In this third and final segment of the introductory series welcoming our new teachers, we have, from the Intermediate School Department: Ms. Irish S. Cortez, Ms. Love Anne R. Raganas, Ms. Hannah Pearl C. Repotente, Ms. Daphne T. Tioco, Mr. Glenn Brombuela, and Mrs. Janice Chinky R. Asilo. From the primary and pre-school department, we have: Ms. Rachelle P. Andres, Ms. Nessy Jairah D. Celeste, Ms. Delie Dell Y. Chua, Ms. Celina Angela C. Felix, Ms. Dianne Louise L. Recomono, Ms. Airene Jashel S. Bersales, Ms. Jenesa Joyce A. Chua, Ms. Grace Shen, Ms. Janaye K. Villanueva, and Ms. Bernalyn S. Norella.
The previous part of this series ended with our teachers looking for the missing students, with more and more teachers eventually joining the search. Discovering some clues from the CCTV footage, they found out that multiple students were missing instead of just one. As they were forced to cut their search short by a required assembly in the auditorium, a loud BANG! was heard. Join us as we finally find out what happened to our missing students!
The loud, piercing BANG! jolted the teachers. “I think the sound came from the auditorium!” said Ms. Clarenz Aguilar. “That might just be a technical problem,” Mr. Mark Graida said, tilting his head curiously. They had heard that some of the air conditioning units were malfunctioning earlier. The teachers were about to go back to finishing their report cards when a second BANG! swept through the room. The teachers looked at each other and, upon seeing the worry in each other’s eyes, raced towards the end of the hallway, determined to discern the source of the noise.
Finally reaching the end of the hallway, the teachers frantically opened the black double doors. Light flooded the hallway as the missing students jumped up and yelled, “HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY!” Apparently, the students had missed their cell group get-together to cover the auditorium in bright, colorful decorations and prepare for a Teacher’s Day surprise. Even the girls in denim jackets who had been looking for different cartolinas were there - their cartolinas now plastered as different signs around the auditorium!
More loud bangs were heard as students popped open confetti launchers, showering the auditorium with tiny flecks that glittered cheerfully in the vivid light. Teachers from multiple departments had gathered in the auditorium. Across the room, teachers from the primary and pre-school departments also entered, amazed by the unexpected Teachers’ Day celebration organized by the students.
“Wow, what a surprise!” Ms. Rachelle Andres exclaimed with a smile. “This is incredible! Thank you so much!” Ms. Janaye Villanueva agreed. The other primary and pre-school teachers laughed and voiced their thanks.
*****
Meanwhile, the intermediate department teachers—Ms. Irish Cortez, Ms. Love Anne Raganas, Ms. Hannah Repotente, Ms. Daphne Tioco, and Mrs. Janice Asilo—shocked by the booming cracks of popping confetti, were making their way to the auditorium. BOOM! CRACK!
Since they were used to the antics of eight-year-olds, the noise was nothing unusual. Games of Chinese garter and grasshopper were not exactly the quietest activities, and they had also witnessed and supervised many rather terrifying games of Uno and Monopoly Deal. What was unusual, though, was that everyone seemed strangely hurried, rushing to get out the door during dismissal. Papers were strewn across the floor, and lunch bags, some unzipped, were haphazardly laid on the stroller bags lining the hallway.
“Shall we go up and check?” asked Ms. Raganas as the pounding of children’s footsteps through the hallway and up the stairs reached even the furthest corner of the teachers’ room. “I think we should,” Ms. Repotente replied. “I hope nobody is hurt.” Grimacing at the thought, the teachers ran up the stairs, expecting nothing short of chaos to be flooding the steps.
All of a sudden, the noise died as soon as they arrived on the fifth floor. Their students, seemingly knowing much more than the teachers, walked down the stairs in single file, all of them grinning knowingly from ear to ear.
“Huh?” said Ms. Tioco, confused. “What’s going on?” she asked the last student in line, and the student stopped and pointed at the auditorium door and smirked. “Things are now what they seem,” she said meaningfully, before running off to join her batchmates.
“Maybe we should go to the auditorium,” Mrs. Asilo suggested nervously. The teachers paused, unsure if they were interpreting all of this correctly. Then a second BANG! went off and, setting all their doubts aside, they immediately rushed towards the auditorium. When they opened the doors, they were greeted by a familiar voice. “Let’s welcome our new intermediate department teachers!” said the same Student Government (SG) host who had spoken during the flag ceremony earlier.
The teachers’ eyes widened, and they let out individual exclamations of surprise. Ms. Raganas took out her handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead in relief before clutching the door handle and laughing. “This is amazing!”
“Wow!” exclaimed Ms. Tioco. “This was the last thing I expected!” As the other teachers in the auditorium greeted them with high-fives and smiles, Mrs. Asilo asked, “Were the students part of the plan? How did you get them to keep quiet and stick to it? I should integrate this into my lesson plan!” The teachers laughed, and so did the hosts, who promptly announced the start of the program now that everyone was here.
“Good afternoon, teachers, and Happy Teachers’ Day!” came a voice from the stage. “Welcome to our Teachers’ Day celebration for school year 2021-2022!” The teachers turned to the stage and watched. “Oh! There’s more!” said Ms. Castro with a laugh. She sighed happily.
“For this year’s Teachers Day, we will be starting off with some games! Any guesses, teachers?” asked the host.
“Hmm, I think this year’s games will probably be competitive, fast-paced ones,” said Ms. Norella. “What do you think, Ms. Bersales?” “Maybe another team-building game,” Ms. Bersales mused. Ms. Celeste voiced her agreement. There were many teachers in the auditorium, and they both hoped to sit down and get to know everyone.
“This Teachers’ Day, we are going to play Family Feud! Group yourselves into groups of five!” said the hosts. The hubbub of noise ebbed and flowed as teachers sorted themselves into groups. Finally, once everyone had grouped themselves and settled down, the games were ready to begin.
“Welcome, everyone, to Family Feud! Let’s meet the first group from the primary and pre-school department: Ms. Delie Dell Chua, Ms. Dianne Recomono, Ms. Celina Felix, Ms. Grace Shen, and Ms. Jenesa Chua! Let’s now welcome the opposing team: our intermediate school teachers - Mr. Brombuela, Ms. Felix, Ms. Tioco, Mrs. Asilo, and Ms. Raganas!
“Let’s begin with Mr. Brombuela from the Intermediate team against Ms. Felix from the Primary and Pre-school team. For each question, we will be listing the top three most popular answers here on the screen based on our surveys. Are you ready, teachers?”
“First question! ‘Name the most common speculation for reasons behind slipping on a candy wrapper.’ Go!”
“Somebody accidentally dropped it,” responded Mr. Brombuela as he pressed the buzzer. “That is correct! Twenty points for Team Intermediate!” responded the game host. “Now, Ms. Repotente, what do you think is another common reason?”
“Hmm, a suspicion that somebody placed it there on purpose?” she guessed. The host grinned, “That’s right, ten points for Team Intermediate. This team just needs to guess the last answer in order to win this round. Any guesses, teachers?” Team Intermediate whispered to one another but could not seem to guess the final answer.
“Time’s up! Team Pre-school-Primary, it’s your turn to steal! Any guesses?” asked the game host. “How about suspicions of paranormal activity?” guessed Ms. Felix. “That’s right, Ms. Felix! Team Pre-school-Primary successfully steals and wins this round!”
More and more rounds of Family Feud were played. The array of strange and silly questions and the fierce competition drew out laughs from even the most reserved people in the room. Finally, it was time for the special video presentation made by the SG, with the help of some teachers, to be played on the LED screen of the auditorium.
The video flashed on the screen, showing the previously missing SG students waving at the camera. “Hi, everyone! Happy Teachers’ Day to all the teachers! In celebration of this year’s Teachers’ Day, we’re here to ask different teachers what makes their jobs special! Let’s start with Ms. Celeste. What is the best thing about being a teacher?”
“The best thing about being a teacher would be simply meeting different personalities, perspectives, and backgrounds of the students we teach. It might be cliché to say, but we teachers also get to learn something from the students. Teaching other people and being taught as well would be the best things about being a teacher,” answered Ms. Celeste.
“How about for you, Ms. Andres and Ms. Chua?” asked the SG officers.
“For me, being able to see my students reach greater heights is the best thing about being a teacher,” replied Ms. Andres. “And for me, it’s making an impact in someone’s life,” added Ms. Delie Chua.
“And you, Ms. Villanueva and Ms. Norella? What do you hope your students will remember you for after they move up?”
“I want my students to remember me as a teacher who genuinely cares and believes in each and every one of them, who challenges them to make them think and become better, whose passion and heart for teaching and for the Lord overflows in all the things that I do and say. After all, teaching is my calling, and all that I do is only for the glory of the One who called me,” answered Ms. Villanueva.
Ms. Norella jumped in and said, “Aside from being their teacher, I hope to be remembered as a friend, a confidante, a happy memory.”
“Thank you, teachers, for those wonderful responses. Thank you for showing us and reminding us what it means to be a teacher. This wraps up our AVP! Happy Teachers’ Day once again!” greeted the students from the SG..
“Happy Teachers’ Day!” shouted all the students in the auditorium in unison. Greetings were exchanged, heartfelt messages were given, and memories were made. The auditorium was not short of laughter and enjoyment. It was a day to remember.
With the missing students found, this concludes the final portion of our three-part series! This three-part series aimed to showcase a glimpse of past pre-pandemic Teachers’ Day celebrations—taking inspiration from the competitive games to heartwarming AVPs organized every year. Thank you, teachers, for all that you do for us and all the sacrifices that you make. Happy Teachers’ Day to all our wonderful teachers!
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