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            On the 5^th day of June, 2012, VSU Laboratory High School celebrated one of the traditional events that happen annually in schools, its Acquaintance Party. The event started at exactly 2:30 P.M. at the convention center and was formally started by the introduction message of Ms. Ana Ventulan, the host of the program.

            One of the most awaited highlights of the party was the Search for Mr. and Ms. Acquaintance 2012. Having this type of activity is one of the traditions of VSULHS. It started with an opening prayer by a junior student, Mr. Prince Lina and afterwards, the singing of our national anthem was sung by another junior student, Ms. Heidi Paler. Afterwards, the introduction of judges was eventually announced by Ms. Charis Limbo. Right after, the Dance Club members performed the introductory dance of the program and were formerly presided by the introduction of the contestants.

Introduction of the Contestants

            After the introduction, group of students, especially freshmen, performed some intermission numbers such as the instrumentals: Violin Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, set of various singers, etc. Each group of performers was composed of various freshmen students from different sections. They made a color in the stage as they performed their talents.

Freshmen students performing their Guitar Ensemble

            Later on after the question and answer portion, a set of junior students from III-Garnet and III-Ruby united as they rocked on the stage by showing their dance intermission number.

Junior students performing their Intermission Dance 

            After the judges summed up the contestants scores, the following were declared winners for the following minor awards:

MINOR AWARDS:

Best in Production Number:
Male: Kent Ivan Montajes (Contestant #6)
Female: Kimberly Louise Lopez (Contestant #6)

Best in Jeans Wear:
Male: Kent Ivan Montajes (Contestant #6)
Female: Kimberly Louise Lopez (Contestant #6)

Best in Fashion Wear:
Male: Kent Ivan Montajes (Contestant #6)
Female: Kimberly Louise Lopez (Contestant #6)

Newspaper Dance Winners

            A mixed-up talent was performed by the IV-Neptune students after the declaring of minor award winners.

IV-Neptune students performing their mixed-up talent called “Sinemo’to

            After the showing of talent by the fourth year students, the choosing of top three semi-finalists was announced. They undergone final question and answer portion. After the announcing of their answers, the judges immediately summed up their scores. As a result, the following were declared as official winners:

 Mr. & Ms. Acquaintance 2012:

Male: Kent Ivan Montajes (Contestant #6)

Female: Kimberly Louise Lopez (Contestant #6)

 1^st Runner Up:

Male: John Michael Modina (Contestant #6)

Female: Jackieline Cosares (Contestant #2)

 2^nd Runner Up:

Male: John Mori Membrebe (Contestant #2)

Female: April Rose Villar

            After the declaration of winners, the previous Mr. and Ms. Acquaintance 2011 had their final walk as they passed the throne to the new set of Mr. and Ms. Acquaintance 2012, Mr. Kent Ivan Montajes and Ms. Kimberly Louise Lopez.

Mr. and Ms. Acquaintance 2012

            After their royal dance and royal walk, the first part of the program was formally closed with the eating time. After eating, we went on the second part of the program, the most awaited part of the event, the DISCO!! Almost all of the students enjoyed and had a great time in grooving themselves on the dance floor. Even the faculties/teachers showed their groovy footsteps in dancing. One important and famous person came along that night, and I can’t believe that he joined in dancing. He grooved and grooved, sway and sway, turn around like a spin top and it was obvious that he enjoyed dancing that night. He was our talented, groovy principal- Dr. Rolando H. Arpilleda. This year’s acquaintance party was really fun and surely can be called as a groovy night. When I hear groovy and lively dance music, I remember June 15, 2012- Once Upon a Groovy Night.  

The New Champion

            July 19, 2012- The set date for the Championship Battle between two semi-finalist factions, the Brave Basilisks and Skyhorn Oryx, held at the VSU Basketball Court, Lower Campus. Two factions did their very best in order to get the “Champion” title. Every player of each respective faction has consecutive highlights. Some of the players did their best to shoot the ball in order to gain 3 points, but suddenly failed; otherwise, some got it. Some funny actions have been executed by some players as they’re going to shoot the ball. The game can be described as “Raining of Fouls”. There were too many fouls done by some players.

            As the game started, members of each team stayed humble as they prepare for the 1^st quarter of the game. The Basilisk held the strong start as Mr. Plasabas shot the ball in the ring. The flow of the game was smoothly overtaken by the Basilisk as they headed towards the Skyhorn Oryx. The players seriously played the game. Smooth tactics were being shown by the Skyhorn Oryx and a lot of rebound and shots scored by each team. When the timeout came, the players of Basilisk team were given by the Snack Committee a snack and a water or juice, while the Skyhorn Oryx team had their juice and some gatorades to quench their thirst, refresh them up and gain some energy. On the 2^nd quarter, the Skyhorn Oryx strengthen up their courage as they scored 30 against the score of Basilisk, which was 36.

                 

            As the 4^th quarter came, the Basilisks still leads the game. As the end of the game comes nearer, some substitutions have been sent by some players. So thrilling! The cheers from the crowd and thundering of applauses were given to the players in the finale game. When the last minute came, the leading team, which is the Basilisks, just made the game so easy and well-free as they knew that they were the leading. Basilisks lead the final round. Mr. Capeña had great contribution to the score of Basilisk as he got so many three points. He was considered as the Star Player of the Team Basilisk, as well as this year’s Basketball Star Player! Team Basilisks scored 71; Team Oryx scored 46. Team Oryx’ hope to win the game never faded. They continued harmoniously but failed attempting to soar higher than the Basilisk. The Brave Basilisk got their title as “Champion”! Last year, Skyhorn Oryx was the champion of the Basketball game, but now, Brave Basilisk did their very best and happily and luckily, they got it! They won the game! The new champions stand firmly and prove their courage as they fight towards the Skyhorn Oryx, the last year’s defending champion. The Brave Basilisks got the title, “The New Champion”!  

                                                                                       

Nutritious Beverage from Swetpotato Leaves

Do you know that sweetpotato leaves can be turned into a delicious and nutritious beverage? You just have to mix the sweetpotato tops juice with 4% calamansi juice.

 This was what we found out in our research entitled Effects of Calamansi Juice Levels on the Sensory Qualities and Acceptability of Sweetpotato Tops Beverage. We conducted the study in December 2009. My co-researchers were Kerl Francis Pastoril, Charles Flores, Shara Khris Lanugan, Jesserae Almario, Josh Christian Sabandal and Denisse Baldos. Our research adviser was Dr. Roberta D. Lauzon, head of the Department of Food Science and Technology. We presented the research results during the VFES Science Fair on February 16, 2010 and our research was adjudged as the Best Research Paper.

 We were encouraged to conduct the study because we observed that many children nowadays are malnourished. They do not get the right amount of nutrients they need because they eat unhealthy foods such as junk foods and synthetic drinks. To solve this problem, some parents give their children food supplements to serve as source of vitamins and minerals. However, most of these food supplements are expensive, so families with low income could not afford to buy these. There is, therefore, a need to look for cheaper sources of vitamins and minerals for the children of families who could hardly afford expensive food supplements.

 When we reviewed literature related to healthy foods for children, we found out that among the cheap sources of vitamins and minerals is sweetpotato. It is a crop that is commonly grown among farmers in the Philippines because it is not difficult to cultivate. We also read from Wikipedia (2008) that aside from containing simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), Vitamin C and vitamin B6. Varieties with dark orange flesh have more beta carotene than those with light colored flesh. So, their increased cultivation is being encouraged in places where Vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem. Sweetpotato may also be a beneficial food for diabetics. As explained in an article in Wikipedia, preliminary studies on animals have revealed that sweetpotato helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance. Sweet potato leaves and shoots are also excellent sources of vitamins A, C, B2 (Riboflavin), and lutein, a substance that enhances eyesight.

 The edible portions of sweetpotatoes are the tuberous roots and young leaves or shoots. The roots are either boiled or processed into delicacies, while the young leaves and shoots, which people commonly call as sweetpotato or camote tops, are usually prepared as salad. To make salad, the sweetpotato tops are blanched. After blanching, the remaining water is usually just thrown away. This is not supposed to be done because the remaining water can be made into a nutritious beverage which is beneficial to children and adults alike. However, the problem with the sweetpotato tops juice is that it has undesirable taste and smell. To encourage children to drink sweetpotato tops beverage, there is a need to find a way to enhance its taste, flavor and other sensory attributes. This may be done by adding fruit extract, such as lemon juice, to the sweetpotato tops beverage as flavoring. So we conducted an experiment to determine what percentage of sweetpotato juice will result in a sweetpotato beverage which is acceptable to the consumers, specially the kids.

 In our experiment, we used the sweetpotato variety with purple leaves (NSIC Sp 30) (Figure 1). It was chosen because according to literature, it contains high amount of anthocyanin, an anti-oxidant which is reported to prevent cancer and other diseases. On the other hand, calamansi (Figure 2) was chosen as flavoring for the sweetpotato tops beverage because it is readily available, it is relatively cheaper than other fruits that are used as flavorants, and it has high Vitamin C content.

Figure 1. Sweetpotato tops (NSIC Sp 30) Figure 2. Calamasi

In our study, we experimented with the following combinations of sweetpotato tops juice and calamansi juice:

• Sweetpotato juice alone + sugar

• Sweetpotato juice + 2% calamansi extract + sugar (250 ml sweetpotato juice + 5 ml or 1 teaspoon calamansi juice)

• Sweetpotato juice + 4% calamansi extract + sugar (250 ml sweetpotato juice + 10 ml or 2 teaspoons calamansi juice)

• Sweetpotato juice + 6% calamansi extract (T3) + sugar (250 ml sweetpotato juice + 15 ml or 3 teaspoons calamansi juice); and

• Sweetpotato juice + 8% calamansi extract + sugar (250 ml sweetpotato juice + 20 ml or 4 teaspoons calamansi juice)

The amount of sugar used was the same for all treatments (1 tablespoon per 250 ml of sweetpotato tops beverage).

To produce enough amount of sweetpotato juice for the five treatments (1,250 ml), we used 250 kilograms of sweetpotato tops and 1.5 liters of water. The thoroughly cleaned sweetpotato (SP) tops and water were placed in a casserole, then boiled for 3-5 minutes or until the water turned purple. After this, the SP tops were removed from the water. The remaining purplish liquid (which was the sweetpotato juice) was allowed to cool a bit before adding the calamansi extract and sugar.

To prepare the calamansi juice, we sliced the thoroughly cleaned calamansi using a knife. The sliced calamansi were then squeezed by hand to extract the juice.

To determine which combination would result to the most acceptable beverage, we subjected the beverages to sensory evaluation and consumer acceptability evaluation. The sensory evaluation was done by 10 staff and students from the Department of Food Science and Technology in VSU, while the consumer acceptability test was done by 25 elem. pupils from ViFES, 25 high school students from VSU-LHS, 25 college students from VSU, and 25 faculty/staff from VSU.

Results of our study showed that the addition of calamansi juice to the sweetpotato tops beverage can improve the products’ color, taste, flavor and general acceptability. The amount of calamansi juice that can best enhance the sensory qualities of the sweetpotato tops beverage is 4%, or 10 ml (2 tablespoons) of calamansi juice per 250 ml of sweetpotato tops juice.

The cost of producing 1.5 liters of sweetpotato tops beverage is PhP35.00. The break-even price (BEP) is PhP4.67 per 200 ml or one tetra pack beverage. This is quite cheaper than the commercial beverage whose current price is PhP7.00 of the same volume.

Figure 4a. Sweetpotato tops beverage Figure 4b. Sweetpotato tops beverage

without calamansi juice with calamansi juice

(dark purple color) (pink color)

So what are waiting for? Prepare your own delicious and nutritious drink using materials that are commonly available in our locality.

What Lazy and Desperate People Do

Cheating. I really can’t get the point why students cheat. They cheat because they want to get correct answers and then get a high score. Then why won’t they study? Aaahhh. I know now. It’s what you call laziness. Students always want the “easy way”. C’mon, just a little effort, please? Our parents work hard just to earn money or our school fees, and then you don’t even exert a little effort?

Students today use many methods in cheating. Some work individually and some play as a team. It sounds funny, right? But we all know it’s true. Some bring “kodigo” by simply putting it inside their pockets or just hiding them in their hands and of course, it would be dangerous without the “poker face”. Some do cheating openly. “Unsay answer number five bai?” oh, how nice! In front of the teacher? Too vulgar. If you’re just going to cheat, please do it secretly. You would not want the minus points. But another better option is not to cheat at all! I believe that not all people are smart enough, but I know everyone can pass a subject. It just needs a little more sweat. 🙂

World Without Oil, End of the World or a New Beginning?

Oil is one of the most common needs of man. There are many uses of oil. For instance, cooking oil is used for cooking while petroleum is  used in powering up vehicles. Oil is traded in many countries as a source for money like the country of Kazakhstan. But where do we get oil? We get it by digging up oil reserves. Oil reserves are spaces deep in the earth’s surface which is filled with oil. There are many oil reserves in the world, from the north of Antarctic,  to the thousands of oil reserves in the Middle East. Many people don’t even notice that oil is helping them in their everyday lives. But what will happen if all of the oil reserves are finally dug up? What will happen to the transportation vessels that need oil in order for them to operate?

Anything can happen and no one can predict as to what will be the faith of the whole human race.  Or so we thought?

Many scientists are looking into the possible scenario of what will happen to man without oil. In an “oil-less” world, all the oil-powered transportation will be of no use. This means that cars, motorcycles, airplanes, ships and other vehicles are useless. It will affect the world trade: without oil, some countries that export oil will not be able to trade with other countries leaving some countries oil-less.

According to some experts, attempts to gain oil will be practiced. This includes the planting of certain crops that can be converted into bio-gas such as corn, soybeans, and sugarcane. In America, there will be mass plantation of soybeans for the gaining of “nitrogen gas”, a kind of oil that is converted from soybeans and other legumes. In some parts of Asia, communities will also plant corn to convert the it into the bio-gas called “ethanol”. After some time, America will be on a grueling decision, plant crops for oil? Or for human consumption?

Image from arb.ca.gov

America is struggling of what it is doing. Although the gas it produces is of high quality, planting soybeans takes a long period of time. But for the reason of planting crops for oil, food for humans is getting scarce and food riot is predicted to happen anytime soon. So the Americans will propose the cultivation of algae which will produce “gasoline”. And the reason for its fast growth rate is the other reason why it will replace the plantation of soybeans.

There is a saying that ” What you grow is what you eat” and that’s exactly what the people will do. Since the food for human consumption is getting scarce, people will plant whatever they can from tomatoes to potatoes, from fruits to vegetables. But it isn’t that all bad. Many experts predict that the people will recycle more than ever. All the metals used in making ships and airplanes will be recycled to things they can use. In some cases, people will recycle empty bottles and plastics to make good use of it.

The world without oil is not a total Armageddon.  Actually it has its good sides. Since the cars that produce smoke are gone, pollution will decline dramatically throughout the world. So when oil really runs out, just think of the good things that will happen. And as today, you should be thankful that oil is still abundant. At least, for now.

Let’s Enjoy High School While It Lasts

A lot of students have said that high school is the most fun and the most enjoyable phase of their lives.  And I find it to be true. In elementary school, I was childish and child-like in nature. I’m sure that when the time comes for me to be in college, I’ll have to be serious in everything that I’ll do.

High school is the preparation for college and at the same time, the introduction of our exposure to the outside world. It is also the time when we experience a little freedom from our parents. As a result, we learn to be independent, disciplined, self-confident, responsible, brave, industrious, etc.

For me, high school has 3 general subjects, and these are STUDIES, FRIENDS, and LOVE.  Studies refer to our academic performance in school and probably the main thing we should think about as students.  Friends is synonymous to leisure such as games, outing, jamming with friends and enjoying the company of other people.  Love refers to our dealings or starting a relationship with the opposite sex.  It also includes being committed to another person or perhaps developing crushes.

If you think that high school life is easy, you’re mistaken.  Life in high school isn’t easy at all, for we have to face obstacles that we have never encountered before. It’s either we succeed or fail with these obstacles. It depends on how we face it; we face it either courageously or cowardly. But every time we fail, we should never lose hope and never try to give up.

We must use failure as a weapon to succeed and use it as a motivation.  We must also be responsible and be ready for the consequences along the way since obstacles are not made for us to fail, but to succeed. In the meantime, let’s take everything in stride. Let’s enjoy high school.

Is Music A Friend Or A Foe?

In his article titled The Restorative Power of Music, Michael Israel, an artist, said that for as long as man has walked the earth, music has been a vital part of our culture, lifestyle and collective memory. Indeed, we, people, are easily influenced by things especially music. As a matter of fact ancient culture used music as a mnemonic device to imprint vital stories and myths onto young minds , passing down tribal histories. Almost anything you need to memorize from a preamble to math equations, may be set to music, locked quickly into memory for later retrieval and use.

Image by blissmati.com

Music can be divided into 2 sides: the positive and the negative. An example of the positive side of music is when you integrate it into your studies.  It can have great effects on the early stages of learning: from the very young age up to elementary school. One good effect of music is when simply listening to a pleasant or a soft music while studying.  It can make studying so much easier.  In some cases, it may not only increase a person’s positive attitude, but will provide ease as well as peace of mind while studying. The key component of music that makes it beneficial is order. One key ingredient to the order of music from a baroque and classical period is math. This, realized by the body and the human brain performs better when listening to this ordered music.

Image by cartoonstock.com

Listening to music as a background can help people when they are thinking, studying or working; however, music needs to be used correctly. It can be easily understood that if it’s vocal music, it needs to be somewhat soft.  If it is not, it can be very distracting to the mind and to the spirit.

The negative side of music comes in when any music that is loud is played.  Personally, I think that this kind of music affects a person’s attitude in a negative way. Music preference can be a warning sign of a distressed teen. An isolated, angry, or depressed youth may be attracted to music that feeds his feelings of despair and hostility. I have observed that people who always listen to rock and hard music are always angry and have a hard time thinking and socializing with  other people.

Image by shanghaiist.com

So, what is music then? A friend or a foe?  Try  it once: study with a soft background music. Let’s try it together!

Worry not

Why fret? Why bother?

Why quarrel with each other?

Can any of us through worry

Slow down life that’s in a hurry?

Why grumble? Why complain?

When through worry nothing we gain

Birds head out to feed

Not knowing what’s in store

And yet they come home, stuffed to the core

Aren’t you worth more?

It’s been said before and I’ll say it once more

“God is faithful, God is just,

And in him we must place our trust”

-Prince Darius Lina

Mr. Lambert is VSULHS’ New Teacher

After Ms. Marivel Bautista resigned from VSULHS, the school was left in need of a new Economics instructor. Thankfully, a new teacher was hired on time before the classes started. He is Mr. Allen Lambert.

Mr. Lambert is the son of VSULHS’ own Home Science teacher, Dr. Nelen Lambert. He is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics, a very own product of VSU. He worked in a company in Cebu before going back to his Alma mater to finish his Master’s degree. He is happily married and is blessed with two children.

In behalf of the school, we welcome you to the VSULHS family, Mr. Lambert!

Oh, M-O-N-D-A-Y-S Are Here!

Is there a Monday that is enjoyable for us, students? I doubt it.  Probably, the only students who love Mondays are the  “NERDY”, “NANING” and the members of the SNS or the “Super Naning Society” (this is what the students call them).

Monday is the first day of the week and for us, it is the start of a new journey in our school life. Well, as we all know, Mondays are the days where we have our flag ceremonies. I have observed that many students are late during these events and some join during the last part of the activity which is the singing of the VSU Hymn. Blame it to the schedule, and so they say.

The flag raising starts at 6:45 A.M. instead of  the usual 7:00 A.M.  Most of the students, when the new schedule was announced, complained that it’s very early.  But then, it’s part of our high school life.  We have no choice but to follow it.  We can look at it this way: it is one way of disciplining students and of teaching us how to properly manage our time.  It will surely help us in the future. There’s no doubt about it.

Most of the teachers assign projects which need to be passed on Mondays. Mondays are the days to pass projects. In fact, there are also many assignments to be checked, quizzes to take and activities to make or answer.

MONDAY

All of these are part of the life of each and every student. I know that it’s tiring, stressful
and very hard for all of us, but we are really blessed that we can go to school.  Some children really love to go to school but they can’t because of lack of financial support from their parents. We must be thankful to our parents who send us to school and especially to our Lord God who gives us the opportunity to live and who helps our parents earn money.

So students, study hard and do the best you can!