By: Isabel Marie Chavez of Grade 12 STEM
Grade 12 STEM class organized two symposia this school year 2017-2018.
The first symposium was given to invited High School Faculty and Grade 11 students. It focused on the Importance of Information Literacy. This activity is a collaboration of two areas of discipline: Media and Information Literacy (MIL) and Social Science.The STEM class’ subject teachers, Ms. Kate Caguioa for MIL and Ms. Divine Mercy Go for Social Sciences, helped in the planning and execution of the whole symposium. To help achieve its objective, the symposium discussed the movie PK (which in English means “tipsy”). This is a 2014 Indian satirical science fiction comedy film directed by Rajkumar Hirani, produced by Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and written by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi.
The second symposium, a requirement of the class’ Biology subject, was given to select Senior High School Faculty and the Grade 12 HUMSS students. It aimed to inform and widen the audience’s knowledge on food and diet matters that have effects on wellbeing, fitness, and health. Specifically, the symposium discussed different nutrients our body needs. The STEM speakers also talked about the advantages and disadvantages of consuming certain types of food. They also addressed misconceptions their audience have about the food that they eat. This activity was done under the guidance of the class’ Biology teacher, Mr. Justine Eusebio. The Grade 12 STEM class found the organization and execution of these symposia very helpful in developing in the students the value of confidence, especially when speaking in front of varied audience. The class also benefitted in terms of improving their communication skills improvement. Overall, there was a sense of satisfaction in being able to impart valuable knowledge to others.