newsletter issue 3 vol 1 (1)

• A.Y.2022-2023
• THE MOVER
• Platform, Pen, and Paper.
• WHERE TO FIND US?
• https://thesouthvillemover.wixsite.com/sisc @thesiscmover The Mover [email protected]

• A.Y.2022-2023
• MS. PRECIOUS DALUZ
• MODERATOR
• MS. ANJENETTE ROSINDI
• MODERATOR
• MATTHEW CABILES
• EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
• ISABELA CASTILLO
• SOCIAL MEDIA DEPARTMENT HEAD
• REANA MANALO
• SOCIAL MEDIA DEPARTMENT HEAD
• TIFFANY SAWAKI
• ART DEPARTMENT HEAD
• YOEIZA GARCIA
• NEWS EDITOR
• AARUSHI TANDON MARIELLE AREVALO
• NEWS EDITOR
• FEATURE EDITOR
• JINA LEE
• FEATURE EDITOR
• SOFIA RAMOS
• FEATURE EDITOR
• LEIGH SINDAC
• LITERATURE EDITOR

Francine Cruz | Haruhi Ito | Alyssandra Jimenez | Yeon Jin Lee |

SOCIAL MEDIA

Matthew Mariano | Hannah Nixon | Sandra Ossi | Jude Pustrado |

TEAM Daniela Schwartz | Gabrielle Tan | Julio Zioutos

LAYOUT ARTISTS

Marielle Arevalo | Mikaela Ysobel Cabaero | Zaira Cristobal | Ehra Gail Dizon | Nayoung Kim | Aarushi Tandon

For centuries, mankind has quenched its insatiable thirst for knowing the unknown through discovery. Equipped with specialized tools and navigation expertise, we embarked on special journeys across the whole wide world in a vigorous search to experience the yet-to-beexperienced.

The well-awaited return to onsite classes mimics these great expeditions of yesteryear. After over two years of virtual education, we Monarchs have become the pioneers of traversing an alien land: the great outdoors. Voyages into strange and unfamiliar territory have now taken the form of walking down campus corridors — the notebooks and backpacks as our travel gear.

Over two years worth of dread pandemic, wired communication, and home isolation have left the onsite school environment practically unknown to us.

Through all of this, however, arises the longing for uncovering all the new things around: new happenings to live through, new media to display, and most importantly new stories to shed light on.

In this issue and in this age of the “next” normal, our Movers set out to finally explore the aftermath of quarantine — explore the world within and around them, from the wonders of hybrid learning to their own innate strengths too.

Through The Mover’s now-physical platform, pen, and paper, it has become our mission to highlight these learnings, and expedite the student body’s insatiable thirst for discovery.

Raise your anchors! We shall now set sail for a grand adventure toward new horizons.

• MATTHEW CABILES
• EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
• 11-Efficiency
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• NEWS FEATURES LITERATURE ARTWORKS

NNNEEEWWWSSS

NEWS

RETURN OF THE MONARCHS: SISC OPENS AY WITH AWAITED HOMECOMING

By Matthew Cabiles

On a damp but sunny Wednesday morning, tenth grader Kim Min Young (Charis) stood eagerly waiting by the Luxembourg Campus gate. Dressed in Hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, she was one among seven national attire-clad volunteers that were given a simple task: welcome and usher in any student that enters. That entrance soon overflowed, a first in over two years.

Charis joyfully observed what unfolded — students rushed to their old friends, some hugged, and all were simply catching up in a place where they always used to meet. All this happened while she greeted students and led reconnected friend groups to have their pictures taken at a photo booth. “I was very touched and I felt happy for them because . . . all students were just reuniting with their old friends and meeting their online classmates in real life,” she said.

• Basic
• Senior
• High
• School

(SHS)

and International Baccalaureate (IB) students physically returned to school for the opening of Academic Year 2022-2023 last August 31, 2022, marking the start of full-scale Hybrid Virtual Online Learning and Teaching (HyVOLT).

After over two years of online learning, the newly reopened Luxembourg and Tropical Campuses hosted friendly reunions between fellow Monarchs and day one orientations to the limited face-to-face setup. Meanwhile, those who opted to study via Virtual Online Learning and Teaching (VOLT) joined class Google Meet calls in sync with the oncampus discussions.

NEWS

Class advisors and strand coordinators conducted campus tours, classroom introductions, and onsite procedure orientations to reintroduce the basics of face-to-face learning. Students also had the chance to partially roam around the newly-constructed Monarch’s Park, a centralized green space within the school grounds which replaced the Luxembourg Campus basketball court and quadrangle.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted SISC to introduce VOLT, temporarily suspending all regular onsite classes. Pilot HyVOLT classes began during the second term of Academic Year 2021-2022, with Grades 1-3, 12, and IB 2 reporting to Munich Campus. Favorable response to the HyVOLT program, as well as loosening quarantine restrictions, contributed to its implementation for all levels.

'An amazing day’ Students who haven't set foot in school since VOLT classes, alongside those who had their first time exploring the campus, finally met up with each other in person. Cordial interactions between the students and school staff were fleeting around the campus, with many excited about the gradual return to normalcy. The once near-empty school corridors were finally teeming with student and teacher life again.

Charis, though a junior student herself, was nonetheless empathetic with the surging emotions of her seniors. “I am sure that everyone has been waiting for that moment, you know, just the normal things we did years ago,” she remarked.

“I am so glad that I was able to capture“I am so glad that I was able to capture“I am so glad that I was able to capture that beautiful moment, and I hope thatthat beautiful moment, and I hope thatthat beautiful moment, and I hope that they all had an amazing day on theirthey all had an amazing day on theirthey all had an amazing day on their firstfirstfirst daydayday concluded.concluded.concluded.

[of][of][of]

classes,”classes,”classes,”

CharisCharisCharis

Though she took part in the school’s Volleyball Varsity last year, it was only until the opening of classes that Juliana Tan of 11-Innovation (ABM) felt the joy of being back on campus. She goes on to say, “It was being able to interact with classmates face to face again that made me really happy as it's been over two years since the last time we were able to do this.”

Her batchmate, Bea Magbanua of 11-Competence (STEM), never got to explore the school grounds prior to this year’s opening. A VOLT enrollee last 2020, she was most excited about the campus tour besides rejoining her friends. Bea also remarked how the lifted virtual boundary made socialization between her peers much easier.

MATTHEW CABILES

Matthew Cabiles is a resident Southville student whose passion to provide topical insight for the ever-curious reader continues to drive his writing journey.

The seventh-time

Mover staffer with a penchant for history loves to document it in the making.

NEWS

MONARCHS CELEBRATE TEACHERS' DAY 2022 by Sophia Lausingco

On October 4, Grades 10-12 students from both face-to-face and online setups gathered virtually via Zoom for a special assembly to celebrate World Teachers’ Day 2022. The program was organized by the SHS Class Presidents.

To start off the program, a game called 4 Pics, 1 Chika was held, wherein selected faculty members had to guess a word that is connected to the four pictures given and answer specific questions related to their life stories related to those pictures. Monarchs enjoyed watching the teachers have a great time playing the game and sharing their experiences in answering the questions given.

K-12 & IB Principal Dr. Marie Vic Suarez then gave her words of appreciation for the teachers. Her talk revolved around the teachers’ dedication and the efforts they put in for their students. As she emphasized, “It’s just really appropriate to pause for a while and celebrate and recognize our teachers.”

The second game, Guess That Teacher, was then introduced. Blurred pictures of teachers were shown for everyone to guess who’s who. The classes enjoyed racing to guess the teacher behind each photo.

After the game, heartfelt video greetings from Grades 10-12 students were shown. Students displayed their gratitude and express their love for the teachers from their respective classes’ videos.

Following this was a raffle wherein the names of the teachers were placed in a digital wheel of names, and through this, they were given an opportunity to win a monetary value as a prize.

NEWS

The joyful event ended with an inspiring message from the Grades 10-12 Deputy Principal, Ms. January Guiterrez, which was then followed by a photo opportunity to preserve this momentous occasion.

Students and teachers spent time with each other to celebrate Teachers' Day after the special program. Students showed their appreciation for their teachers in a variety of creative ways, including letters, video greetings, gifts, and an open mic near Monarch's Park wherein anyone could dedicate songs to their teachers.

Through the student-led celebration, Monarchs continued to show their gratitude and appreciation for their hardworking and dedicated teachers who aim to make a difference not only during Teachers' Day, but every single day.

SOPHIA LAUSINGCO

Sophia is a high school student who strives to do her best in all tasks given to her. She aims to improve on her writing and write entertaining stories. Her hobbies include listening to music, reading, baking, and playing instruments.

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Don’t hesitate to follow our Instagram handle, @thesiscmover, like our Facebook Page, The Mover, for more of the stories that matter.

NEWS

MITING DE AVANCE RECAP: COUNCIL ASPIRANTS TAKE THE FINAL STAGE

By Marielle Arevalo and Sofia Ramos

This academic year welcomed many changes to the students of SISC: a new environment, a new class setup, and come the morning of October 10, a new student government.

The SISC Student Council Miting de Avance 2022 held Thursday, October 7 at the Luxembourg Hall and via Zoom gave aspiring candidates the chance to restate what they have been campaigning for throughout the past week.

Here is a recap of this year’s final election campaign event.

The Candidates

Twenty students are in contention for the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, STEM, HUMSS, ABM, GAS, and Grade 10 Representatives.

The Avengers Party: Myung Jun “MJ” Yoo for President, Mulan Sugiarto for Vice President, Sihyun “Sisi” Park for Secretary, Leigh Sindac for Treasurer, Chrizel Gabriel for STEM Representative, Keithly Rubillos for HUMSS Representative, Juliana Tan for ABM Representative, Doreen Woo for GAS Representative, and Min Young “Charis” Kim for Grade 10 Level Representative. Taking inspiration from Marvel Comics superheroes, The Avengers vow to not “just fight villains, but fight for [the students’] voices.”

Their competitor is the Novel Party, composed of Taehyeong “Caroline” Kim for President, Jina Lee for Vice President, Paul Suba for Secretary, Angela Tallod for Treasurer, Chelsea Sarmiento for STEM Representative, Kaela Paed for HUMSS Representative, Bianca Calma for ABM Representative, and Jilliane Gaerlan for GAS Representative. With themes of recency and writing, Novel hopes to “rewrite, we write [the students’] stories.”

The aforementioned parties are also joined by several independent candidates: Matthew Mariano and Amrita

Dash for Secretary, Kierkegaard Victoria for Treasurer, Alexi Ramirez and Sunwoo Lim for STEM Representative, and Una Villano for GAS Representative.

The Platforms

The Novel Party kicked this segment off, with presidential aspirant Caroline Kim taking the stand. Novel’s central proposals are the development of a “College App. Collector,” the organization of educational “TEDx Talks,” the establishment of an after-school study program called “The Elite,” --

NEWS

The Platforms

The Q&A -- and the hosting of various festivals dealing with The question and answer portion began with questions curated by the SISC Faculty. The music, culture, and sports Kim emphasized her contenders were questioned on how they would party’s desire to utilize these proposals in overcome their role’s negative stereotype of establishing a sense of community and acceptance making empty promises, how this stereotype within the school.

would change, and how they would adapt if their Kim’s counterpart, MJ Yoo of the Avengers Party, followed up. The Avengers Party is hoping to organize the return of popular onsite events Prom and Intramurals, a Halloween Week which will be in the works once elected, a Music Fest at Luxembourg Hall, and an Esports tournament with games wholly chosen by the students. Yoo underscored that these were just five of many other proposals that will cater to the student body and their general interests with the return of physical classes. The independent candidates also had a chance to set forth their own propositions. Matthew Mariano aims to launch advocacy-based programs and a rebranding of the Student Council's social media. Meanwhile, Kierkegaard Victoria wants to focus on planning events that would motivate VOLT students to transition to face-to-face learning.

ideas were turned down.

The Avengers Party responded that they had learned from previous proposals that had been turned down and that they would work with the administration of the school as well as the student body to make sure that their projects were tangible and would satisfy the needs of the students.

The Novel Party said that they made their proposals more realistic as they had consulted with the school staff, and they reinstated their responsibility and capacity to execute projects.

More questions drafted by both the SISC Faculty and the student audience were asked to the remaining candidates.

MARIELLE ANNE C. AREVALO

Marielle lives to make things aesthetically pleasing. Pinterest, Canva, Lightroom, and Nichi are her best friends. She loves traveling, reading, taking photos, and playing badminton and volleyball. Need reading recommendations? She has you covered. Marielle hopes to inspire others through her visual and written works.

SOFIA LEANA S. RAMOS

Sofia is an eleventh-grade STEM student who spends most of her free time with a book in her lap and music in her ears. Driven by her passion for travel and culture, she hopes to explore the entirety of what the world has to offer. She can often be found taking countless pictures of her dog, indulging in yet another jar of Nutella, and playing one too many games of mahjong.

NEWS

AVENGERS DOMINATE, WIN MAJORITY IN ELECTION POLLS

By Matthew Cabiles

Candidates of the Avengers Party won nine of the 13 SISC Student Council officer positions, just hours after the 2022 Luxembourg Campus Student Council Elections supervised by the Office of the Student Affairs on Monday, October 10.

Myung Jun “MJ” Yoo was proclaimed President, winning 54.09% of votes. His running mate, Mulan Azalea Sugiarto, was elected Vice President after obtaining 55.17% of votes.

Coparty members Sihyun “Sisi” Park and Sofia Leigh Sindac both won in their respective positions as Secretary and Treasurer, garnering 45.19% and 41.35% of votes each.

Juliana Denise Tan, Keithly Nicole Rubillos, and Chrizel Anne Gabriel of the same party won as the respective Strand Representatives of ABM, HUMSS, and STEM. They each received 50.00%, 45.24%, and 36.80% of votes.

Also members of the Avengers Party, Min Young “Charis” Kim led the Grade 10 Level Representative polls with an outstanding 95.56% of votes, while Karyssa Gabrelle Alamon rose to be Grade 9 Level Representative after bagging 33.10% of votes.

The Avengers Party — taking inspiration from the eponymous Marvel Comics superhero team — aimed to unite both HyVOLT and VOLT Monarchs through student-led events seeking to improve daily school life, while listening to the student body’s advice for improvement.

NEWS

The party campaigned with the promise, “We don’t just fight villains, we fight for your voices.”

Jilliane Rae Gaerlan was proclaimed GAS Strand Representative after garnering 54.55% of votes, making her the sole candidate of the competing Novel Party to secure a spot in the Student Council.

Independent candidates Ju Young “Ana” Lee, Marcus Javier Rosal, and Neil Sheridan Gatchalian Jr. won as the Grades 8, 7, and 6 Level Representatives respectively. They each bagged 55.34%, 52.21%, and 89.01% of votes.

The Office of the Student Affairs proclaimed the official results of the election via campus intercom and on the SISC Student Council Facebook page. 832 of the current 918 student population voted, resulting in an election turnout of 90.63%.

From October 3 to 7, election aspirants campaigned their positions, proposals, and affiliations through a mix of onsite and online material. The campaign season concluded on the 7th with an onsite Miting de Avance

MATTHEW CABILES

Matthew Cabiles is a resident Southville student whose passion to provide topical insight for the ever-curious reader continues to drive his writing journey. The seventhtime Mover staffer with a penchant for history loves to document it in the making.

NEWS

SCHOOL SPIRIT WEEK 2022 RECAP

By Reana Manalo, Isabela Castillo, and Sihyun Park

Last October 17, the Basic Ed Student Council, in collaboration with the IB Student Council and several student-led clubs, launched the first face-to-face School Spirit Week since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

With the theme of “Rendering Reunion through Recreation,” the 2022 school pride celebration included recreational activities for both HyVOLT and VOLT students, alongside multiple mufti days in commemoration Anniversary.

of SISC’s

32nd

Foundation

An onsite School Spirit Week 2022 arrived after two entirely online celebrations in the midst of COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, hosted by the Student Council and a coalition of student-led clubs respectively. Previous Spirit Weeks were traditionally headed by the Student Council of the time.

HyVOLT activities

The celebration set off with a SISC-themed mufti day. The week’s first day had students dress up in Southville’s school colors: red, green, and purple.

On the second and third days of Spirit Week, the Student Councils set up seven activity booths around the Luxembourg Hall grounds: Marriage Booth, Jail Booth, Cup Pong, Board Games, Photobooth, Shoot Ur Shot, and Switch it Up. These activities were accessible to onsite students during their break periods and dismissal.

Friends and couples lined up for the Marriage Booth that allowed for mock matrimony ceremonies between Monarchs. It was one of the most well-participated booths, especially for junior high school students. Another booth that attracted a number of students was the Jail Booth, where participants were trapped in a cell and showered with water at the insistence of their peers.

NEWS

The following day concluded the onsite festivities with a Halloween-themed mufti day. Students costumed themselves after various characters, such as Gru’s Minions, Men in Black agents, witches, vampires, and other recognizable personalities.

VOLT activities

The Student Councils and student-led clubs also prepared numerous activities for the students who could only attend schooling online. At the start of the week, a friendly creative competition to design a logo for the SISC Student Council of this academic year was held.

Interactive Instagram stories such as Bingo, This or That, and stories that included the new Add Yours IG feature were posted throughout the week. The stories delved into relatable school-related topics, such as Monarchs’ favorite places around the campus, subjects, events, and food stalls, as well as how they prefer their ID worn.

To close off the week, the Student Council used the Add Yours feature for the “Tap in if you’re a Monarch!” activity. A great number of students as well as teachers uploaded photos of themselves at the campus or selfies with their classmates and coteachers as proud Monarchs.

REANA MANALO

Yana is an 11th grade student who loves to explore different forms creativity. As someone who daydreams and imagines a lot, she takes interest in designing graphics, reading books, journaling her thoughts, and listening to music.

ISABELA CASTILLO

Sab is a sucker for literary fiction, anything design, and Stardew Valley. A senior high student whose dedicated to using art and design as a way to communicate, and sometimes writes on the side. She’s in it for the fun and looks forward to what life has in store for her.

SIHYUN PARK

Sihyun Park (Sisi) is a very tired grade eleven HUMSS student that wishes she could go home and go to sleep despite the early dismissal. She is very enthusiastic about bagels even if she hasn't had one in almost a year now. She hopes the next time she writes another bio she can proudly say she has eaten a bagel. That being said, she wishes everyone a bageltastic day!

NEWS

GLOBAL MINDEDNESS AND INCLUSIVITY: INTERNATIONAL WEEK’S CAMPUS COMEBACK

By Marielle Arevalo and Sofia Ramos

From October 24 to 28, students of Luxembourg Campus joined the numerous activities lined up for International Week 2022, the occasion’s first physical observance in two years.

The event was also the first-ever student-led International Week initiative by the students of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand alongside the SLGE

Department.

The event coordinators organized an activity booth fair, a mâché passport making task, and a special mufti day on national attires.

International Week is a celebration of diversity where students explore different cultures through informative and engaging activities. The energy of this year’s International Week has increased now that the students are able to take part in the activities face-to-face.

The efforts of the event coordinators and the participation of the student body promoted the theme of this year’s event: International Mindedness Towards An Inclusive Global Community.

On Monday, students had the opportunity to explore different activity booths stationed throughout the campus. In the aptly-called International Week Fair, these stalls featured a variety of games designed to promote engagement within the student body.

The main purpose of these booths, however, was not just to entertain or challenge their participants, but also to teach novel insights on international mindedness and global inclusivity.

“We want to have a wide demographic and everyone to participate as much as possible,” said 12- Diplomacy President Chino Respecia.

NEWS

“So we thought that it would be a great idea to incorporate games into our booths so that it reaches a wide audience,” he added.

With booths like How many languages do you speak? and Slap The Flag on its Country, HUMSS students ensured that their fellow Monarchs had a myriad of educational games to choose from.

Tiffany Sawaki of 11-Efficiency, organizer of the How many languages do you speak? booth, said on behalf of her team that “In order to be more inclusive and to be more open-minded, we need to open ourselves to new vocabulary, new words, new languages to express ourselves differently.”

“I think that international inclusivity is very important, especially now that the internet and social media is a very prevalent thing,” President Respecia explained.

The 5Cs were put into practice as the students collaborated and explored their creativity in creating their passports. Each section then presented its individual mâché passports for everyone to see following International Week.

On Thursday, the atmosphere of International Week was further felt as the students wore national attires. Most of the students dressed in Filipino baro’t saya and Korean hanbok. Other students participated by donning the national colors of their assigned countries.

Celebrating International Week was not limited to students learning something new and engaging in activities, but also taking the opportunity to interact with others, especially for new Monarchs who have yet to experience the event.

“Because, at the end of the day, no matter what culture [we come from] or ethnicity we are, we’re also human beings,” he further elaborated

When asked to share about his experience partaking in these activities, Philippe Castellvi of 11-Synergy said that “Participating in International [Week] activities was fun, especially for a new student like me. It helped me get a grasp of how the school celebrates and gives importance to it[s message].”

Through Tuesday until Friday, sections across all high school grade levels created mâché passports to celebrate cultural diversity, on which they were able to learn more about the different traditions, languages, places, activities, and symbols of the country they were assigned to.

NEWS

The 5Cs were put into practice as the students collaborated and explored their creativity in creating their passports. Each section then presented its individual mâché passports for everyone to see following International Week.

On Thursday, the atmosphere of International Week was further felt as the students wore national attires. Most of the students dressed in Filipino baro’t saya and Korean hanbok. Other students participated by donning the national colors of their assigned countries.

Celebrating International Week was not limited to students learning something new and engaging in activities, but also taking the opportunity to interact with others, especially for new Monarchs who have yet to experience the event.

“[International Week] is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to [get to] know each other very well. Other than the fact that it’s to spread awareness [of] culture and inclusivity, I think that is also a great way of batchmates or even strandmates bonding,” Sawaki remarked. Nathan Dichupa of 11-Competence, another active participant, said that he “learned [about] more cultures and more traditions and even [the] food and more of the language[s] that were used in every country, so I was able to understand more [about] some countries around the world.”

Yoeiza Garcia of 11-Efficiency, organizer of the What’s the name? booth, said that despite being a new student, participating in the activities was a great experience.

As an international school, it is important that students celebrate, recognize, value, and promote diversity. This year’s International Week served as a reminder to students to be global-minded and inclusive through engaging and educational activities and interactions.

MARIELLE ANNE C. AREVALO

Marielle lives to make things aesthetically pleasing. Pinterest, Canva, Lightroom, and Nichi are her best friends. She loves traveling, reading, taking photos, and playing badminton and volleyball. Need reading recommendations? She has you covered. Marielle hopes to inspire others through her visual and written works.

SOFIA LEANA S. RAMOS

Sofia is an eleventh-grade STEM student who spends most of her free time with a book in her lap and music in her ears. Driven by her passion for travel and culture, she hopes to explore the entirety of what the world has to offer. She can often be found taking countless pictures of her dog, indulging in yet another jar of Nutella, and playing one too many games of mahjong.

NEWS

INTERNATIONAL WEEK CONCLUDES WITH PASSPORT PRESENTATIONS by Yoeiza Garcia and Nadine Kare

As International Week 2022 concludes, the event called for a flash of something new: mache passport making.

JHS and SHS classes designed and created mockup passports for the country their section had been given. All outputs were displayed in the Luxembourg Campus hallway last October 28 and November 16 for everyone to see in an interactive exhibit.

The student-made passports featured national symbols, cultural icons, travel landmarks, customs and traditions, and conversational expressions of a class’ country assignment.

“[The passport making] helped the class cooperate in order to accomplish the task,” an anonymous SISC student remarked

“I feel like it connects us with the country our section was assigned to,” they added.

During the actual presentation, both students and teachers insightfully went over the displayed outputs, flipping through the pages while showing great interest. Some students even admired the passports and praised the classes that designed them.

“One thing that represents internationalism is coming up with an activity that will enable students to understand cultures and international mindedness. The [SLGE] Department came up with the idea to design a passport,” SLGE Basic Ed Point Person Sir Joseph Gregorio said.

“This year, we encouraged students to design their own passports in order to immerse themselves and get to understand the culture of their assigned country,” he added.

Previous International Weeks featured the practice of designing classrooms into a mini-gallery of a class’ country assignment. However, this had been changed due to the importance of practicing health protocols while in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the activity being targeted towards the face-to-face setup, both VOLT and HyVOLT Monarchs per section collaborated on making the layouts and designs. Some teachers gave their period to help the students accomplish their passports. The students expressed great delight and enjoyment in this activity as it promoted collaboration.

YOEIZA GARCIA

Yoeiza is an 11th grade student in HUMSS. She loves listening to music and collecting crystals. She enjoys sleeping a lot.

NADINE KARE

If there's one thing Nadine loves, that's reading and writing. Ever since she was young, she always loved to take her mom's laptop and write stories of her own. Reading and writing were her ways of escaping the world. It will and always be her favorite things to do.

NEWS

A COMEBACK SUCCESS: THE JOURNEY OF SISC’S ISAC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS by Nathan Dichupa

With the return of the International School Athletics Conference (ISAC) after 2 years of absence last October 22, hosted by the British School of Manila (BSM), the women's volleyball athletes of Southville International School and Colleges (SISC) scored a triumphant comeback since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beating Cebu International School (CIS) 2-1, SISC won the ISAC 2022 Girls Volleyball Games — the school's fourth consecutive victory in the said tournament. The school also overcame BSM and Brent International School Baguio (BISB) prior to the championship round.

Chiara Peñera, Kassandra Galing, Sophia Oblena, Chrizel Gabriel, Katrina Aguirre, Yannie Macasieb, Blair Delos Santos, Amanda Balneg, Mariella Caco, and Athena Sullano represented SISC with pride as the winning team. Coach Jack Locquiao trained the lady Monarchs for hours of competitive combat.

The Mover has reached out to Chiara and Chrizel, who offered their time to recall their journey in this year’s ISAC tournament. The athletes described their preparations, challenges, and experiences throughout the interschool event.

Mental and physical preparation

The news of ISAC's return was both nerve-racking and exciting for SISC’s delegation. Chiara, a tenth grader who led as Team Captain, stated that ISAC’s comeback made her thrilled yet anxious due to its sudden arrival.

NEWS

Chrizel, a senior athlete who is also serving as the Student Council STEM Representative, remarked that she was enthusiastic and grateful about the return of ISAC, and it was especially notable for being her final inter-school tournament as a Monarch athlete. She said, “It’s my last year on the varsity team, so I have to exert everything while I enjoy the sport that I love, which is volleyball.”

Even before the official line-up for SISC’s delegation was selected, Chiara and Chrizel prepared physically and mentally to build their capabilities and confidence to compete. Continuous conditioning exercises, volleyball skill practices, and matched tune-ups were some of the important training they did. ISAC training not only involved skill but also strategic thinking and confident collaboration in the court.

As an extended conclusion to the school pride festivities initiated during Spirit Week, the school Athletics Department held the Faculty and Student Ball (FaStBall) 2022 — a mini sports tournament in the Monarch’s Gym last October 28 and November 11 for JHS and SHS respectively.

‘The tournament allowed students and faculty members alike to competitively participate in the school’s three main sports activities: volleyball, football, and basketball. The event also aimed to promote student-teacher camaraderie in days of respite from academic activities.

Due to the past quarantine restrictions of the COVID- 19 pandemic, FaStBall 2022 marked its return since 2019, as well as the first major intra-school sports event for this school year and after two virtual learning years.

Chiara prioritized blocking out negativity to focus on her goal of winning and how she’ll perform. The Team Captain mentioned that her physical preparations included consistent conditioning and maintenance of a balanced diet and rest to keep her body healthy.

Chrizel, who believed that preparation requires effort and discipline, said that “being able to be surrounded by a supportive atmosphere, have the time to work out and have a balanced diet, and seek guidance from God were the things that made me prepare for the tournament.”

NEWS

Participants created their own teams consisting of students from different grade levels and faculty members. However, teams were only allowed to have at most three varsity players and two faculty members playing simultaneously.

The tournament consisted of games wherein different student-teacher teams played against each other to compete for the top spot. The teams lessened through bracket elimination, with the two highest-winning groups moving on to the championship.

The event also held an exhibition game where the champion International Schools Athletics Conference (ISAC) volleyball team went against a full team of faculty members. Another special game between said faculty members and Athletics Department varsity coaches ensued.

Students that didn’t participate in the games attended to spectate and cheer for their competing classmates and friends throughout the tournament’s whole duration.

The school heads saw the event really put on display the students’ competitive spirit and active participation in sports. They mentioned that the event’s purpose of strengthening students' and teachers’ camaraderie was achieved.

NATHAN DICHUPA

Nathan is a grade 11 STEM student who continues to develop and improve his interest in writing. He has a great interest in cooking, volleyball, and guitar. He wants to create published pieces that can catch the reader's eye. Nathan hopes for another fruitful and cheerful year as a writer.

NEWS

FASTBALL RETURNS WITH COMPETITIVE CAMARADERIE by Sophia Lausingco

As an extended conclusion to the school pride festivities initiated during Spirit Week, the school Athletics Department held the Faculty and Student Ball (FaStBall) 2022 a mini sports tournament in the Monarch’s Gym last October 28 and November 11 for JHS and SHS respectively.

The tournament allowed students and faculty members alike to competitively participate in the school’s three main sports activities: volleyball, football, and basketball. The event also aimed to promote student-teacher camaraderie in days of respite from academic activities.

Due to the past quarantine restrictions of the COVID- 19 pandemic, FaStBall 2022 marked its return since 2019, as well as the first major intra-school sports event for this school year and after two virtual learning years.

Participants created their own teams consisting of students from different grade levels and faculty members. However, teams were only allowed to have at most three varsity players and two faculty members playing simultaneously.

The tournament consisted of games wherein different student-teacher teams played against each other to compete for the top spot. The teams lessened through bracket elimination, with the two highest-winning groups moving on to the championship.

SOPHIA LAUSINGCO

Sophia is a high school student who strives to do her best in all tasks given to her. She aims to improve on her writing and write entertaining stories. Her hobbies include listening to music, reading, baking, and playing instruments.

The event also held an exhibition game where the champion International Schools Athletics Conference (ISAC) volleyball team went against a full team of faculty members. Another special game between said faculty members and Athletics Department varsity coaches ensued.

Students that didn’t participate in the games attended to spectate and cheer for their competing classmates and friends throughout the tournament’s whole duration.

The school heads saw the event really put on display the students’ competitive spirit and active participation in sports. They mentioned that the event’s purpose of strengthening students' and teachers’ camaraderie was achieved.

NEWS

SGENERATION GLOBAL 2022 FOSTERS ENGAGEMENT THROUGH DIALOGUE by Charis Kim and Annie Lee

A school is a second home to all students. Southville International Schools and Colleges (SISC) is and has been a firm believer in the idea of “MY SCHOOL, MY HOME,” and thus strives to create a place where learners are safe, protected, cared for, and comfortable.

SISC has turned to Generation Global, an international programme specializing in dialogue via videotelephony, as an upholder to these beliefs. It aims to develop the interpersonal skills of global students by providing a safe and open-minded environment for students to share their opinions, and strengthening students’ character through a deeper understanding of themselves and their community.

In line with the missions of the school and of GenG, SISC virtually participated in the 2022 SGENeration Global Dialogues (SGENG) — an exclusive inter-school conference for the Southville Global Education Network (SGEN) — last November 7 to 11 through Zoom.

Students from SISC, South Mansfield College, Stonyhurst Southville International School-Batangas, Stonyhurst Southville International School-Malarayat, and Asian SEED Academy of Technology exchanged their opinions and views on societal and existential topics in the third SGENG.

The Mover has reached out to the teacher-moderators and four student-participants of SISC’s delegation for their thoughts and experiences throughout this year’s dialogues.

Student empowerment

Prior to SGENG, the Social Living and Global Education (SLGE) Department established the SISC GenG Club to train Monarchs for international dialogues while teaching them about societal issues. Due to the sudde-

NEWS

-n shift in learning environment posed by COVID-19 restrictions, the club has since then helped participants prepare for SGENG. For its third iteration, the GenG Club's new pair of moderators made a milestone — the club was now student-led, with Monarchs taking the helm to train dialogue participants.

Sir Cedrick Velasco, one of the current club moderators, said that encouraging students to engage in topical discussions was breath of fresh air, emphasizing that student engagement leads to student empowerment. He added, “It encourages student leadership and high involvement of students in school clubs and institutional activities.”

His co-moderator, Ms Majah Montinola, recognized the strengths of her students as committed explorers willing to escape their comfort zones to unleash their fullest potentials as student leaders. She remarked, “I envision all of [SISC’s delegation] as future trainers and leaders of the next batches to come. [In] this club, every member is a leader.”

Ms. Majah also hoped that through the training of SISC’s delegation for SGENG, the GenG Club would gain exposure and be recognized as a life-changing experience.

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‘An insightful experience’

Tenth-grader Liam Daniel Mead mentioned that through the communication opportunities provided by SGENG, he was able to network more with his peers. He remarked, “I've always wanted to branch out and meet as many people as possible, and this conference gave me the opportunity to do that!”

His batchmate, Ryza Boco, commented that she approached the discussion prompt given to them by researching and surveying it first. She added that she “also interacted with the other schools by acknowledging their answers and expounding more on their ideas.”

“I wanted to join Gen G because it involved discussions about societal issues, which is something I am greatly interested in,” said Grade 11 participant Nathan Dichupa. He added that he desired selfexpression to promote his beliefs and healthy cooperation with his peers.

Eighth-grader Alarice Laraño, when asked about the skills required for her role and which role she found most challenging, said she strived to be a keen speaker while sharing her thoughts and perspectives. She explained, “Making sure my voice was loud enough to be heard and being an excellent speaker that captured the attention of the audience was the most challenging part of my role.”

She added, “It was an insightful experience and I enjoyed it very much. I found that listening to the many different perspectives made me understand the topic in a unique and different way.”

KIM MIN YOUNG

Charis is a grade 10 student who loves to meet new people and learn more about them. She aims to raise the voices of people in need of help by writing and drawing. She also loves to write and draw about the events that happened in school and outside of school. These are just a few of her hobbies and interests, so she would like to explore and extend more of her creativity here in The Mover.

YEEUN LEE

Annie is a high school student who works to voice out her opinions through writing. She is interested in advocating for social issues and participates in a lot of socially aware organizations. She has dreams to make a change for the better through her writings in the future. Other than writing, she loves music and cafe study dates.

fffeeeaaatttuuurrreeesss

BEFORE & AFTER ELECTIONS: GET TO KNOW SOME OF THIS YEAR’S STUDENT COUNCIL CANDIDATES by Juan Lobien and Martha Pinca The SISC Student Council glues the Southville community together by making Monarchs' opinions and ideas heard. Yearly, they spearhead schoolwide activities and events, and encapsulate citizenship and leadership to the student body. As the school year commences, Monarchs need to elect the next set of leaders to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

On October 3, the candidates of this year's Student Council Elections revealed themselves to the student body. After a five-day campaign season that concluded with a Miting de Avance, simultaneous elections took place on October 10. Official results were released hours later.

Before and after election day, we interviewed six Student Council candidates to understand their prospects of reforming the school for the better. Get to know their motivations, aspirations, and plans both prior to and following their campaign.

Before Elections:

Karyssa "Kary" Alamon The first candidate we interviewed is Kary Alamon, a 9-Compassion student who ran for Grade 9 Level Representative.

When asked about the possible results of the elections, she stated that it would be difficult to predict as her “competitors are formidable opponents.”

“The Avengers Party is working our hardest so that our goals; in this situation, winning the election would be accomplished,” she continued.

A member of the Avengers Party, Kary remained firm under her party's main goal — closing the felt space between VOLT and HyVOLT students.

"I too have experienced the three modes of learning dividing some students from others…. I felt regrettable because the full face-to-face students looked very happy in class and as a result, I switched to full face-to-face."

Afterward, Kary shared that she started to engage with the VOLT students more by calling them separately or messaging them during fun and special times.

In the chance that she does win the position of Grade 9 Representative, she noted that she would be thrilled and proud that her party’s efforts were worth the struggle.

"I would also promise to put even more effort to be the voice of our batch and be a reliable friend to all my batchmates,” Kary added.

Being a person of big dreams, she strongly urged the students, as voters, to help her and the Avengers Party by voting for them.

River Barriga

River Barriga is a student of 9-Diligence, one of the candidates who ran independently for Grade 9 Level Representative.

"I am the good alternative to the party candidates, but I think it’s really a battle of the two parties: Avengers and Novel. And the ballot is saturated with candidates that have the same interests so I think the results will spread thin," he said.

River also believed that being an independent candidate puts him at a disadvantage.

"If I lose I will congratulate the winner and give my full support to them because Grade 9 [picked] them and when losing you don’t lose everything but you gain experience," he remarked. When it came to uniting the students separated by the three modes of learning, he would take action by advocating for better technological equipment. He would also make sure that more communication channels will be utilized to widen the batch’s network; reaching students from sections other than their own.

River planned on creating a bridge between the modes of learning through Discord, a widely-known communication platform. Through Discord, he will establish a stop shop for reminders by SISC employees, the Student Council, etc.

“[E]ven students can give help or tips to someone who needs it.” he shared.

Sihyun "Sisi" Park

Lastly, we interviewed Sisi Park, an 11-Efficiency (HUMSS) student who ran as the Avengers Party Secretary.

Predicting her reaction to the possibility of winning the elections, she would be very glad as the Avengers Party gave a lot of effort this month. In addition, regardless of the results, Sisi thought she’ll feel a sense of relief as she felt stressed since it took a lot of preparation and dedication to get where her party is now.

Although she has won a couple of times for positions such as the level representative in the past without one season lost, she — once again — did not set any expectations whatsoever.

"To be honest, I’m not really sure [about] my election results. I’ve been told a lot that people are looking forward to my election but as a nominee it is really important for me to not set any big expectations so that I don’t get disappointed in the case that something goes wrong,” Sisi answered.

But I do trust in my ability to cater to the student body and I do trust that students around the campus also have trust in me," she added.

After Elections:

Kim "Caroline" Taehyeong

Following October 10, the first candidate we reached out to was Caroline Kim from 12-Rigor. She ran for President under the Novel Party, advocating for the Student Council to become a novelty — inspired by her running mates who were also new students.

"The meaning of our party 'Novel' is to create a new journey for Southville and our party mostly consisted of new students in Southville, and we had more diverse ideas because we were all from different schools," she emphasized

The diverse backgrounds of the Novel Party's candidates were also why Caroline believed that her party's proposals were fresh and diverse.

"I thought their plans were really nice," she said when asked about their rival party Avengers' plans.

"However, most of the candidates tried to bring back the past events back before COVID-19 while, our party tried to really make new events that students in Southville couldn't have thought of and never experienced," she went on to say.

Albeit bested in the Presidential race, Caroline believed that there is a small chance her party's proposals can still be instigated if raised to the new Council. The decision will be in other people's hands.

Marcus Javier Rosal

In 7-Resilience is Marcus Rossal, the winner of the Grade 7 Level Representative race. Last year, Marcus served his batchmates as the Grade 6 Level Representative. This year, his independent run, added another win to the list.

Regarding the events that occurred in the Miting De Avance and campaign season, he said that he didn’t disagree with any proposals by his fellow candidates. While his peers presented events and activities for the school (eg. karaoke days, prom, TEDx, cell phone charging stations), his plans centered more on about better communication, efficiency of information sharing, and opening up about personal feelings.

“As part of the Student Council, I will do my best to support the plans of the council and will pursue mine as well with the support of our adviser and other officers,” Marcus remarked.

“My [reactions about the] results on the poll are surprised and ‘shaken’ as me and most of my friends would put it. In my opinion, Hua Fei and Samantha Gomez are also qualified candidates for this position for they also wanted a better school experience for us students. I really thought one of them would out-vote me since I already won last year, but oh well, this was a pleasant surprise,” he told us.

Marcus would like to give a big thank you to those who voted for him. Most importantly, he swears that he will do his best to fulfill the vision of this academic year.

"I owe you heaps!” he enthusiastically added.

Sofia Leigh Sindac

To cap off the candidate interviews is Leigh Sindac from Grade 12-Initiative. Leigh, the newly-elected Treasurer, hails from the Avengers Party.

"Deliberation and meeting halfway are key principles in running for office. Although my fellow candidates and I shared the idea of most proposals, I disagreed with some." Leigh said with candour when asked if she agreed or disagreed with her party rival's plans.

"I did So because proposals are proposals, and it is important to assess whether they are even possible in the first place. Because some propositions seemed too idealistic, I did not encourage their introduction to the student body..."

However, Leigh clarified that she, alongside the elected officers will be open to suggestions from the student body in order to have an auspicious school year.

MARTHA PINCA

A 9th grader who's always been into creative hobbies ever since she can remember.

She really loves writing screenplays, short stories, and sometimes poems. Besides this, she enjoys watching and overanalyzing films.

JUAN LOBIEN

He's in his second year in The Mover. Lately, he spends a great deal of time with friends and family. He loves to read and write during bed weather, but sometimes, he falls asleep.

4 TIPS TO ACE YOUR NEXT EXAM by Ehra Gail P. Dizon

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN Most of us have likely experienced the consequences of last-minute reviewing. As a result, we can recognize that it is not the best strategy to prepare for an examination. To achieve your goals, you must overcome the temptation of procrastination. You should be disciplined and understand that the earlier you begin, the easier it will be for your future self.

REVIEW...

Now that you've created a timeline, it's time to make a reviewer. Typing or writing terms down are some of the most effective ways to review. Make a Google document and note down key terms from each lecture. It can be challenging if the lesson is lengthy, but do your best to recall by using your own words and perspective. After that, scroll back and reread everything you just typed. Repeating this several times allows you to grasp everything and ensure that the content you put in is accurate.

MAKE A REVIEWER

Great job! You now have a summary of everything you learned throughout the entire term. The following step is to go over everything. Key texts can be highlighted, circled, arrowed, and underlined. Reading aloud is a great way to recall and familiarize yourself with the text. Act as if you're reciting in front of the class, and make an effort to clarify your answer clearly. Put everything on the line! Use hand gestures, facial expressions, or even a whiteboard to express your answer. Drawing concept maps or applying color effortcan help those who are visual learners. It's essential to discover what works best for you!

SAY NO TO DISTRACTIONS!

This tip is really, really important. We can be distracted by social media, noise, and other factors when studying. Therefore, ensure that you're in a clean, quiet environment before you begin. When your surroundings are neat, it makes it easier for you to focus on what you're supposed to be doing. Then, remember to put your gadgets away. When our phones are close by, it is a strong temptation to use them. So, turn off or mute notifications. Another option is to record a time-lapse video, which will not only prevent you from using your phone, but also act as proof of your efforts. Aside from preparing and studying, it is also essential to consider the environment we are surrounded by.

Start using the 4 test preparation tips you've just learned to prepare for upcoming term exams; all the way from planning to reviewing. Always keep in mind that positive outcomes can never be achieved without effort. Be diligent and confident in yourself, that way, you’ll surely succeed.

Monarchs, I wish you good luck! You’ve got this.

EHRA GAIL P. DIZON

Ehra Gail Dizon, a 16-year-old student in grade 11, enjoys expressing herself through writing and painting. Since then, she has always set her heart on leadership, especially for other people. She believes that art has the power to inspire and enlighten others.

5CS BEYOND ACADEMICS: THE 2022 FASTBALL TOURNAMENT by Martha Pinca, Chiara Hernandez, Juan Lobien

With the intention of fostering good sportsmanship and team spirit among its students, SISC held the 2022With the intention of fostering good sportsmanship and team spirit among its students, SISC held the 2022With the intention of fostering good sportsmanship and team spirit among its students, SISC held the 2022 Faculty and Students Ball (FaStBall) Tournament in Monarch's Gym last October 28th and November 11th.Faculty and Students Ball (FaStBall) Tournament in Monarch's Gym last October 28th and November 11th.Faculty and Students Ball (FaStBall) Tournament in Monarch's Gym last October 28th and November 11th. This year’s event was a lively occasion in line with the school’s eagerness to uplift the 5Cs within itsThis year’s event was a lively occasion in line with the school’s eagerness to uplift the 5Cs within itsThis year’s event was a lively occasion in line with the school’s eagerness to uplift the 5Cs within its passionate Monarchs. Let’s get the ball rolling by going over a few players’ responses on how they applied thepassionate Monarchs. Let’s get the ball rolling by going over a few players’ responses on how they applied thepassionate Monarchs. Let’s get the ball rolling by going over a few players’ responses on how they applied the 5Cs in friendly competition.5Cs in friendly competition.5Cs in friendly competition. The first two students interviewed were teammates in the basketball portion of the tournament. Working hand in hand together, Grade 9 students Tyrone Nebiar and Riley Smith had the following to say about their participation:

In relation to Collaboration, Nebiar stated that thanks to their shared interest in their chosen sport, the whole team got along together in a click. “Our goal was to have fun and win, so setting goals really kept us going,” he adds.

Regarding Character, Smith emphasized that what makes a good game is when everyone is included, having fun, and achieving goals. He believes that being willing enough to give others a chance is what makes a good leader. He continues: “and for what I think is most important is not getting mad at calls by the referee or if someone messes up.”

We then spoke with Sofia Leigh Sindac, a Grade 12 student who participated in the volleyball game. With Competence, she states the following: “Our team’s strength was communication; it enhanced our performance and ability to focus on the field by signaling our teammates about our next moves. Where I believe our team could improve is in being alert and confident,”

She shared that when her team lacked confidence, they were afraid to go after the ball; which heavily influenced their behavior during the game.

Although they initially planned to watch the game, a student from the audience was asked to substitute for a round of volleyball. The student requested to remain anonymous, however they allowed their answer to be shown. Their willingness to play for the team, despite the impromptu request, was an excellent showing of their Commitment to helping their fellow batchmates Achieve success in the tournament.

Lastly, in relation to Creativity, we asked teacherplayer Sir Michael Gravamen to discuss in-game moments that didn’t go as planned. He noted that although his team had no predetermined plan, they decided that “We should let everyone in the squad enjoy and play because at the end of the day, that’s the purpose of the tournament.”

Like any other competition, winning was one of the team’s main objectives, but so was the essence of teamwork. The tournament had no restrictions on experience or expertise, “so the biggest adjustment that our team made inside the court was trusting one another, especially those who don’t really play volleyball. The event was a success with its objective and I’m sure the students, teachers, and even coaches relished the competition.”

Undeniably, this year’s FaStBall Tournament was a gratifying outcome of the face-to-face set-up and will act as a turning point for sporting events in Southville. Both participants and audience members were overjoyed to welcome such an event this academic year, and hopefully will be again during future events to come this academic year.

MARTHA PINCA

A 9th grader who's always been into creative hobbies ever since she can remember.

She really loves writing screenplays, short stories, and sometimes poems. Besides this, she enjoys watching and overanalyzing films.

CHIARA HERNANDEZ

Is a student of 9-Compassion who doesn't know what to put for her bio.

JUAN LOBIEN

Is in his second year in The Mover. Lately, he spends a great deal of time with friends and family. He loves to read and write during bed weather, but sometimes, he falls asleep.

To do lists

Todomate Devices: Android, IOS | Free Useful for: Planning, Goal Tracking, and Daily Tasks

A simple app with its main features as your digital to-do list. You can organize your tasks in different categories labeled as ‘goals’ and keep you and your friends accountable as you can follow each other on the app. It automatically syncs your devices and has simple widgets that you may add to your home screen.

Todomate is among the best apps I’ve found this year! Its interface is minimal and very easy to get used to. With this app, you can stay organized and see what your priorities are for the day. Another feature I like to use is its diary, where you can document your day!

Note-taking

Notion Devices: Android, IOS | Free Useful for: Note-taking, Tracking, and Planning

Notion, a workspace for all your needs, is the best of all worlds and is probably the most used app for productivity. Want to write down notes, organize files, manage school projects, and/or track requirements? Anything you can think of, Notion has it!

If you prefer typing your notes, this app is perfect for you! Focusing on the note-taking aspect of it, similar to Todomate, Notion has a very simple interface. It contains features such as highlighters tables, timelines, lists, and much much more that can help you create well-written notes.

You can also customize your notes however you like! You can change the covers, upload icons, and add images. If you know a little bit of code, you can customize it to the next level.

Goodnotes Devices: IOS | Paid Useful for: Note-taking, Planning, and Annotating

Goodnotes is a note-taking application that you can consider as your digital notebook! It has all the features a regular notebook would have, but with unlimited pages.

You can customize your notebook cover, the type of paper you’d want to use, and even its page color. You can choose between a fountain pen, a ball pen, and a brush pen, and have a big range of colors to choose from. You can also highlight, add shapes and images, and even have a collection of stickers! If you don’t have a pencil/stylus or would still prefer to type, you can always use text boxes.

Other than note-taking, you can upload digital planners, e-books, and pdf documents that you may freely annotate and easily access.

Time Management / Timers

Plantie and Focus Traveller both serve the same purpose of keeping you from using your phone while studying or working on requirements. Both keep distractions away and help you stay accountable.

Plantie Devices: Android, IOS | Free

With Plantie, as you get through the timer, you get rewarded by being able to grow a plant while you work. As you continue to work for longer hours, you get rewarded by getting more plants and badges. Detailed statistics are reflected to show you your daily performance.

Focus Traveller Devices: Android, IOS | Paid

With Focus Traveller, you are accompanied by your chosen traveler. You can choose between humans, dogs, cats, and even bears! Once you start the timer or your ‘focus’, your traveler will start to climb the mountain. The longer hours you work, the higher your traveler climbs.

Similar to Plantie, you can collect badges and keep track of your records.

Once you leave the application, you are given 10 minutes before the adventure ends. You can see your traveler sitting by the fire, taking a break with you!

Deepstash Devices: Android, IOS | Free Useful for: Short reads

Deepstash provides shortened versions of different books and articles. It contains different categories of content and does not limit itself to self-help and motivation-related topics.

You can learn something new or gain productivity tips in just 5 minutes!

Habitica Devices: Android, IOS | Free Useful for: Habit tracking, Daily Tasks, and Routines

Habitica, with its cool retro RPG elements, makes you feel like you’re in your own game! This app helps in building good habits and breaking down your bad ones. You can also add in your goals or tasks for the day, as well as your everyday routine which serves as a checklist.

Just like in a game, you have rewards and punishments! You can invite your friends and team up to fight monsters and earn rewards. This helps to motivate you to work towards your goals and stay accountable.

Sayana Devices: Android, IOS | Free Useful for: Mood tracking and Mental self-care

Sayana is a mental health platform that aims to help you manage your stress and anxiety. Sayana introduces its users to a variety of mindfulness-enhancing exercises that they can apply in their life.

Sayana’s interface is simple and mellow, making it easy to use. It also gives the users the chance to talk with people who may be facing the same thing they’re going through and help build a support system!

Just For Fun!

As we soon get a break from school, here are some simple games you can try out! These are also games that you can play whenever you reward yourself with a break after working on your academics.

Steppy Pants Devices: Android, IOS | Free

Steppy Pants is a straightforward game. It's a walking simulator! All you have to do is to tap and hold your screen and make sure you get the timing right. You can collect different characters and mix and match!

It’s an entertaining game to keep your mind off of your academic requirements.

Animal Restaurant Devices: Android, IOS | Free

Animal restaurant is a business simulation game. You’re met with the cutest characters who’ll help you with your restaurant! It’s an idle clicker game where you earn even if you’re offline.

You can design your restaurant, watch your workers serve your customers, help with cleaning, and even keep the burglars away!

We are lucky to have access to these resources that can support us in our academic performance and personal development.

These are just a few of the apps I found that were very useful for me as a student and I hope you’ll find apps that’ll be of use to you as well!

ISABELA CASTILLO

Sab is a sucker for literary fiction, anything design, and Stardew Valley. A senior high student whose dedicated to using art and design as a way to communicate, and sometimes writes on the side. She’s in it for the fun and looks forward to what life has in store for her.

SADNESS OVER FEAR: THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Dominic "Bryle" Tayzon

In this review, I’m going to talk about the stuff I like and the stuff I find mediocre, and analyze the show as a whole to find out what it’s trying to tell us.

This show is tragically terrifying!

Horror movies aren’t horror movies without scenes that will leave you up at night – and this show has a lot of good ones. What makes Mike Flanagan an amazing film maker of the horror genre is his zero reliance on jumpscares. They all depend on building tension: My favorite was the one right at the end of the very first episode. I love how the scene started out as innocent at first, and then it slightly builds up during the phone conversation. When Hugh tells Steve the heartbreaking news, my heart stopped! And that close up shot of Nellie’s face slowly withering had me at the edge of my seat! Now THAT is how you create and build horror!

What do I think about the car jumpscare? To tell you honestly, I knew this jumpscare was coming mainly due to the Internet. On the other hand, I think it’s the funniest jumpscare of the entire show – seriously, I’m not joking! I actually found myself chuckling when this scene happened mostly because I interpreted this scene as Nellie stepping in to stop her sisters from fighting.

But the episode that really sent a shiver down my spine was Episode 5: “The Bent-Neck Lady.” The way this episode ended was just pure tragedy! The way Nellie hangs on the ceiling, helpless as she’s forced to relieve all her horrific moments just to realize that SHE was the Bent-Neck Lady all along was just terrifying! You get a sense that the House is this Mastermind who’s been planning this from the very beginning – which leads to another topic I’d like to discuss

History repeats itself

There are a lot of match cuts in this show; the episode that best exemplifies this is Episode 6: “Two

Storms.”

The way the episode transitions back and forth from the family back then to the family now shows the real horrifying thing about The Haunting of Hill House: that despite leaving the house, the house never left them! The entire family has been trapped in an endless loop of despair, having to go through the same disagreements, and traumas.

If there’s one thing we can learn from this show, it’s that if we don’t try to change and make up for our mistakes, we’ll be bound to make them again and live in a never ending cycle and be as trapped as the family.

Zooming in Speaking of Episode 6, if you pay enough attention during the episode, you can see a Doctor Who reference where the statues are moving everytime you look away from them. I also saw on YouTube that if you look closely at certain scenes, you can actually see that there are some ghosts hidden in the background.

The Mediocre Finale

I wouldn’t really call this show boring, but it does have some pacing issues I must address. For instance, I really think the whole sequence where each character has to confront each of their ghosts and secrets felt really half-baked. None of it felt climactic at all; it was just so repetitive that it makes it boring. It’s basically the final act of It Chapter 2, except all the fun was sucked out of it. Had this sequence been a cross cut like the climax of Everything Everywhere All at Once with better music, then it probably would’ve been so much better!

Sorry, not scary

If there’s one thing Breaking Bad has taught me, it’s that if you lie on your back after having taken heroin, you will choke to death! But that is not the case in The Haunting of Hill House. Throughout the entire show, Luke’s “death” has been foreshadowed on multiple occasions, showing that he’s going to die of a heroin overdose, but when it actually happens, Luke just comes back to life a few moments later! And that’s another problem with the finale: all the dread is taken out. There’s no sense of danger anymore! The ghosts no longer feel threatening because they don’t do anything threatening! They just stand there and look or say something creepy and that’s just underwhelming!

For instance, the scene where the ghost of Poppy Hill does that creepy rhyme. That scene had a really good set-up! It was creepy, the music was on point, the performances were convincing, but the problem was what happened after. In that same scene, the ghost of Olivia just shows up and tells Poppy to leave him alone, and Poppy basically says:

“Okay, sure, whatever!” and just casually leaves. There’s no conflict, she just walks away. Like I said earlier, this was anticlimactic!

But despite all these, The Haunting of Hill House still has an amazing catharsis.

Conclusion: This show hits the feels!

The great thing about this show is that it isn’t really about ghosts, it’s more of a family drama about grief that just so happens to be a horror story. And I love how this show actually took its time to get to know each of the characters, who they are, what they do, and what their inner struggles are: Steven with his Narcissism, Theo with her walls up, Luke with his drug addiction, and Shirley with her failing marriage.

I know I said that the finale was mediocre, but there were still some things I liked about it. For instance Nellie’s monologue, and the entire family reconciling with her, was really emotional. Hugh’s conversation with the ghost of Olivia and his big sacrifice in the end was pretty heart breaking. That amazing long shot of Steven leaving the house as the ghosts watched and followed him is just peak cinema!

I started watching The Haunting of Hill House for the horror, but ended up staying for the family drama. So would I recommend this show? Honestly, yes. But just like Better Call Saul, you need a lot of patience while watching it; it’s not a show I would go crazy for and fanboy over, but it’s still a show worth watching once and ONLY once!

DOMINIC "BRYLE" TAYZON

Bryle Tayzon is an ENTJ-T, who loves watching and reviewing movies/tv show, reading books, listening to music, and writing short stories. He's someone who believes in creativity, but most importantly putting his best foot forward.

SOUL SAUCE: SHIFTING ONE'S BELIEFS AND MINDSETS by Hagia Sophia Catimbang

The new year carefully tiptoes its way into the room, the same room where New Year’s Eve parties of splendor and countdowns are eagerly anticipated. With everyone still soaking up the lingering remnants left behind by our Christmas festivities, the thought of what’s to come quickly slips our minds. In the blink of an eye, we’re in for another year surrounded by the ones we love, with so many more days to create, experience, and mold our lives into the way we want it to be.

Said chances to create, experience, and mold our lives in the impending year are largely influenced by our introspection and self-reflection of the previous one; looking back at what was achieved, and what wasn’t. A rite of passage to the new year is making resolutions and establishing new routines. This new set of 365 days offers a fresh start and new opportunities to make changes, while also releasing us from the shackles of the past, regardless of whether it was good or bad.

Maintaining a healthier lifestyle, sticking to a stricter budget, and discovering a new-found passion, are just a few of the vast sea of resolutions repeated year, after year, after year. We’re all humans at the end of the day, we strive to look for potholes in our lives, patch them up, and be able to witness the fruit of our labor in all its glory. Albeit upon reflection, we fail ourselves and never actually accomplish them. Think about it. As you reflect on your past lists of resolutions, you begin to notice the same pattern each year. At most a handful of them have actually been accomplished by the year’s end, with the rest being left in the dust by February, essentially being rendered useless and futile..

However, we fail to realize that oftentimes, we are our own worst critics. We write these resolutions, thinking that we’re not on par with the gorgeous and fit girls on social media, the model students excelling at their extracurriculars, even just those friends who are carefree and seem to charm everyone they surround themselves with. Once the awareness hits and the thought of you not being able to be on their level of beauty or aptitude no matter how hard you try digs deeper into your mind, it’s a never ending battle with yourself. Though some use this opportunity as a launchpad to kick off their self-improvement journey, that isn’t the case for the majority. The thoughts that riddle our minds after comparing ourselves to others can be detrimental, but once we tap into changing the way we think, and learn to accept ourselves, our lives change too.

What are beliefs? Beliefs are thoughts and ideas we assume and believe to be true. Beliefs are established over the course of our lives. Beliefs are built on the assumptions and influence of our personal experiences, and our reactions to them.

Words are incredibly sacred and important. Our fundamental beliefs form in our early years, with our family’s perspective and attitude towards certain subjects being the building blocks of our own belief system, helping us mold and form ideas and thoughts of our own as we mature. They can range from positive (empowering, optimistic), to negative (bashful, demotivating), and everything in between. Once they’ve been introduced to us, they slowly become ingrained into our minds and dig deeper the more we are exposed to them without question. Soon they become our dominant thoughts— like a record playing on loop in the back of our minds.

But we don’t even realise that it’s playing on loop. The more we give credence to a certain thing, the more we believe it, hardening into a “truth” we ultimately give in to.

Let’s say you have a best friend. She’s as pretty as a picture and captivates everyone in the room with her. Not only that, but she’s also a social butterfly and has lots of other friends. You, on the other hand, are not as attractive as she is and not as outgoing either. While she is getting all these compliments regarding her looks and personality, you get the short end of the stick, all the negative comments deflecting onto you.

“I don’t even know why she’s friends with you.” “You’re not even pretty let alone compared to her.” “Can you speak up more like her? Maybe then people will actually like you.” — amongst many others. Throughout the entire timeline of your friendship with her, you were subjected to these types of comments. In the beginning you were unfazed and shot back at everyone that had things to say, but gradually over time you ceased, and the comments started getting to you more and more.

This leads to you carrying these assumptions of yourself everywhere. Someone makes an attempt to befriend you? They're just using me to get to her. No one wants to be my friend if I'm this quiet and untalkative. Someone compliments you? They’re lying. Why would they talk to someone ugly like me?

Negative beliefs self-sustain all throughout life, with us as the magnet attracting them. We manage to find every bit of information and evidence in situations that support these beliefs, whilst repelling the information that contradicts them. This never ending cycle locks people in, making it difficult to accept positive information.

As seen in the example, these negative thoughts bring about nothing good and only diminish our self-worth. We give up on what we truly wish for, to avoid danger and settle for the expected. But why would you let yourself get beaten up? Why would you stop believing in yourself because others don’t?

What is a mindset? Mindsets are the culmination of one’s belief system. Mindsets are the cultivation of all existing beliefs. Mindsets are adopted by us and used to help us approach various areas of our lives.

Think as if all your attitudes, beliefs, and emotions huddled together to form this one colossal way of thinking.

How do I change? Remember, every action starts with a decision, and every decision starts with a belief. These beliefs act as a launching pad for our motivation to carry out a certain action, and dictate the decisions we make. To change your beliefs and mindset, you need to abandon the old you. Abandon the old habits, old thoughts, old reactions, and introduce the new— flip and reconstruct your thoughts. From “I’m worthless to “I’m worthy of every good thing in my life!” or “I’m terrible at everything” to “I’m perfect at everything!”

HAGIA SOPHIA CATIMBANG

Sophie is an ardent lover of the arts, heavily drawing inspiration from literature, cinema, fashion, and music and incorporating them into her craft. She cherishes the beauty in simplicity and the mundane whilst navigating through the trials and tribulations life throws at her. Her secret recipe to being happy is indulging in a good book or film or listening to oldies!

Though unrealistic, at the end of the day, these are the thoughts that you can create for yourself. Life is your canvas, and you’re simply the painter. No one is obligated to agree with you, nor should you take their opinions into consideration.This is about you, and only you can dictate your life. Conditioning yourself to repeat these affirmations the instant a brooding feeling of a negative thought clouds your judgment, will gradually change your inner writing, and ultimately your perception of yourself.

Do not lose sight of who you are striving to be, and allow yourself to grow and heal from wounds of the past. If it wasn’t said by you then it isn’t true!

With all this information on hand, I hope this year will be the year you decide to change for good. I hope this year is kind to you. And I hope that this year, you’re kind to yourself. You deserve every good thing that comes your way.

LLLIIITTTEEERRRAAATTTUUURRREEE

NEON ANGELS by Lucas Tabuena

Artwork by Tiffany Sawaki

The dark, thick clouds drifted apart as Lao descended into the ruined city. It was a long fall in the airship, and though he had been to the city several times over the last few months, he was always curious at the sights of the past. Though his reconnaissance missions were short, he always tried to take in as much of the environment as possible. Lao never travelled far, and he usually landed his airship in different sections of the city, framing it as a way for his superiors to check certain areas. Today he would go to Section B, one he hadn’t explored yet. NAVIGATE THE AREA, he was told.

As the clouds passed, Lao marked his landing zone on a small screen before standing up to look over his equipment. In a bag held binoculars, a large flashlight, and a small pistol. Although he never found much use for the weapon, they were mandatory to bring. But he couldn’t think about that. No - he shouldn’t. Lao knew what had happened to the two that encountered those “beings”, as the others described, and what they may do to him if they got the chance. He heard how the two agents’ limbs were split apart in several places. Even with the armor, which Lao now wore, they were still found shattered as if it were nothing but thin glass. But Lao did not think much of this. All he knew was that he had something to do, and that that was all that mattered. It was EVERYTHING

As he looked over his equipment, Lao’s ship broke through the dense clouds, a bright streak of sunlight followed him and shone through the dark city.

As soon as he saw this, Lao went back to the front of the ship, gaining control of the aircraft and maneuvering it as best he could to his landing zone. He pressed a button above him, and a small screen displayed a map of the area as he attempted to land. It slowly zoomed in closer as he shifted towards the roof of a worn-down skyscraper, various bits of the surrounding nature - moss or vines - crawled up within the interiors through holes in the walls and windows.

The map disappeared suddenly, replaced with a camera view of the ship’s keel, helping Lao to land it safely. He inched the control stick downward and the ship began descending at a slower pace. By his thumb, he flicked a switch, and activated the landing gear. He saw on the small screen as the wheels slowly emerged. He was sure then that nothing could happen. He’s done this several times, and knew what to do. But even then, he couldn’t help but feel something about

what he was doing; it felt wrong to him, but it was all he ever knew since the training.

He continued to inch his way to the roof of the building, and after a slow descent, made contact. He was satisfied with this. A female voice notified him of his landing. He looked outside the front window, observing his surroundings. Lao wondered what could be out there, and once again felt something he couldn’t describe.

The first thing that always interested Lao every time he was in the city was the darkness. Though many sections were illuminated with bright lamps, the entirety of the city was dark. Several areas were being consumed by the inky blackness, and nothing could stop that. The city perplexed Lao, yet endlessly interested him. He had only heard about it from others, but it was never explained to him as he had wanted.

At one point, Lao had asked of the world below - any information he could get, he memorized it. He was informed about a few things, particularly by Sanda, of this world no one knew much about. He remembered Sanda explaining how the cloud’s density blocked all manners of sunlight from entering the city due to causes several years ago, though she did not know much of that as well. Now that he sees it, he thought perhaps they were the result of nature, considering the overgrowth of grass along the streets. But that wouldn’t explain who constructed the buildings, or why. These were not answered, for no one truly knew. During these times of thought, Lao could never articulate what he was thinking to anyone. He had accepted it and brushed it off, simply stating to himself: “That is just me”.

As for the expeditions into the city, it was not until much later that Lao was briefed as to why the need for explorations. To the council members, it was about time that this world only briefly seen needed to be researched more. Sanda, having the most knowledge of the city prior, headed these exploratio-

-ns and chose members fit for the job. It was because of these explorations that prompted those on the SELENE to construct the several light sources throughout the different sections. The building Lao landed atop was within a darker area, without many lights built at the time of his observation. Although he did not think much of it, he was still careful of what could happen within his searches.

After scoping out the area with the small screen, displaying a map of the city, scanning for any movement, Lao stood and grabbed his bag. He took out the binoculars before opening the door to the outside. Due to the pressure, the door slightly hissed and emitted a thick steam that stuck to the area for a few minutes before vanishing.

It was then that he felt something again. A paralysing feeling. One where he simply could not move, nor think, even if he wished to. For that short time, he could not do anything, simply staring out the door he’s walked through in several expeditions. He knows what he must do...

This is the first chapter of a multi-part sci-fi novella to be exclusively published throigh THE MOVER.

READ THE FULL FIRST CHAPTER OF "NEON ANGELS" THROUGH THIS QR:

LUCAS TABUENA

Lucas is an 18 year old high school student who loves anything relating to movies (both in watching and making). Despite his very apparent shyness and awkward interactions, he’s really trying to communicate better. He sits at home most days, writing screenplays that might not see the light of day.

TIFFANY SAWAKI is a spontaneous person, always somehow ready for anything and everything. She loves coming up with ideas and showing them to the world. She has a strong passion for learning and helping others be the best version of themselves.

MAGNET by Kim Min Young (Charis)

O’ south pole, how attractive is your scent! A voice whispering to me that I yearn Drowning towards you without your consent Till my heart feels warmth – a strong harsh burn

Your existence, a mesmerizing sigh The cold, silent scream – o’ it makes me weak! The stronger the force, the louder my cry You are the north pole, resistant and bleak!

Slowly realizing, we swiftly depart My energy gently starts to regain Pain it is, as our hearts are forced apart And the dulcet tones of freedom go down the drain

Love can entirely make or break you, And for the best, I chose to be broken.

KIM MIN YOUNG (CHARIS)

Charis is a grade 10 student who loves to meet new people and learn more about them. She aims to raise the voices of people in need of help by writing and drawing. She also loves to write and draw about the events that happened in school and outside of school. These are just a few of her hobbies and interests, so she would like to explore and extend more of her creativity here in The Mover.

Artwork by Cho Yun Chae

CHO YUN CHAE (ALICE)

Alice loves drawing illustrations. Her creativity mostly comes from beautiful objects that she sees around her. She also loves small animals such as cats and dogs, but she does not have a pet because of her mother's strong opposition.

WONDERLAND SCENARIO by Dominic Tayzon

Have you ever watched two movies like Spirited Away (2001) and The Shawshank Redemption

and thought to yourself: “Huh, these two movies are really similar…” Well, that’s because they are! You see…these movies are using a structure I like to call the Wonderland Scenario So, what exactly is the Wonderland Scenario? In my own definition, it is a story structure that u-

-sually features a character — traditionally a young girl — who gets trapped in an unfamiliar world, her main goal being to escape and return to her “normal world.” This term is derived from Lewis Caroll’s Fantasy Novel, Alice in Wonderland (1865), where all its elements were born. Another early story that uses this is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Like Alice in Wonderland, Dorothy gets lost in a world she’s unfamiliar with (Oz) and has a desire to leave it.

Now, how do all these relate back to Spirited Away and The Shawshank Redemption? Well, let’s look at the elements again: In Spirited Away, Chihiro gets trapped in the land of the Spirits. In The Shawshank Redemption, on the other hand, Andy Dufresne is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. They both enter a world they are unfamiliar with and have a desire to leave it. In a way, these said movies are more of an evolved reincarnation of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz as both movies have compelling the-

-mes and emotional beats.

The Wonderland Scenario structure, to me, is one of my favorite story structures – mainly because despite its ridiculous stories, it’s a relatable story for us growing teens. What do I mean by this? Remember your first day in school? Remember how nervous you were when you walked through those gates and you didn’t know anybody or where your classroom even was? Or do you remember the first time you went outside and had to cross the street all by yourself? Remember how you got lost but managed to eventually find your way home? ‘Cause these are what Wonderland Scenarios are truly all about – growing up, adaptation, and maturity among many other themes.

DOMINIC "BRYLE" TAYZON

Bryle Tayzon is an ENTJ-T, who loves watching and reviewing movies/tv show, reading books, listening to music, and writing short stories. He's someone who believes in creativity, but most importantly putting his best foot forward.

HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED A CURATED GUIDE TO CONTENT CREATION? PERHAPS YOU THOUGHT OF LEARNING NEW SKILLS IN JOURNALISM

The Mover Syllabus is a student-made guidebook rich with resources on writing, reporting, drawing, graphic design, podcasting, and more. Start learning from our syllabus completely for free here:

https://tinyurl.com /moversyllabus

HOPEFUL FOGGINESS by Ruth Yhsabel A. Sanchez

Artwork by Ehra Gail P. Dizon

As time inches closer, My worry festers within; As if I’m standing on the ledge of a cliff, With no direction, I wander adrift

What face will I ever show To friends, foes, and family? I myself know that when I cannot provide, I am nothing but a hollow shell that has to hide

Yet through this all, I shall stand tall For I am the victor of my own game, With only I as the adversary And only I to blame

Though for me it remains a question mark, My future is left foggy and stark; But I am young and passionate, And am willing to change for my own benefit

I know I will not lose – I shall not lose! Yielding to my fears I must refuse For soon, a light will shine upon me And align me with my destined victory

RUTH YHSABEL A. SANCHEZ

Ruth is a grade 11 senior student and a cat enthusiast! A sucker for adventures and literary works. Her passion is to express herself through writing and hopes to ignite the creative spark in others. When she's not writing she's either reading books, hanging out with friends or family, playing with her cats, or sleeping.

EHRA GAIL P. DIZON

Ehra Gail, a 16-year-old student in grade 11, enjoys expressing herself through writing and painting. Since then, she has always set her heart on leadership, especially for other people. She believes that art has the power to inspire and enlighten others.

HOPE DERIVED FROM A CHICKEN EGG by Daphne Soriano if this were a sad poem, i’d write: the egg i used to make my sunny side up came from a mother hen who never got to be with her child.

maybe there is a rule for everyone in the universe: that for every bad thing that happens, a good thing will arrive, but i don’t know what good thing that mother hen got from her child being taken. all i know is that when i got her egg from the fridge, i had not thought about her. now i sit, stomach full and heart heavy, guilty with the knowledge that i have eaten her child.

i would like to believe that she (if she is even alive) is living a nice life. i would like to imagine that she is able to roam free, feeling the warm sunlight and gentle breeze on her feathers. i will not think about the fact that the egg brand we buy is one of the largest in the country, and that she had probably lived in a pen with a hundred others. i would like to imagine that she makes happy chicken noises (whatever that may sound like), and that she sleeps warm and comfortable. i would like to imagine that she gets fed plenty, not just enough to survive and stay alive. i would like to imagine that she was not exploited, nor used up into oblivion, as we take everything, everything we can from her.

when i started this poem, i had wanted to write about how there is love in the world despite the cruelty, despite everything. but i cannot think of anything good that might have happened to the mother hen. but still, i will keep going.

Artwork by Mizuki Hosokawa

maybe in the pen that she lived in with a hundred others, she got to connect with other mother hens. maybe they would click their beaks and talk — talk about the world, their children, about things that ruffle their feathers. maybe the farm she’s from fed her enough to be healthy and live long, and the person assigned to her pen cared a lot about her. maybe that person would pet the hens in her pen everyday and their voice would get high-pitched like when you’d talk to babies. maybe there is love and good in the world, like how maybe she was able to sit on her eggs and warm them up before they were taken from her. maybe that was her last act of motherly love.

maybe we just have to believe that the world is good, because to succumb to hopelessness is to give up. maybe we should put out the good and love we want into the world. maybe we are all good and we deserve kindness, like how i’m trying hard to make this a not-sad poem, like how i wrote this and shared it with you, and now i am saying i love you because i can and because it’s true and maybe we are all not so bad and i think i really do have hope and love for the world, despite the cruelty, despite everything.

maybe the world is cruel, and yet there is love. i push it out into the world in hopes that it reaches you and now there is so much of it, despite, despite, despite— despite everything.

the mother hen loved her child, and so i say i shall, too.

DAPHNE CYRENE G. SORIANO

Daphne is a proud HUMSS student with a deep love for poetry, literature, and anything to do with creating. Her primary goal in writing is to connect with and reach people.

MIZUKI HOSOKAWA

Mizi is a senior high student who is passionate about art and creative media. As an artist who has been drawing for a few years, she has learned to value self expression, self improvement, and the desire to try new things.

MUNDANE by Regina Zalameda

When the jacaranda blooms, their blossoms pirouette to the ground. As I leapt across their starling petals, the dew from the morning’s vacua soaked my feet To wash away the dust from dusk’s reprise. And so the longing from lang syne It eddies into the gurgling streams Where the water trickles from the mountain as frost whispers away. I sit in the aura Of the jacaranda tree; In a wistless morrow Of no importance.

To think of the clock spinning in this slothful murmur, The gluttony of sweet nectar that is to stare Upon the universe, the galaxy whirling In the phantasms carved in petal-paint Where the planets dance without aim; Where the wings of the caparisoned stars That roll across the great sea Of relativity, flutter It is folly: For if this moment had ever existed at all Is but a paradox With nobody but my fickle witness To discern the muddied truth.

It is in the great mundane Where the human spectra – its different facades In abstraction, become coalesced; It is made clear that in the face of the insurmountability That is the dance of the ancients, We are but flies To be swatted away: Having not the gift To comprehend the makings of our thought nor reality — Our understanding a shallow reef In an ocean embraced by gibbous time.

But still, I smile. The impermanence hauntingly ornamental – It is a lingering whisper Of our transient existence, how fleetingly beautiful: The theatre of humanity.

So gently, I pray That this mundane serenade May follow me in life In bloom or in famine Until I rejoin the blank of my birth That is the universe’s boundless eternity.

REGINA ZALAMEDA

Regina is a dreamer. From the annals of natural science to the throes of fiction and history, nothing is untouchable to her (as long as it is not the graphical circle formula!). She longs to study the English language in full and eventually spread that love as she pursues literature as a profession, and aims to obtain a doctorate in the subject.

LAST JOURNEY by Jiwon Jin

As I close my eyes, The world will stop. Rustles of leaves quiet down, White flowers I have placed myself Will never again be touched.

The Earth bids farewell, Humming its last hymn To humanity there was. Stories of memories fade Tale by tale, they vanish away.

The soil where my footprints once stamped Will be then effaced with dust. Grass will grow tall, undisturbed The greens will cover the grays, Therefore covering the last touch of humanity.

There I see the world, Where no others are meant to exist. Now, my story ends Far I walk to the other side of the orb. I was the last.

JIWON JIN

Jiwon is a high school student who has the passion to learn about the world. She loves to see the sky and the stars. Jiwon is a talkative friend, enjoying discussions about games, food, and stories. Being a curious student, she never gives up to learn various things and then shares those as her experience.

CHANCE-MEDLEY by Sihyun Park

And the very essence of my heart melts, it squeezes into whatever I call this feeling. Breaking even into the afterglow of your skin–crawling into scars and ripping into pieces. Places and corners I have never seen, and do not know if I wish to see. The smell of burnt asphalt to the sun tastes nostalgic with your head to the ground. Hold your breath as it screams into the tips of your fingers and holds your shoulders still. Grip your gun, hold it tight, and aim it straight Shell pressed against a bone as your ears numb out. Death due me part but in each breath I'm fearful of the days my presence falters in the weakness of it all. These expectations crumble into heaviness and unreliable hands. Scars do not heal, they carve themselves deeper and deeper. Never letting go, kissing against your trained figure. Your waist is so thin, "Have you been eating?" It whispers agowilt, pretentious in its right, "You've been here before." Ears tense, twitch, it has been stuffed black and white with static. It etches onto you until you realize that the very trap you've set has caught under the flight of your feet The sky begins here, where you stand–still and frozen– disgustingly unnerving. But you refuse to let go, it crackles like black thunder of sorts, It's invigorating pressure. Perhaps red was the right colour of it all. And gods, I've never liked the sound of knees hitting the ground Yet there is not a scintilla of hope written on my face. A call for attention was never a sin but rather a scene, one I may not be able to unshake. So, my hands release. The gun has fallen and so does the heart I hold in this fragile frame. Reverie is broken, but I'm still breathing in this eggshell white of a room. I've killed the very essence of this heart.

SIHYUN PARK

Sihyun Park (Sisi) is a very tired grade eleven HUMSS student that wishes she could go home and go to sleep despite the early dismissal. She is very enthusiastic about bagels even if she hasn't had one in almost a year now. She hopes the next time she writes another bio she can proudly say she has eaten a bagel. That being said, she wishes everyone a bageltastic day!

AAARRRTTTWWWOOORRRKKKSSS

BEHOLD, THE MONARCH by Mizuki Hosokawa & Tiffany Sawaki

TIFFANYTIFFANY SAWAKISAWAKI is a spontaneous person, always somehow ready for anything and everything. She loves coming up with ideas and showing them to the world. She has a strong passion for learning and helping others be the best version of themselves.

MIZUKIMIZUKI HOSOKAWAHOSOKAWA is a senior high student who is passionate aboutis a senior high student who is passionate about art and creative media. As an artist who hasart and creative media. As an artist who has been drawing for a few years, she has learned tobeen drawing for a few years, she has learned to value self expression, self improvement, andvalue self expression, self improvement, and the desire to try new things.the desire to try new things.

THE VALUE IN READING by Bea Magbanua

"An"An"An activity that opens your imaginationactivity that opens your imaginationactivity that opens your imagination and widens your knowledge. Reading is anand widens your knowledge. Reading is anand widens your knowledge. Reading is an essential basic skill useful in daily life. It is aessential basic skill useful in daily life. It is aessential basic skill useful in daily life. It is a hobby recommended for everyone, as ithobby recommended for everyone, as ithobby recommended for everyone, as it helps increase your knowledge and take inhelps increase your knowledge and take inhelps increase your knowledge and take in information, allowing you to learn moreinformation, allowing you to learn moreinformation, allowing you to learn moreit'sit'sit's about different things while also developingabout different things while also developingabout different things while also developingAdditionally,Additionally,Additionally, skills.skills.skills.

differentdifferentdifferent

ManyManyMany stress.stress.stress.

entertaining to read and it can help provideentertaining to read and it can help provideentertaining to read and it can help providereducingreducingreducing thethethe whilewhilewhile readingreadingreading me,me,me, enjoyenjoyenjoy relaxationrelaxationrelaxation andandand thethethe includingincludingincluding hold,hold,hold, people,people,people, booksbooksbooks storiesstoriesstories interestinginterestinginteresting experience of going through a good book!experience of going through a good book!experience of going through a good book! Nowadays I don't often have the luxury ofNowadays I don't often have the luxury ofNowadays I don't often have the luxury of time to spend finishing the books I starttime to spend finishing the books I starttime to spend finishing the books I startthethethe andandand spreadspreadspread reading, but I'd like to get back on track. Ireading, but I'd like to get back on track. Ireading, but I'd like to get back on track. I tototo encourageencourageencourage wantedwantedwanted importance and experience of reading!"importance and experience of reading!"importance and experience of reading!"

BEABEA MAGBANUAMAGBANUA is a senior high school student who enjoys drawing, playing video games, and listening to music. Aiming to enhance her skills in drawing different mediums of art, she tries her best to get out of her comfort zone and experience new things.

BEHOLD!

by Zaira 'Kahel' Cristobal

YouYouYou did it! Exams are over and now alldid it! Exams are over and now alldid it! Exams are over and now all there is to do is wait for the results. A lotthere is to do is wait for the results. A lotthere is to do is wait for the results. A lot of anxiety can build up during this butof anxiety can build up during this butof anxiety can build up during this but the hard part is over and you survived.the hard part is over and you survived.the hard part is over and you survived. Have this cat for comfort during theseHave this cat for comfort during theseHave this cat for comfort during these nerve-wracking times!”nerve-wracking times!”nerve-wracking times!”

ZAIRA 'KAHEL'ZAIRA 'KAHEL' CRISTOBALCRISTOBAL

Galaxies spill out of Kahel as if they were born to create. In love with art. In love with everything because what is art if not everything. A passion to make, to become.

ASTRAY IN THE CAVES by Lauren Masilungan

“It's“It's“It's not easy getting lost. It's normal to feel overwhelmednot easy getting lost. It's normal to feel overwhelmednot easy getting lost. It's normal to feel overwhelmed and anxious in a place, mentally or physically, you'reand anxious in a place, mentally or physically, you'reand anxious in a place, mentally or physically, you're unfamiliar with. I've been there before and I'm sureunfamiliar with. I've been there before and I'm sureunfamiliar with. I've been there before and I'm sure everyone else has, too. When you feel that doubt andeveryone else has, too. When you feel that doubt andeveryone else has, too. When you feel that doubt and uneasiness seeping in, don't forget to take a deep breath,uneasiness seeping in, don't forget to take a deep breath,uneasiness seeping in, don't forget to take a deep breath, steady yourself, and ask for support from the people yousteady yourself, and ask for support from the people yousteady yourself, and ask for support from the people you know have got your back.know have got your back.know have got your back.

LAURENLAUREN MASILUNGANMASILUNGAN

I wanted to draw this piece toI wanted to draw this piece toI wanted to draw this piece to practice on more naturalpractice on more naturalpractice on more natural backgrounds since I typicallybackgrounds since I typicallybackgrounds since I typically tended to only stick to moderntended to only stick to moderntended to only stick to modern architecture. I also wanted toarchitecture. I also wanted toarchitecture. I also wanted to be able to portray that feeling ofbe able to portray that feeling ofbe able to portray that feeling of helplessness and dread in the twohelplessness and dread in the twohelplessness and dread in the two characters' expressions.”characters' expressions.”characters' expressions.”

is a senior high school student and a digital artist. She often likes to play video games in her free time, and has a passion for consuming from and uplifting queer creators.

TO OFFER by Kelsey May Colasito

KELSEY MAYKELSEY MAY COLASITOCOLASITO

Poems and Stories she can write but the way she creates art feels more right. If one day the stars align, hoping the messages in Kai’s art shine.

BEJEWELED by Ehra Gail Dizon

EHRA GAILEHRA GAIL DIZONDIZON

Ehra Gail Dizon, a 16-yearold student in grade 11, enjoys expressing herself through writing and painting. Since then, she has always set her heart on leadership, especially for other people. She believes that art has the power to inspire and enlighten others.

CLICHÉ by Yoeiza Garcia

YOEIZAYOEIZA GARCIAGARCIA is an 11th grade student in HUMSS. She loves listening to music and collecting crystals. She enjoys sleeping a lot.

CLICK COLLECTIVE

The premier SISC club for photography enthusiasts. Learn how to capture the world from our experienced photographists. Foster your artistic capabilities, and discover the art of freezing time, in a frame. Professional camera not needed. Applications open to Grades 6-12 + IB. Beauté dans un cadre.

Instagram: @sisc.clickcollective Email: [email protected] Emails of the Officers: President: [email protected] (G.A.) Vice President: [email protected] (J.R.) Secretary: [email protected] (A.G.) Registration form: https://forms.gle/JeRmsQJZsbQ9Wsng9

BROADCAST CLUB

The SISC Broadcast Club aims to document the major activities and school events through the eyes of a student. We create video recaps of the hard work and dedication of student leaders to be broadcasted campus-wide. We hope to immortalize our high school memories as a reminder… That We Were There. Open to Grades 10-12.

Instagram: @siscbroadcast Email: [email protected] Emails of the Officers: President: [email protected] Vice President: [email protected] Secretary: [email protected] Registration form: https://forms.gle/Mj68cyhC4BWmqQSK6

ART SOCIETY

The official art club of SISC, the Art Society Club is a place where artists showcase their talents, creativity, and passion for arts as well as enhance their skills and learn to collaborate with others to create projects to represent the school and its community.

The Art Society Club is offered to students interested in visual arts. Art forms such as painting, drawing, design, and crafts. Open to Grades 8-12!

Instagram: @sisc.artsociety Email: [email protected] Carrd link: https://artsocsisc.carrd.co/ Registration form: https://forms.gle/vdWyQhoGbKpoyetM9

Y.E.S. CLUB

The Young Enthusiasts for Science (Y.E.S.) Club provides opportunities for Grade 6-12 and IB students to enhance their skills in different fields of Science, achieve camaraderie, perform experiments, and many more. Y.E.S. Club is Monarchs to explore, observe, and create skills in different fields of science and enhance more knowledge and interest in science.

Instagram: @sisc_yesclub Email: [email protected] Emails of the Officers: President: [email protected] Vice President: [email protected] Secretary: [email protected] Registration form: https://bit.ly/3Do2Gkp

• A.Y.2022-2023
• THE MOVER
• Platform, Pen, and Paper.

We take pride in the creativity, heart, and mind of the students in our school. The Mover is a student platform and that means we open our hearts and lend our microphones to our Monarchs to let their voices be heard.

We’re open to community submissions, from writeups and artworks to academic and personal projects. Everyone has a story to tell, and we’re here to help share it.