By Fonz Bautista

By Rhianna Ramos

On Wednesday, September 17, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand gathered at the second-floor Formation and Learning Center (FLC) for “STEM Connect: Beyond the Shallows,” a strand-wide event aimed at fostering strand unity, collaboration, and camaraderie.

Spearheaded by Strand Chairperson Axel James Recla and Secretary Kellyn Anika Ramos, the event was held in two separate sessions — 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM for seniors and 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM for juniors. 

Recla emphasized the event’s purpose, saying, “The goal of this event is for us to build a sense of interconnectedness and community … na kahit magkakaiba tayo ng sections or mascots, we’re still one group.”

The program began with “STEMilarities,” where the students mingled with each other by finding peers with similar answers to the prompts shown on the screen.

This was followed by a potluck session where students brought and shared food across all sections.

Each class then presented its “Pi-Class-O” chants and mascots, which they had prepared from September 12 to September 16.

The final activity, “Fast and Curious,” had clusters of two to three sections, who completed 15 tasks in ten minutes to promote teamwork and collaboration.

Reflecting on his experience, Azriel Huang of 11-Moscoso shared, “STEM Connect was a success since everyone enjoyed [it] and I got to meet students from other sections.”

He added, “It showed me that the Ateneo STEM community really feels like home,” noting that he looks forward to the coming strand events.

The program ended with 11-Moscoso and 12-Oldcorne winning first place for their respective grade levels, receiving a penguin plushie as their prize.