The Journey of Limay SHS’ Special Merit Awardees at the 2020 National Science and Engineering Fair
The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.
Last year will always be remembered as one of the darkest times in history. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought several people and institutions down on their knees. The danger posed by the virus has shut and limited everyone to maximize their potential, thrive in their turf, pursue their goals, and make great things happen in their lives.
But there are few who keep on going through the odds in order to win the day.
Though it looks difficult these days, there’s no stopping for Limay Senior High School to do its habit of achieving excellence. From winning the district and provincial level poster-making tilt to the regional spoken poetry contest, these twin November 2020 victories are just the beginning of beautiful times for Limay SHS at the midst of the darkest moment of our time.
Beat your drums aloud and give your snappy salute to our school’s big time winners at the Virtual National Science and Engineering Fair 2020!
The Glow in the Dark
After proving that Limay SHS is a breeding ground of artistic individuals after its two students excelled in the visual and communication arts competitions, the school proved that it can also produce the best students in science and its allied fields of engineering and research through the triumphant campaign in the Division and National Science and Engineering Fair’s Virtual Science Challenge last October and November, respectively.
The journey started in the division level of the said contest where Limay SHS bagged the over-all championship in the SHS level with five of LSHS’ bets landed within the top three spots of its four competing categories.
Kristal Mae Fernando, STEM 12-A student, and Erica Villaester led the roster of LSHS winners as they snagged championship in the Science Essay category and Science Performance Task category, respectively.
It was a one-two punch finish for Limay SHS in the Science Performance Task category as Jessie James Bayaca finished second in the aforesaid contest.
Moreover, LSHS brought home victory in the group contest as Dave Patrick Caberto, Yvette Cardeno and Roneline Lizada landed in the second place in the Scientific Research Video, while the group of Lei Andrei Gabriel, Myka Montero, Rainiel Salandanan, Lowell Tagapuen, Angie Boces, Cedrix Altares, Jannelyn Cardeno and Danica Basilio took third place in the STEM Video Blog Challenge.
For STEM 11 student Bayaca, he made the most out of the short preparations and the limited help he could get from others since he has to carry the heavy load of producing a remarkable entry. But through the aid of his coach Mr. Vergel Macayan and his sheer skill in video production, he was able to pull it through.
“Preparations ko sa division level, wala masyado kasi ilang araw na lang pero yun nga nakaisip agad kami ni Sir Verjel (coach ko) ng pwedeng topic tapos nahirapan ako kasi ako lang mag-isa sa production. Ako naggawa ng script, ako cameraman, ako rin nag-edit. Naalala ko pa noon na 11:30 pm na ay naga-upload pa ako sa Google Drive yung entry ko tapos 12 am na yung deadline, sobrang hectic. Awa ng Diyos pinalad ako maka-second place. Dagdag pa ay nagqualify kami ng teammate ko for national level. Nakakabaliw at nakakaexcite,” Bayaca narrated.
Lizada kept hungry for more after winning the day in the Division Science Challenge as the second spot finish there fueled her to achieve more in a much bigger stage----the national competition.
“Yung pagiging second namin sa division (level), dahil dun mas lalo kaming naging competitive. Kapag may katiting na flaws, hindi na namin hinahayaan. Inuulit na namin. Throughout the journey, we learned that we just need to believe with our own capabilities, we use them in a way that we can contribute to others,” the STEM 11 student Lizada quipped.
Going Through the Dark Night
The road to the national competition and the way to winning an award in such a big stage were truly not a walk in the park for Jessie, Lei, Dave, Yvette and Roneline. Winning the national competition means winning several big battles from within and beyond themselves.
The trio of Roneline, Yvette and Dave had loaded their preparations with sheer hard work of improving their work over and over again until everybody got satisfied with the output. When they made changes after thorough examination, they made sure that their work would be taken into greater heights.
“Yung sa preparations, sobrang dami namin yan, almost 2 weeks ang na-spent namin sa pagbubuo ng script kasi revise kami ng revise until lahat kami masatisfy. Talagang busising busisi kasi sa 5 minutes na ‘yun (duration of their presentation), we need to deliver the SIP (Science Investigatory Project) in IMRAD (Introduction, Method, Results and Discussions) form without missing any important details,” the STEM 11 student Lizada said about the amount of work they put on during the preparation stage.
The many limitations set by the pandemic were a headache for a lot of us, so as the preparation of our winning trio. As much as the team wanted to convene physically to get the job done nicely, their safety was definitely the primary concern for both the parents and the school. However, their rock-solid teamwork compensated for such dilemma.
“The only struggle we've encountered was the time when Ate Yvette wasn't allowed by her parents to come over during the taping. But if we're talking about team work, naku mayaman kami diyan! The tasks were divided dahil nga sa di kami pede magmeetup because of pandemic,” Lizada stressed.
Cardeno shared similar story of their tough preparation which, as we know, paid off big time in the end, saying, “Maraming brainstorming and mga revisions ang naganap before kami mag-come up sa ganong idea. Marami ring ni-reshoot para mapaganda yung output. Despite all of those, it feels good na magkaroon ng recognition yung gawa namin lalo na last national yon.”
Showing his winner mentality, Caberto opened up that there is still a room for improvement on their work. He pointed out the financial and time constraints which hampered them to explore greater extent of possibilities in improving their project. Nevertheless, their victory did not only speak for the great work that they put up, but also their ability to rise above the said challenges.
"Yung mga existing ideas doon (our project) ay pwede pang iimprove at maging efficient. Saka may mga specific measurements/factors kasi doon na tinetesting kung ano ang mas gagana. Hindi na-try lahat ng possibilities dahil sa kakulangan financially at sa time,” Caberto explained.
For the individual category winner Gabriel, he thought at the beginning that being new at the school and at joining such kind of contest would be a stumbling block for him to excel. Gabriel had to face his battle from within himself in order to face the battle with other young Science enthusiasts of the country.
“I am a transferee and an introvert student. It was very difficult to adjust, especially in a new environment and being picked for a competition without prior experience. During the whole process, I was very uncomfortable. There were a lot of times where I just wanted to give up and crumble to the pressure,” Caberto explained.
The whole journey taught Gabriel to turn the difficulty into opportunity to redeem himself from all the negativities and distractions. Eventually, it freed up his full potential and ability that paved the way to a national level success.
“Somewhere along the way, I have found a very important lesson. I learned that through being uncomfortable, you find an inner strength you didn't know you have. If you can turn your self-doubt and insecurities into motivation, I believe that you can take on any challenge. I told myself that there was no way out of this situation, so I tackled it head on and eventually succeeded,” said Gabriel.
Brightest Stars were Born
It is said in a maxim that the brightest stars are born during the darkest nights. In a pandemic situation where everything is difficult, producing a winnable output is a huge challenge to hurdle. But for our young achievers, they are capable to achieve because they endure to grope in the darkest of hours and conquer it until they reach the dawn.
People who avoid failure, also avoid success. LSHS students who brought home the honor had been striving and struggling and now it is unequivocal and apparent that they are indeed worthy to be called by their title.
"Winning entry ko, nothing special siguro. Nagisip lang kami ng skit type na execution ng mga information na dapat mong madiscuss don sa video. Then yun nilagyan ko ng effects ng lindol, earthquake, at landslide. Then cinolor grade ko tsaka nilagyan ng sound effects. To conclude, nakakaenjoy naman sya gawin kasi isa rin sa passion ko ang pagproduce at pagedit ng films at skits. Masaya ako sa outcone ng ginawa ko." Jessie humbly stated.
We should be reminded of this mentality that we should be happy for what we have while working for what we want to achieve. This attitude shown by Jessie teaches us to never doubt thy self in whatever we do. It as well tell us that we only fail when we stop trying.
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. Erstwhile uttered by Yvette, it is a perilous attempt to make their thoughts come to life since this pandemic don't allow them to personally do what they have to be able to accomplish the work. Their finalized work still had it's room for improvement as what whilom said by Dave.
“Our project was entitled pendulum mechanism out of metal scraps and vehicle parts as improvised power generator. Pendulum bob is a massive object hanging from a fixed point that swings back and forth, creating a periodic motion. The oscillating motion of the pendulum is converted into electricity through the use of a motor, “ Roneline stated.
“The entry is about how a simple pendulum mechanism could generate electricity and possibly be an alternative in the future. Also due to power shortage that we are experiencing today it can supply electricity not only in cities but also to rural areas.” Yvette added.
An innovation by the trio of Yvette, Roneline and Dave marked as a sagacious perception to help produce electricity in a futuristic approach which would benefit a lot of people. This way of thinking is needed to be considered a great researcher.
A positive mind looks for ways it can be done, while a negative mind do the alter. When you keep coming back to the same idea that has been bouncing around your head for months like Gabriel, act on it.
"The entry shows the Agricultural State of The Philippines from 1974, all the way to the present time. It also talks about the effects of the present disasters, and how the Philippines is slowly rising back up with the help of Science," Lei articulated.
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We would love the light for it shows us the way; yet we will still love the darkness for it shows us the brightest stars. The past is place for reference, not a place of residence. We can't change the past but we can make brighter future. In this universe full of inconsistency and unwanted events, be like a tree which endure the stormiest times, because those are who grow the strongest. These students who've experienced those stormiest nights would encourage others to thrive and bloom into our mightiest us.
*With reports from Edwin Jon Hontiveros
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