Article by Alex Lauricio and Arabella Balderama

Delegates from the best research groups all over the Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) were invited to participate in the Ateneo Senior High Academic Research Engagement (ASHARE) Research Fair. The groups gathered together on April 28 in various venues in the ASHS building and the Formation and Learning Center (FLC), showcasing their research to the student populace.

With the theme, “Forging ahead, Transcending limits,” the ASHARE Research Fair acted as the premiere showcase of the most exemplary research groups across the ASHS. Spearheaded by the ASHS’s Research Department, ASHARE was a result of the students’ hard work and a culmination of many sleepless nights dedicated to their research.

Invited class representatives were required to submit a five-minute video recording that introduced their research topic, including their study’s methodology and results. Others were chosen to print their research poster as displayed along the corridors of the second floor of the FLC.

The event consisted of each group taking turns to present their video, followed by a ten-minute question and answer portion from the respective esteemed group of panelists that varied for each strand. All of the strands’ parallel sessions were held simultaneously in the afternoon, which offered an open-door policy—inviting the general student populace to watch the presentations.

Two weeks later, star-inscribed medals and certificates were awarded to the emerging research groups last May 10 in the ASHS building, acting as the concluding note of the ASHARE Research Fair. This served as the culminating activity of the research subject area, inviting promising researchers from all sections to reach for the stars.

The St. Pedro Calungsod Award was given to the best research groups that exemplified excellence, besting the other groups of their strand. Special awards were also conferred to the groups that tackled essential areas of social reality and the groups that designed the best posters. 

Tracing The Origins

Throughout the year, the grade 11 juniors of the ASHS took Practical Research for two semesters. Each class was divided into several groups, arming them with a research topic they would devote their entire school year to.

While the first semester was focused on situating the concepts and ideas revolving around research as a rigorous academic discipline, along with the preparations for the actual research proper, it nonetheless provided the students with the necessary foundational skills to pursue their topic of choice.

The second semester saw each group of researchers blast off to different heights as they collected and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data for their studies. This ranged from surveys given to the general student populace or the public outside ASHS to producing and conducting a wide variety of experiments related to their research topic.

Blasting off however, was not an easy task— student-researchers weathered through tight deadlines, wrote tedious and long interview transcripts, and even reached financial dead-ends. These are but a few of the challenges that these researchers have braved throughout the year, showcasing both dedication and perseverance to their craft.

Invitations to ASHARE were given out to the representatives of each class during the last two weeks of April, giving ample time and opportunity for each group to prepare and present their research to the prestigious panelists with vast expertise and experience.

Beyond the Stars

Whether it’s providing solutions to the world’s sustainability challenges, or garnering demographic data regarding the needs, wants, and conditions of the students within the ASHS, ASHARE has provided an unforgettable experience for all the groups involved, acting as a staging ground for research career simulation as well as the understanding of many other social realities that research attempts to address.