Jevern Ellaga, first Philippines Youth Leadership Program (PYLP) from Landan National High School

This is Jevern Ellaga back in 2010 during the GFI Books Turn Over ceremony at Landan National High School, Polomolok, South Cotabato. He later graduated as Class Valedictorian and the 2011-2012 Galing Foundation, Inc. Youth Leadership Awardee (YLA).

He is currently a college student at Mindanao Polytechnic College taking Mechanical Engineering and is one of the 24 selected students from Mindanao for the 10th Philippines Youth Leadership Program (PYLP) that will undergo a four-week intensive leadership training program at Northern Illinois University.

This is the link for the send off meeting(pre-departure orientation) with US Ambassador to the Philippines, Harry K. Thomas, Jr. http://manila.usembassy.gov/mobile/usembassyspylp2013.html

Other ctudents that made it to the 10th PYLP can be accessed from this link:

 http://www.afs.ph/news-and-events/article/?article_id=3816

From the Galing Foundation, Inc Board, congratulations Jevern!

GFI Box 207 shipped to Mindanao

April 5, 2013

Roswell, GA - Galing Foundation, Inc. ships box no. 207 (Invoice no. GA-01) containing books, school supplies and educational toys to benefit Filipino children of Limelifew Elementary School and Amando M. Quirit, Sr. National High School in Sarangani Province in Mindanao.

A big thank you to:

• Cross of Life Lutheran Church for funding its shipment
• Friends of Roswell Library and to the Santana Family for the generous in-kind donation.
• Jay Suarez & Co. TFC (The Filipino Cargo International LLC) for serving as GFI's logistics partner

To track this shipment, contact North Carolina Shipping Office at 980 254-5769. Details at

http://galingfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/04/gfi-balikbayan-box-no-207-full-of-books.html

Basic profile of Amado M. Quirit Sr. National High School

Arnis class demonstration

School participation to the Barangay Anniversary of Kihan

The main pathway of the school

 

ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION

A.   School Name: AMADO M. QUIRIT SR. NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL           
    
B.   DepEd ID Number: 316604

C.   Name of Principal/Teach-in-Charge: JENNIFER S. DELA SIERRA

D. School address: KIHAN, MALAPATAN, SARANGANI PROVINCE

SCHOOL MISSION: 

" Amado M. Quirit Sr. National High School in the midst of a greatly challenged community is dedicated in creating a friendly learning environment where internal and external stakeholders join hands in making it a well-equipped school in the hinterland."
 

Student data for SY 2012 - 2013:
 

Male:108               Age Range: 12 - 26

Female: 156           Age Range: 12 - 21

Type and quantity of books that is currently in its inventory:

Titles	Year Acquired	Source	Quantity	Remarks
API – Pilipinas Isang Sulyap at Pagyakap	2008	DepEd	30	Good Condition
English I – Ventures in Communication TX	2008	DepEd	42	Good Condition
Intermediate Algebra TX	2010	DepEd	67	Good Condition
Geometry TX	2010	DepEd	27	Good Condition
Integrated Science	2012	DepEd	60	Good Condition
Biology	2012	DepEd	60	Good Condition
Chemistry	2012	DepEd	60	Good Condition
Physics	2012	DepEd	30	Good Condition
English II – Ventures in Communication TX	2012	DepEd	60	Good Condition
Various Reading Materials	2012	QUEST	80	Good Condition

Current curriculum:

           School Year 2012-2013 has three(3) curriculum in one. Grade 7 (No longer first year) followed the k-12 education curriculum where subjects are taught from the simplest concepts to more complicated concepts through grade levels in spiral progression. Second Year follows the Revised Secondary Education Curriculum which anchored in the Understanding by Design (UbD) developed by Mc Tighe and Wiggins. It aimed to teach for understanding which should be manifested by the students: students can explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, empathize and have self-knowledge about a given topic. Third Year and Fourth Year follows the Basic Education Curriculum. It is student-centered, community-oriented style of education where Values Education is incorporated into the teaching of other subject areas.
 

            The school intensified its reading program because we believe that the most basic part of learning is the skill in reading. Learning how to learn and not what to learn is what we inculcate in our students.

 

Current Reading Program in Place:
 

                 At the start of the school year, the high school entrants were given an exam both in English and Filipino to determine their reading level. Those who can read well and can comprehend are categorized as Independent Readers. Those who can read but cannot comprehend well are categorized as Instructional Readers while those who can hardly read are categorized as Frustrated Readers.
 

                The Independent Readers were given the task as Mentors for those instructional and frustrated readers and the English and Filipino teachers are their advisers and supervisors of the reading activities. Once a week students were assigned a short story/selection to be read aloud. This oral reading targeted not only to improve the students reading ability but also to boast their confidence to speak in front of the audience .The mentor would then ask some questions to check the comprehension of the reader.
 

                At the end of the school year the learners were given post test to determine whether their reading level increases. Those who did not improved were advised to attend the summer reading camp for 4 weeks.

Photos courtesy of Maam Jennifer S. Dela Sierra.

Lamlifew Elementary School graduation photos SY 2012 - 2013

There were 22 graduates (12 females, 10 males) for the School Year 2012 - 2013 from the Lamlifew Elementary School. The graduates wore their traditional Blaan costumes instead of the commonly used toga. Lamlifew Elementary School is the pilot school in Sarangani for the implementation of the Mother-Tongue Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE). The MTB-MLE program of the Department of Education is an initiative to "integrate indigenous culture in the regular education curriculum using the first language of the majority of the students...in this case, the Blaan dialect" according to the Dep-Ed Sarangani Division Language Coordinator, Ms. Elizabeth Torres.

The 22 graduates for SY 2012 - 2013

Graduation march with their parents also dressed in Blaan attire

Group photo with school administrators, guests, and graduates

Proud Blaan graduate

Graduating class presentation

With the Indigenous Peoples Development Program (IPDP) staff and Board Member Nene Saguiguit

Congratulations graduates of Lamlifew Elementary School!

Photos courtesy of Cocoy A. Sexcion, Provincial Information Office, Sarangani Province.

Boxes 204 and 205 for GFI Mindanao Outreach

GFI box numbers 204 and 205 were shipped to the Philippines to benefit the 2013-2017 LDERA (Library Development and Resource Assistance) Program recipients both in the province of Sarangani namely the Lamlifew Elementary School of Sitio Lamlifew, Datal Tampal, Malungon and Amado M. Quirit Sr. National High School in Kihan, Malapatan.

Thank you supporters and book donors in Atlanta!

Visit this link for other details, http://galingfoundation.blogspot.com/2013/04/world-encycolpedia-reading-books-and.html

Lamlifew Elementary School pilots mother tongue-based education



Learning beads making for tribal accessories



Performing the Blaan Thanksgiving Dance



Playing traditional musical instruments



Students singing thier Sarangani Tibal Hymn

 

Re-posting an important news article from the Provincial Information Office of Sarangani on the launching of the Mother Tongue-Based  Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE).

 

MALUNGON, Sarangani (February 4, 2011) – Local officials, education and language experts led the launching of Lamlifew Elementary School as pilot mother tongue- based multi-lingual education (MTB-MLE) of the province Friday (February 4).
Lamlifew is a Blaan village at the town’s outskirts. Blaan is the name of the people and the language of the largest indigenous group in Sarangani that finally sought indigenized curriculum from the Department of Education.

“Basically, MTB-MLE is integrating the indigenous culture in the regular education curriculum using the first language (Blaan),” DepEd- Sarangani division language coordinator Elizabeth Torres said.

As an example, Torres said teachers can teach the English alphabet in Blaan accent and intonation and then do it in English as an international language.


“MTB-MLE also includes teaching traditional practices that have cultural significance to them.”

Part of the indigenized curriculum through MTB-MLE is the integration of Blaan’s Tabih (traditional clothing), dances and songs to the pupils.

“Sarangani has three variations of the Blaan language from the three municipalities of Glan, Malapatan and Malungon. We will also come up with a phrase book and try to investigate their differences,” Torres added.

Lamlifew has a women’s association aimed at the preservation and development of their cultural heritage and traditional handicrafts.
Lamlifew as a complete elementary started in 1997 with teachers come and go because of their inadequacy in number and their willingness to be assigned to far-flung areas.

The school was built in 1982, then a primary school, through the effort of tribal leader Kalingo Maluma who brought the proposal to Malacanang by himself. Loida Esperanza became the first school head of the school in 1997.

Malungon West District supervisor Nora Nerpiol said the education department has been supporting the school since then through physical and academic means. Lamlifew has the most number of professionals in Barangay Datal Tampal.

Board member Eleanor Saguiguit said the Growth with Equity in Mindanao- (GEM) is on its way for the construction of a footbridge along Bluan river in front of the school where 98 percent of the pupils are crossing every day to get to school.
“We will also look for partners for the community to fund their traditional craftsmanship like basket-making and beads making,” Saguiguit said.

Saguiguit recalled the village, roughly 1,600 hectares of pasture land, was given to her as a dowry by her uncle-in- law when she got married in 1977. She afforded to refuse ownership of the land after seeing the presence of the community there, she said.

In 2007, the province’s Indigenous People’s Development Program (IPDP) helped Lamlifew build a living museum and identified Lamlifew Elementary School as a School of Living Tradition (SLT).

Rosie Alcantara Dominguez, mother of Governor Migs Dominguez, sponsored the technology transfer of silk weaving by Malaysian expert weavers to the Lamlifew Women’s Association.
In 2009, Beth Ditan, a master in the art of beads making from the community, taught Grades V and VI pupils the traditional craftsmanship. Japanese anthropologist Taku Kawamuta later funded the materials for beads making and traditional clothing after seeing the children in the internet.

With the MTB-MLE, the school will have a once-a- week IP day with community elders to teach the children songs, dances and handicrafts. (Russtum G. Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

Photos courtesy of Cocoy A. Sexcion, Provincial Information Office, Sarangani.

Lamlifew Elementary School Profile

Students wear traditional Blaan costume once a week during regular class days

School Name: Lamlifew Elementary School

DepEd ID #: 130606

Name of Principal/Teacher-in-Charge: Ireneo T. Caya

Address: Sitio Lamlifew, Datala Tampal, Malungon, Sarangani Province

2012-2013 Number of students:  236 pupils from Kinder to Grade VI

Type of Books Requested:

All Subjects for the following:

§  Chapter Books/Early Readers Ages 5-8
§  Middle Grade/Ages 7 – 10 & Ages 8 – 12
§  Young Adult/Teens  Ages 13 – 18

School Mission:

Provide quality education and manifest indigenous knowledge and practices with competence and committed teachers, supportive community and stakeholders to produce a culture-oriented and God-loving citizen.

Quantity of books currently in its inventory:

Based on our inventory, there is 1:3 ratio for pupil and books but there were subjects for teacher’s copy only (MSEP).

Current Curriculum:

Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) is good if the needs of the school will be provided like teacher’s books and other facilities especially on the implementation of the K to 12 program in Kindergarten, Grade I and Grade VII. The school needs other resources from non-government organizations (NGOs) to upgrade our educational system.

Current Reading Program:

The school is adopting the District Reading Program Reading Enhancement for youth. The focus is to give remedial reading to slow readers from Grades I to VI, one hour a day in the teacher’s vacant period. To sustain the program, we wanted a very functional library that all the reading materials are present. We have vacant room that serves as our viewing room and at the same time library. We do not have enough reading materials in our library. We plan to assign teachers to conduct and monitor the library day at one hour a day especially to those who are slow learners so that students will develop their interest  and love for reading.

 Photos courtesy of Cocoy A. Sexcion, Provincial Information Office, Sarangani.

2012 - 2013 Graduates of Amado M. Quirit National High School

The 3rd batch of graduates from Amado M. Quirit Sr. National High School commencement exercises done last March 20, 2013. Guest speaker was Ms. Monique P. Kawari, a young Blaan professional and entrepreneur.

Jurrivec C. Balbino, class valedictorian 2012 2013  with parents and teacher Mae Shipaul Sandoval

Guest speaker Monique P. Kawari

Group photo with the graduates, teachers, and guests

Part of the message shared by Ms. Monique P. Kawari (some in Blaan dialect since majority of the graduates are of the Blaan tribe):

"Graduation is a time of celebration and a rite of passage. it is a celebration of your time and achievements here and you are entitled to be proud."

Message to the parents: " My father and mother were farmers (amlah agol), bay beg go too te proud papang go naku mamang go do too le ti faskul nga balu det aklimahan. Now, to the parents who are here today I want you to apply that also, I want you to support your kids faskol gamu nga do beg kafye nun nga am professional. It is not only for your kids good but of course li para di gamu, too gamu ti proud di sarili yu do man suporta yu dad nga yu. Li kel panahon dalu gamtabeng gamo ko ta tua gamu. Di kagkahan ani isu go tabyaan papang go talon te sureng since mamang go ta mati kanun."

 

Message to the graduates: "To my dear graduates, stand up and say thank you very much Mama and Papa. My dear graduates I want you to do your part as a daughter/son, I really want you to help yourself. Do ba det isuporta idad parents yu gamo ko la folong gamo atmabung di sarili yu ande mahitabo di gamu, di gamu part askol gamu tarong fetu yu di dad tua yu na desidido gamu skul, du beg te amlimah e nimu dad tua yu kamlo lam init do, you really have to think about it. Gamu pag-asa dad tua yu. Don't stop dreaming and continue to learn, also don't forget God. Always remember that God is your strength."

"I will never stop dreaming. De kagkahan ani tanu man banweh (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hongkong, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand, South Pacific and etc.) inkul go sana go kablaan, nang to atnagak gito gu fro. Proud to gito ka-Blaan. In the future, hope you will do the same thing, balu ne banweh tankul yu America or even in Europe please don't change - nang gamu magbago. Even though I have a fashion and beauty salon that focuses on your outer beauty...your inner beauty is always more important."

"Now, congratulations graduates. Go with God and his blessings. I wish you and your families all the very best for all your futures. Hope nainspire kayo. Thank you."

Congratulations graduates from the Galing Foundation, Inc. Board!

Photos courtesy of Maam Jennifer Soguilon Dela Sierra.

Amado M. Quirit Sr. National High School History

Current teachers: Alvin Licawan, Rolando S. Atup, Jennifer Portigo Caberoy, Rodney Tanquerido, Mae Shipaul Sandoval, and Teacher-in-Charge Jennifer Soguilon Dela Sierra

First graduates in 2011

 

The Amado M. Quirit Sr. National High School is the third secondary school established in the Municipality of Malapatan. Its establishment is the result of the concerted effort of  Kihan Elementary School Faculty headed by Mrs. Delia Peque-Cornejo, the community headed by Mr. Medio Español and by the Municipal Education Committee Chairman, Mr. Felipe Pulanco. It is named after the late husband of the school site donor – Helen Aguila Vda de Quirit Capeñanes.  The school was institutionalized in school year 2007-2008 with 67 first year students.

             Rolando S. Atup and Alvin L. Lacawan were the first high school teachers assigned in Kihan and the first classroom was a borrowed classroom from the nearby elementary school. The first school building is the two-classroom building constructed by DPWH in 2007 but was used in school year 2008-2009. In school year 2009-2010, the KALAHI-CIDDSS Foundation donated a two-classroom building with comfort rooms. In the middle of the school year 2009-2010, the second building was occupied by the faculty and the third year high school students.

            School year 2009-2010 was the year when many school improvements took place. Because of the implementation of School-Based Management (SBM) the school was given its first head – Jennifer S. Dela Sierra to lead the school. An additional of three teachers in the middle of the school year came about, namely: Jeniffer P. Caberoy, Mary Rose F. Tanquerido and Mae Shipaul V. Sandoval. Because of the added dedicated school personnel and students’ cooperation and industry, the school campus was slowly transformed from mere grassland to a pleasing learning place.

             Eleven units of Personal Computers arrived at the school in the beginning of school year 2010-2011 when the school had its first batch of fourth year students. Computer education as integrated in TLE subject was given to the graduating class. Organization of different clubs, functional SSG, Reading Program, Whole-School Approach, Child-Friendly Environment and DORP are among the programs and activities of the school that will hopefully help in maximizing the Amadonians’ academic and social potentials.

             An additional two-classroom building and a three-seater comfort room were constructed in school year 2011-2012. There were a total of six classrooms for five classes at the start of school year 2012-2013 for 272 enrollees. The extra room was made as a temporary library where the textbooks and reference books were placed. There were many physical improvements that took place during this school year because of the joint effort of the internal and external stakeholders. These are:

§  the construction of the concrete elevated structure for the flagpole;

§  the construction of the box culvert at school entrance;

§  the cementing of the main pathway;

§  the construction of the school stage;

§  the construction of the Class Dormitory which was financed by the SMI through the effort of Governor Miguel Rene A. Dominguez and the QUEST Program under the management of Miss Annalie Edday.

            With this on going scenario, the learners in the hinterland will soon be as competent as the learners in the urban area. They will experience what is like to be schooled in a well-equipped school thus making them proficient in most if not all areas of learning.  

 

Photos courtesy of Maam Jennifer S. Dela Sierra.