proceed to the RSPC. There, the students garnered two silver medals and one spot in the Top 5, as well as two NSPC qualifiers. Meanwhile, in the PIA seminar-workshop, the group was awarded 22 regional honors, and the Best Performing Delegate award was given to Bert Lorenz Divinagracia. This year, the IWAG awards were given to Japhet Burgos, the former editor-in-chief, Katrina Intrepido, associate editor; and Lorenz Lao, the Chinese-Filipino editor.
In the 2004 Golden Pen Awards, the Ripples team brought back to the school 58 awards, three out of the ten Golden Pen Awardees (namely, Neil Andrew Llorente, Jose Ryan Pelongco and Erika Ledesma), six out of ten Most Outstanding Campus Journalists in the Open Category (Japhet Burgos, Katrina Intrepido, Ethel Fatima Sia, Rosette Palmares, Marielle Jacomille, and Valerie Villarosa) and three out of 12 Most Outstanding Campus Journalists in Level 1 (Red Gabriel Convocar, Nicole Jarillo and Regine Camille Garcia).
That same year brought back to Ateneo de Iloilo 1st place in Editorial writing English by Neil Llorente and 2nd place in Technical Support in Broadcast Journalism by Japhet Burgos, both from the NSPC. In another nationwide competition, Japhet Burgos and Katrina Intrepido brought home the championship in News Writing English. Katrina Intrepido also received the 1st runner-up position in Literary Writing English.
School year 2005-2006 ushered in another year of progress in journalism for Ateneo de Iloilo. The DSPC participants returned with four first-placers, four second-placers, and 12 RSPC qualifiers. In the RSPC, they received one gold, one silver, five honorable mentions, and two NSPC qualifiers.
In the DepEd's annual Golden Pen Awards, the Ripples team had 160 runner-up awards, 16 third-placers, 17 second-placers, and 17 first-placers. Seven of its participants made it into the Most Promising Campus Writers in Western Visayas, among whom were Jonathan Tagamolila, Victor Robinson III, Nina Juan Loa, Camille Denise Javellana, Christine Marie Sia, Sophia Hiñola, and Glyzelle Dianne Ybiernas. Also, three contestants were awarded with the Golden Pen: Neil Andrew Llorente, Jose Ryan Pelongco, and Nanella Measures.
That year, there were five Atenean IWAG Awardees: Neil Andrew Llorente, Editor in Chief, Valerie Ann Villarosa, Associate Editor; Ethel Fatima Regla Sia, Managing Editor, Jose Ryan Pelongco, Opinion Editor; and Florence Mae Jarillo, Chinese Editor). In the Quintin Yuyitung contests, Neil Andrew Llorente was named Most Outstanding Editor in Chief, as well as winning first place in opinion and news writing English and first runner-up in editorial writing English. Valerie Ann Villarosa won 1st place in feature writing Filipino; Jose Ryan Pelongco won 1st runner-up in editorial writing English. Victor Robinson III and Stephanie Enarbia won first runners-up in Filipino and English respectively.
Similarly, the present school year of 2006-2007 brought more recognition to Ateneo de Iloilo in the field of journalism. Because of its performance in the previous years, the Ripples staff was given the automatic right to join the RSPC without going through the DSPC. There, they were awarded one gold, one silver, one bronze, two honorable mentions, and three NSPC qualifiers.
The same school year saw the DepEd Golden Pen Awards with 90 awards in total for Ateneo de Iloilo, including a Golden Pen Awardee (Victor Robinson III) and three Most Outstanding Campus Journalists (Angelica Quitasol, Glyzelle Ybiernas, and Duane Javier). In the PIA seminar, the school was honored with 18 regional awards, and two best performing delegates: Victor Robinson III and Dexter Javellana.
Yet Ateneo's journalism team has tested its mettle not only in written reporting but also in broadcasting, public speaking, literary writing, and leadership.
It has won several honors in the field of broadcasting, including the first runner-up spot in the 2004-2005 Panay-Wide Seminar and Contest in Broadcast Journalism sponsored by ABS-CBN, and the overall championship the following school year. The same year, the team also won first place in the National Broadcasting Contest.
Just last month, the Ripples team again showed its dominance when it bagged the overall championship in the Regional Broadcasting Conference held January 17-18 at the Iloilo Central Elementary School and the Robinson's Mall Iloilo.
The 2006 Rotary Club's Voice of the Youth Impromptu Speaking (Contest-Club Level)'s participant, Eddyl Tolentino, also won the championship and proceeded to the Visayas-Mindanao division where he won 3rd place.
In literary writing, the Ripples team has also proven that it could hold its own this school year, at DepEd's 2nd Regional Literary Writeshop and Contests. Romellaine Arsenio was named the Most Be-medalled Candidate, and won alongside Jazelle Nufable, Stephanie Enarbia, Trisha Ferraris, Agnes Bofill, Desiree Cadiena, and Jane Diane Castor.
This February, Ripples' Editor in Chief Victor Robinson III is to receive yet another award as Most Outstanding Secondary School Student of Western Visayas from PRISSAAP and as First Runner Up in the Department of Education's Search for the Most Outstanding Campus Paper Writer in Western Visayas. He will also receive a medal for literary work or journalism in the SanAg Awards that will be held Feb. 14 in University of San Agustin.
Ateneo de Iloilo Ripples also won this January the Best School Paper Award for Category B (tabloid) of the Department of Education Region VI. It will likewise receive a major (yet to be disclosed) award from the SanAg Awards for its publications.
Ripples, to note, publish an average of 10 newsletters, magazines and tabloids in school every year.
Robinson, together with three others Ripples editors--Stephanie Keiko Enarbia, Jazelle Marie Nufable, and Anzell JamesGregory Tendencia--are now set to go to Baguio City as they have earned a slot in the National Schools Press Conference 2007. They will be accompanied by their adviser, Engr. Lagon, who will also coach the Western Visayas team in the "Tagisan ng Talino" category.
Meanwhile, the Ripples staffers have likewise produced good leaders. From 2002-2006, they have played roles in the Ten Most Outstanding Student Leaders of Iloilo City, and among them are Pamela Joy Go, Suzanne Carmona, Carlo Sagge, Marie Sonsehrey Bretaña and Neil Andrew Llorente. Likewise, they have participated in the Rotary Boys and Girls Week for Iloilo City, and have held positions such as City Mayor (Jose Ryan Pelongco, 2005; Thomas Michael Measures, 2006), City Vice Mayor (Neil Llorente, 2005), Councilor (Flora Antonina Rebadulla, 2002 and 2003; Ana Karissa Chua, 2002; Katrina Intrepido and Marie Sonsehrey Bretana, 2004; Valerie Ann Villarosa and Ethel Fatima Sia, 2005; Victor Robinson III, Hajar Al-Abdullah, and Stephanie Enarbia; 2006), ABC President (Florence Jarillo, 2004), and City Health Officer (Erika Ledesma, 2004).
However, to achieve all this, the Ripples team has had to undergo annual summer journalism workshops and monthly outreach journalism trainings. In fact the 5th Ripples Summer Journalism Course this year is slated March 12-16, and April 9-27 which covers courses on Basic Journalism, Advanced Journalism, and Creative Writing.
As part of its outreach program, Ripples, to note, also trains scores of budding journalists of its counterpart in the Ateneo de Iloilo Grade School, the Pebbles. This is a fire-year-old, year-long training that is able to produce regional and national winners also for the school's elementary department.
To achieve all the accolades, the Ripples staffers have had to sacrifice much of their time and effort just to hone their talents and skills. Through hard work, as well as perseverance and patience on their adviser's part, they were able to rise above the expected and do everything Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam -- for the Greater Glory of God.
/Ripples