By Ana Rufa Padua

Principal Sir Noel Miranda and members of the Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) Administration Team talked about their plans and changes for School Year 2021-2022 in the ASHS Parent’s Orientation hosted by Sir Kynan Del Rosario and Mrs. Aurea Cruz held early morning of August 7, Saturday.

The orientation began with a virtual campus tour of the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School followed by the Lupang Hinirang and a prayer led by Fr. Bong Dahunan, SJ.

Six speakers from the Ateneo administration were invited to speak, namely, Fr. Jonjee Sumpaico III, SJ– Vice President for Basic Education,  Sir Noel Miranda– current principal of the ASHS, Sir Luis Melosantos–Assistant Principal for Academics, Mrs. Jennifer Concepcion– Assistant Principal for Formation, Mrs. Czel Lacson– Assistant Principal for Administration, and Fr. Alberto Ampil– Director for Parent Relations and Programs.

Fr. Jonjee Sumpaico started off the orientation by discussing the three areas that came up after a year of online learning: connection, connectivity, and effectivity. He also talked about “patriotship” and how we try to work with hope in these trying times. 

“This moment in time, when people do not find that much meaning, we try to see what we are hopeful for. We try to work with hope, as we also gather, as we also build, as we also dream about what is given to us at this time,”  Fr. Jonjee said.

After Fr. Jonjee, Sir Noel Miranda talked about the current theme of the school year, “To see all things new in Christ,” and explained that it highlights the value of transformation– of being changed, of growing, of developing. 

Sir Miranda mentioned that this year is the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola and compared our current situation to his [St. Ignatius of Loyola].

“We had our own big dreams, hopes and plans before the pandemic, then the pandemic hit us out of nowhere and forced us like Iñigo to be in isolation from one another, unable to move or pursue our old dreams because suddenly,  the world and the opportunities before us have changed, ” Miranda stated.

Next, Sir Luis Melosantos briefly talked about the changes regarding academic affairs for the school year 2021-2022 such as the “refined qualitative grading system.”

“The Ateneo de Manila Senior High School can only offer what is the best for our students, for your sons and daughters,” Mr. Melosantos said.

According to Mrs. Jennifer Concepcion, the school will continue to offer core, applied, and specialized subjects in the online set-up.

Concepcion also emphasized the importance of establishing relationships with the teachers in order to maximize opportunities, gain knowledge, and develop new skills through academic and non-academic programs

The Assistant Principal for Administration, Mrs. Czel Lascon, discussed the release of physical IDs, and the preparations the school is making in case the school reverts back to face-to-face classes next school year.

“The physical ID will be delivered to your doorstep,” Lacson said. Both the Grade 11 and Grade 12 students will be getting their student identification cards next month, September. 

“We’re planning and preparing for the reintroduction [of uniforms and food services] in the event that we return to face-to-face classes next school year,” Lacson added.

Last to speak was Fr. Alberto Ampil, he talked about the Parent Relations and Programs-Parents Union for School and Home (PREP-PUSH), how PREP represents the High School, and PUSH represents the parents. 

The PREP-PUSH is the official venue of communication for the school and the parents and is responsible for promoting a collaborative and mutually supportive relationship between the school and the home.

A Question and Answer (QnA) portion was also allotted for additional questions and concerns of the parents during the orientation. 

• Will the school assist the students in handling college applications? What are the schedules and procedures for the ACET, UPCAT, if there is one?
  • Concepcion – We normally have the Educational Exploration (EdEx). We invited speakers from UP, Ateneo, La Salle, UST, and Mapua. We hope to provide more information to the students once they have responded. For Grade 12, they will focus on what courses will fit the career they are interested in.
  • Melosantos – The registrar’s office gives the guidelines so the students should keep posted.  At this point we are assuming na wala pa ring entrance tests so we would like to request our students to prepare well for their essays.
• What are the guidelines and policies for one to become an honor student in Grade 11 and Grade 12? Will there be a valedictorian, a salutatorian for this school year?
  • Melosantos – We will have a valedictorian and a salutatorian this school year. We will give a year-end recognition to excellent students. It is similar to a dean’s list. 
• Will there be a vaccination program for the kids? Does Ateneo plan to facilitate the vaccination of its students 18 years old and above?
  • Lacson – We are scheduled to have a meeting this Tuesday regarding the enlistment of University students including the rollout of vaccination for Senior High School students. 
• For SAT exams, they required a numerical grade average. How can we get this since the grading system of Ateneo is different?
  • Melosantos – We actually have a QPI translation but we usually use it for the Batch Ranking. We can use that to come up with some kind of interpretation of the performance of the student.
• When is the application period for Ateneo [college]?
  • Concepcion– we are still waiting for the official announcement of the Office of Admission and Aid (OAA) of the Loyola Schools. We will certainly provide the information of the students once we’ve heard from them. We expect that around the end of the month.

In case anyone missed it, the Parents’ Orientation livestream can be found in the Ateneo de Manila University YouTube Channel through this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwF_DjB-15Y&ab_channel=AteneodeManilaUniversity

Additionally, the ASHS Online Learning Primer for SY 2021-2022 has already been coursed through the parents/guardians’ emails. 

Photo Source: Ateneo de Manila University on Youtube