By Heather Pascua

Last November 28, the Council of Student Committees (CSC) launched ‘SONATA: Pagkakaisa sa Pagkakaiba’ as their theme for this year’s advocacy week. 

From November 28 to December 1, various activity booths were held by the Sandigans in the first-floor foyer of the Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) building.

The event also involved collaborations with different organizations, including a kickoff performance with the ASHS Glee Club, a short film with the Ateneo Film Organization, and the Music Industry Organization. 

The CSC also housed a pop-up stall by Silingan Coffee on the first floor of the Formation Learning Center. It was run by employees who were relatives of extrajudicial killing victims. 

The CSC holds different advocacy-based projects, events, services, and initiatives such as Sonata, to empower students and the whole ASHS community. 

“We eventually thought to ourselves, ‘What better way to showcase our council magic than through an entity that is already magical in and of itself—music!’” Millie Salita, the CSC Vice President, expressed.

The CSC chose Sonata as their theme for this year as it is similar to what the council represents; despite the varying movements that make it up, they are hope to come together, creating a beautiful harmony. 

Beyond the booths

The Sandigans and Special Committees installed booths that sought to represent and highlight their respective advocacies and services.

One of the booths was the Campus Story Wall, spearheaded by the Bluebook Committee, which served as a freedom wall of the students’ diverse stories.

“The Ateneo Senior High is composed of students from very diverse backgrounds with very diverse stories,” Ian Nasam, the Bluebook Overall Head, said in an interview. 

“We hope to unite the community, especially the batch of the seniors, in remembering the things that have happened to us in the two years that we have been here,” Nasam added. 

The CSC Core, along with the Sandigan and Special Committees, also coordinated with various non-government organizations (NGOs) aligned with their mission to serve as their beneficiaries for the advocacy week.

For Sandigan Matanglawin, they partnered with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), a volunteer-led, non-profit organization. 

“A sense of unity is fostered when people gather to partake in our booths knowing that they played not only for entertainment but also to contribute to the well-being of animals under PAWS’ care,” Ms. Ayezza Prado, a member of Sandigan Matanglawin, said.

“After all, the Sonata wasn’t solely about having fun but a platform for the Sandigans to uphold their principles and advocacies,” she added.

On top of the entertaining booths and activities that the Sandigans and Special Committees have come up with, it is their vision to ignite and spark transformative change within the ASHS community and even far beyond.

“It fosters a sense of resonance that despite our uniqueness, we have shared experiences, passion, and desire to inspire bigger changes from pockets of changes,” Ms. Rani Castillo, an ASHS guidance counselor, expressed.  

“We envision Sonata to be the catalyst that inspires the student body to take on a more proactive role of enacting social change within our school community,” Salita concluded.