By AJ Alarcon

The Ateneo Senior High Orientation Seminar (SHOrSem) 2025, themed “Tawid,” concluded on Wednesday, August 6, with two culminating activities — the Strand Assembly with the subtheme “Tuklas” and the Mini Involvement Fair (MIF) with the subtheme “Taya.”

To accommodate the event’s second day, academic classes followed a shortened schedule. 

By 1:45 PM, student moderators had fetched their assigned Grade 11 classes from their respective classrooms.

Students from the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) and General Academic (GA) strands first attended their respective strand assemblies, while those from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strands joined the MIF.

Students participated in their respective segments for an hour and 30 minutes before transitioning — HUMSS and STEM students proceeded to their strand assemblies, while ABM and GA students participated in the MIF. 

Both activities ran concurrently until 5:00 PM.

Tuklas

Held at the third floor of the Formation and Learning Center (FLC), the strand assemblies introduced the juniors to their strand council chairpersons and secretaries, who facilitated the first part of the segment.

The strand leaders presented the projects planned for the school year and shared elements of strand culture — such as mascots, hand signs, and logos.

Moreover, the Junior’s Forum segment gave Grade 11 students a chance to hear advice and insights from their strand leaders and other seniors based on their own junior year experiences.

Various games and interactive activities also helped foster class and strand-level bonding during the segment.

The second part of the assembly, facilitated by the SHOrSem 2025 Programs Committee, included a Two-Word Check-In and a reflection period using the FutureMe website.

“Our batch got to ask our seniors questions about junior life, and we learned a lot,” shared Maria Tondo from 11-Garnet.

Taya

Meanwhile, the MIF featured 16 booths from various organizations, sports clubs, and committees (OSCC) spread across the Main Building and FLC.

Each OSCC introduced their activities and advocacies, inviting juniors to explore and join their organizations.

With the help of their Tawid Passports, students visited booths, collected stickers and stamps, and engaged with the representatives of each organization.

“During the MIF, it was also really fun since we got to see and hear all the different advocacies of the orgs,” Tondo noted, adding that the second day of SHOrSem was enjoyable despite the crowds.

The first day of SHOrSem 2025 took place on Wednesday, July 30, following the St. Ignatius Mass and the Schola Brevis formation session.