By Gilli Aquino and Rafaella Suplico

Amid the hustle and bustle of school life in the ASHS community, the sun glimmers upon a vibrant group of individuals with a diverse spectrum of interests and passions, each finding their place in the dynamic world of student organizations. Within the Council of Student Organizations (CSO), home to 9 colorful districts, there’s always room to express your individuality and let your sparkle stand out.

As CSO Week Sidlak began, corridors were decorated with booths of the various organizations, and advocacies being shared between students. Here, we see the light of the commitment and dedication that the STEMD (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics District) and HED (Health and Environment District) has prepared for the student body. With Sidlak translating to sparkle, STEMD and HED were ready to set the ASHS students’ paths aglow this CSO month 2025.

HED: Finding Warmth in the Sunlight

Sunlight is essential for growth. It nurtures life, providing the warmth and energy needed to flourish. As we bask in its warmth, HED encourages the ASHS community to embrace both personal well-being and ecological sustainability, reminding us that caring for ourselves goes hand in hand with caring for the world around us. This organization within the Council of Student Organizations (CSO) aims to shed light on the importance of health education while cultivating eco-conscious living.

HED has prepared two major projects for Sidlak. The first is HED x Kanlaon FAST Talks, a first aid training session where students learn essential life-saving techniques from healthcare professionals. This initiative provides an avenue for aspiring medical professionals and individuals eager to be equipped with practical emergency skills.

According to Junior HED Core, Samantha Dela Cruz, “We aim to create a community where students don’t just learn about health and ecological issues, but actively engage in addressing them.” Her statement reflects the organization’s commitment to fostering a proactive and socially responsible student body, empowering them to become agents of change.

The second project, HED-ing Outside, offers a space for aspiring plant-titas and plant-titos to learn how to grow and maintain microgreens in small spaces. This initiative promotes sustainable urban gardening, showing that even in limited areas, individuals can cultivate their own fresh produce and contribute to greener living. 

Through these small yet impactful steps toward ecological sustainability, Dela Cruz hopes to foster a culture of responsibility within the ASHS community. With the Psychology Society of the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School (Psyche) and the Pre-Medical Society of the Ateneo (PMSA) as its current member organizations, HED is driven by passionate individuals who dedicate their time to health and environmental advocacies. Their mission is clear: to remind everyone that basking in the sunlight—both literally and metaphorically—means embracing self-care while also caring for the world around us.

Psyche: Shining Light for Clarity

As one of the newer organizations in the Senior High begins to cast its light and sparkle, Psyche strives to be a guiding beacon to the student body, offering students an avenue to empower themselves through understanding one’s emotions. By shining light on the importance of mental clarity and self-understanding, Psyche hopes to help students navigate the complexities of their emotions with greater confidence and compassion.

The mere thought of speaking in front of an audience can be paralyzing for some which is why Psyche recently held Un-Psyche-Ty: Public Speaking Anxiety—a transformative workshop designed to equip students with the skills and confidence to speak with ease. More than just a crash course, the session became a catalyst for growth, offering practical techniques to manage anxiety and embrace self-expression with authenticity and poise.

In today’s fast-paced world, navigating the ebb and flow of emotions can be overwhelming, especially when constantly shifting between school and home environments. For Public Relations Assistant Vice President, Pepper Dimagiba, the organization’s mission extends beyond simply imparting the facts and theories of psychology. “Through conversations in and outside of org sessions with fellow members and officers, knowing that the work we put in is helping people better understand themselves is what keeps me going.”

 By fostering this openness, Psyche hopes to inspire its members to extend the same empathy and understanding to others—building a community where vulnerability is met with compassion and clarity leads to genuine connection.

PMSA: Igniting the Spark of Healing

Another organization sparks brightly in the CSO—one that pioneered the creation of HED. PMSA-SHS lit the torch in ASHS with its advocacy to cultivate competent medical professionals with a heart for service. With every initiative, PMSA continues to ignite the spark of healing, inspiring the community through compassion and action.

PMSA has built its advocacy on holistically educating Ateneans about health concerns and medical misconceptions through its projects for Sidlak. One of its flagship initiatives is Hugs for Hopes, a collaboration with Ateneo Catechetical Instruction League (ACIL), where the two organizations visited Bahay Aruga to engage with pediatric cancer patients. Through Bible storytelling and donation drives, PMSA brought a spark of hope to the children, leaving behind a glimmer of kindness and care.

Secondly, the organization hosted a Women’s Month Consultation in celebration of Women’s Month, offering free medical consultations for ASHS faculty, staff, and custodians with licensed doctors. This initiative not only promoted accessible healthcare but also embodied PMSA’s mission to illuminate the path to wellness for the ASHS community.

Miel Naubab, Assistant Vice President for Publications,  explains the core values that PMSA-SHS lives by: M.E.D.S. For every act of service, they strive to embody: Makiisa, Engganyo, Dinggin, Sakuna. These values fuel the flame of service, as PMSA continues to kindle the spark of healing in ASHS through compassionate action and meaningful service.

For Naubab, her leadership role as a core member of PMSA has opened her eyes to the realities of medicine in the country through social involvements. “Seeing the dedication of Ateneans—especially in service-oriented projects like our Women’s Month initiatives—was truly inspiring. It reinforced the idea that our efforts are just the beginning; there is always room to do more, give more, and serve in greater ways.” Her words reflect the PMSA’s  deeper mission—to inspire a generation of future medical professionals from the ASHS through awareness and action.

STEMD: Finding Magic in the Mundane

Igniting the path to a better and brighter future can only be possible through the hands and hearts of those willing to fight for it. The Science Technology and Engineering District (STEMD) consists of those individuals who have the talent and passion to turn their ideas into reality. This district provides ASHS students with a space to freely express and experiment with their STEM-related interests and advocacies within a community of like-minded individuals. 

To Mary Lagdameo, the head of STEMD, the district is much more than just a collection of organizations. “It gives ASHS students the chance to dive deeper into science, technology, engineering, and math beyond what we learn in class.” She details how these organizations allow us to see the real-world impact of STEM beyond the classroom and use it to better understand the world that we live in. 

For CSO month the district launched the STEMD Boutique Merch Launch, Archi’s Market,  which features a variety of exclusive STEMD-themed stickers with an array of catchy taglines that students may purchase for their laptops, tumblers, and everyday items. Aside from this, as a part of CSO’s Lingap at Linang fundraising project, all the proceeds will be donated to Good Neighbor’s PH, an organization that aims to help those in poverty achieve self-reliance. 

For Lagdameo, she relishes the opportunity to watch these students from different fields come together under one district, sharing their knowledge, ideas, and drive to innovate.

“There’s something really special about watching students get excited about projects, seeing them collaborate and knowing some way we’re all pushing each other to grow.” She states explaining why this district fulfills her with such passion

At the heart of the STEMD district is a passionate group of students with the drive to continuously search for discoveries, ideas, and solutions for a bigger and brighter future. To most, these ideas may be mere imaginations however,  for students of the STEMD district, these ideas are unlimited possibilities that they will continue to transform into realities. 

ProgVar: Sparking Innovation

With every line of code, the ASHS Programming Varsity (ProgVar) sparks innovation within the CSO. CSO, in itself, embodies the spirit of fearless exploration, unafraid to venture out to the difficult and unusual with determination and skill. 

True to its name, ProgVar focuses on teaching students advanced programming techniques and training them for high-level coding competitions. Through their dedication, members face complex challenges head-on, constantly honing their abilities and illuminating new paths in the digital world.

Sparking innovation within the ASHS community, ProgVar made its mark at Sidlak through their booth, Byte-Tique. Located in the first-floor foyer, the booth offered trinkets such as stickers as rewards for every three correct answers to STEM-related questions. With this interactive experience, ProgVar not only showcased their expertise but also inspired others to embrace the thrill of problem-solving and discovery. “In ProgVar, we recognize each one’s potential as a programmer. Recognizing your own self value and the things you can offer to society in spite of everything that people tell you and all of the judgements,” ProgVar head Julia Joaquin expressed.

Programming is a skill that demands both talent and patience and for Julia Joaquin, the most rewarding part of leading the organization is witnessing the growth and progress of its members. She shares that seeing their hard work translate into improved skills and confidence makes the challenges of leadership worthwhile.

Math Org: Our World’s Problem Solvers

While complex computations and confusing numbers may appear to be a nightmare for some, students of the Ateneo Math Organization relish the challenge of confounding problems that deepen their understanding of the mathematical world. Aside from fostering a community of passionate mathematicians, the organization provides students with reviewers, mock tests and other supplementary materials to aid ASHS students in their math endeavors 

For Jamilla Fernandez, the organization’s Assistant Vice President of Public Relations, she describes how the math org has become a safe space for students to be “nerd out.” As expressed in her own words, ”In what other org would you be challenged to map out a haunted cat mansion based on riddle cards? I believe that by injecting the often serious subject into outlandish situations, we are put out of our often analytical comfort zones.” To Fernandez, seeing the creativity in math helps others view the subject as more of a passion than skill.  

Archi’s Market was built through the hands of the math organization. Pins, tote bags, and keychains are just some of the uniquely crafted items available to the ASHS community. “The idea came from our executive president, that’s why we’re the ones manning the booth’ Fernandez explains. 

At first glance, the Math Org may initially appear to be an extra 45 minutes of headache-inducing problem solving; however, members of the organization are immersed in a world full of creative games, school-wide projects and outreach programs that foster an appreciation for math beyond the school curriculum. 

Ateneo BOx: Sparking Sustainability 

Through scientific discoveries and a love for the unknown, members of the Ateneo Biological Organization work to achieve a more sustainable future, sparking palpable changes for the betterment of our environment. 

The Executive Assistant Vice President of BOx, Summer Sy, shares the interactive experiences and hands-on activities held during sessions. “We do lots of fun activities like frog and pig dissections, bacteria and plant lab experiments as well as nature walks wherein we identify the different plant species around campus.” Sessions such as these serve as an avenue for students to think in unconventional ways, uncovering new ideas through first-person experiences. 

In line with sparking students of change, the BOx core allows their members to gain real-life experience in managing the organization. Part of  this includes manning their CSO month booth Beads & Bonds. If cute and customizable charm bracelets seem enticing to you, make sure to visit the first floor foyer to check out all the org has in store. Alongside this, Ateneo BOx has collaborated with Kanlaon for an off-campus excursion Pagsabay sa Alon where students will get the chance to participate in tree planting and coastal cleanup initiatives in Calagatan and Batangas. 

A deep appreciation for every walk of life is something that the Ateneo BOx aims to foster, in the words of one of its members: “I find it so amazing and interesting to learn about all the different organisms that can be found all around us, it really opened my eyes and helped me to appreciate all life on earth, which ignites my passion for creation.” Through one-of-a-kind experiences within a community enriched with creativity, members of Ateneo BOx learn to love the world around them.

Ateneo Engineering and Innovation Society: Building Futures

In the midst of a world that is rapidly evolving we are in need of those individuals with not only the skill, but the heart to make sure these changes are for the betterment of our community. Serving as the only engineering organization in the ASHS, the Engineering and Innovation Society (EISA) is devoted to shaping young engineers through support, training and exposure to electronics and computer engineering. 

In the words of the organization’s head, Quisha Lim, EISA aims to develop the skills and passions of young innovators through providing students with the necessary knowledge and outlets of creative engineering. “We always encourage our members to find and create solutions, troubleshoot and solve problems, and always add their unique creative touch to everything they do.” Lim expounds on the organization’s goals. 

As EISA continues to nurture students’ individual creativity, CSO month welcomes their booth entitled “Slime Attack” where students can drop by to create their own DIY slime with glitter, foam beads and much more. Students may also purchase all original EISA themed merchandise at Archi’s Market to show off their love for innovation and engineering! 

Whether it be through physics reviewers or mini-field trips, EISA is committed to shining a light on the ideas that some may deem to be “out of the ordinary” As said by the organization’s head, “ I love creating, and I want to spread that love to others by providing them with fun outlets that test their skills and creativity.” In EISA your imagination is forever limitless. 

Glimmers of dedication, commitment, and passion are evidently felt by every individual from these organizations. As we bask in the light of psychology, mathematics, technology and many others, we are reminded of the diverse student body that uniquely strives to spark individuality in the ASHS community. This light will continue to shine in the incoming school year as the zeal of these two districts merge into the Mathematics Applied Sciences District (MASD). As the sun rises on CSO month we will always remember those that give it their all to ignite paths and illuminate a better–brighter future.