Feature: Musings of a shocked lady

Musings of a shocked lady

By Ma. Gia Hilado

Correspondent

A time to laugh and a time to weep; a time to work, a time to live; a time to win and a time to fail. Back to school mode. Bye, beaches. Hello, books.

The school year has just begun. So many things were unexpected. New teachers, new government, new people, so many new faces and the biggest change: the new Kibbutz. So many things have changed, and I don’t know where to start.

Let me begin with the teachers. Well I, for one, have thought that they would be pushovers. They all look so young, but honestly the new teachers of JCA really do know what they are talking about in front of the class. It is true that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The teachers look sweet but I used to think that they are somehow incapable of teaching us students, they look kind of weak. Well they sure proved me wrong.

Next, the new SSG, lead by Ms. Danielle V. Nakpil as the president of the student body and Mr. Josiah Albelda as their adviser, promises to make this year a school year nobody would ever forget. From what I’ve seen in the last few weeks in school I would say that they really trying their best to make this school year rock.

New faces, the numbers of students of JCA increased this year. And I like what I’m seeing most of the new students are nice and they know how to treat the people around them. That’s nice, actually I think everybody should be like that so that no body will ever get left behind.

The new Kibbutz, it has a very cool new look. The staff even has a new uniform. The rates have been decreased and the food is still the same. But with new looks comes new irritating rules. Well we can't have everything, I guess, there’s always a catch.

So many things has already happened, its only been one month. What else would happen next? One thing's for sure, this year would be different.

Sport: 'First Clash' tix now on sale

'First Clash' tix sell like hotcakes on Day 1

By Josiah Israel Albelda

"The First Clash" is turning out to be a hot commodity.

Tickets to the basketball game pitting four JCA-based teams on Wednesday at the JCSGO Seed Dome have been selling like hotcakes since being released early morning today.

The activity, sponsored by the Supreme Student Government and supported by the Sports Club, the High School Department and the Grade School Department, will likewise serve as a pep rally for JCA's varsity teams, which will compete in the upcoming Season 4 of the Quezon City Athletic Association.

The JCA Roaring Cubs grade school varsity, mentored by coach Janmarck Fuerte, will meet a High School Freshman-Sophomore selection at 3:15 p.m. while the JCA Roaring Cubs high school varsity, under coach Darwin dela Torre, will lock horns with the retooled FaculTech Black Hawks at 4:15 p.m.

School Steward Ms. Cynthia Genon has cancelled all last subjects of the High School Department to let all JCAians witness the clash of these school-based hoop squads.

Meanwhile, the SSG, with the leadership of President Danielle Nakpil, is preparing side activities to add flavor to "The First Clash."

Tickets are available at Php 20.00 and could be bought from the SSG (high school) and the SPG (grade school).

News: 3 cellphone, make-up huli sa SSG raid

3 cellphone, make-up kit huli sa SSG raid

Ni Junie Anne Joy Peteros

News Editor

Tatlong cellphone at isang make-up kit ang nakumpiska kahapon sa isinagawang raid ng Supreme Student Government.

"To eliminate law-breakers" ang isinusulong ng SSG ngayon sa pangunguna ni Pangulong Danielle Nakpil at Ryan Lazo, Peace Officer.

"Kaunti lang yung nahuli and I'm sure marami pang naitatago based sa information na dumarating sa amin," wika ni SSG adviser Josiah Israel Albelda. "But we'll do our best to enforce the law of the school."

Ayon sa rekord, kinilala ang mga nahulihan na sila Angeline Vinuya, Camille Yboa ng IV-Glorious at Christian Orduña ng III-Great at Chena Gonzales ng III-Mighty.

News: Journ studes in deep training for upcoming confabs

Journ studes in deep training for upcoming confabs

By Michael Angelo Jugado
Student Trainer

After winning it all in the group contests of the National Schools Press Conference last year, the JCSGO Christian Academy Journalism Team sets its sights on topping the individual competitions of the annual gathering of campus journalists in the country.

To achieve this, the team, led by adviser Josiah Israel Albelda, has been in deep training in preparation for the Mini Press Conference it will be hosting on August 13.

A total of 11 public and private schools from Quezon City have confirmed their attendance in the activity.

Last year's champion, Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science-Technology High School will be back to defend its crown while perennial contenders Quezon City High School, Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School and Carlos L. Albert High School will be there to give Roces a run for its money.

JCA, meanwhile, has had a dismal performance in its past two participations in the Mini Press Con, bagging only four awards last year.

The school sent only 10 scribes in the 2009 joust while the rest of the field brought at least 25 campus journalists with them.

This school year, JCA will go full throttle with 24 school scribes, photojournalists, cartoonists and radio broadcasters vying in the eight different contest categories.

Student trainers have been on hand to give members of the JCA Journ Team training. The list includes this writer, two-time NSPC winner Mychael Miravite, 2010 Copyreading and Headline Writing champ Sheena Sacdalan, and NSPC participants Aki Yatco and Reina Medina.

Freelance photographer Josh Albelda, likewise, will be part of the training team trying to erase the stigma of zero wins in photojourn contests last year.

Sport: Hoops varsity ready to roar - finally

Hoops varsity ready to roar - finally

Dalisay leads new batch of cagers

By Josiah Israel Albelda

Adviser

Years of futility have probably made the JCSGO Christian Academy basketball team callous to losing.

In the three years that the former JCA Doves has participated in the fledgling Quezon City Athletic Association, the school's five has chalked up less than 10 wins against more than 20 losses.

Lack of financial support, inadequate training and conflict with academic requirements have often been pointed to as the culprit behind this inefficiency, behind these embarrassing court performances and behind this lackluster showing for four years.

Retrospect

When Physical Education teacher and Sports Club moderator Darwin dela Torre assumed the reins of the basketball team following the resignation of Gerard Alejo, the 22-year-old stared at a task so daunting it cannot be described in words.

And while the school has a state-of-the-art facility in the Seed Dome and an adequate home we call the Skyline Gym, problems continued to hound the hoops program: student discipline, resources, fighting heart.

This became more evident when the Doves lost to a rag-tag squad of teachers and technical staff in an exhibition game in February. Questions arose to whether these young lads are up to the task of bringing basketball glory to the halls of 15th Avenue.

Then-captain Jonathan Masongsong, burly forward Emjohn Dalisay and the rest of the JCA hoops team responded with a bang - an 86 - 74 thumping of the FaculTech Black Hawks, which thrashed them the night before.

That proved to be enough to keep the Doves in the school's roster of varsity teams. After three winless seasons, their volleyball counterparts, however, failed to make the grade and was dissolved by year's end.

The summer saw the JCA five pitted against the Greenwich SM Fairview Team, headed by a parent of grade schooler and Ignite Jr photography editor Yssa Vita.

The Doves fought tooth-and-nail with their taller and bigger foes but eventually succumbed to the physical play of the team made up of Greenwich crew members.

A fresh start

With Season 4 of the QCAA looming in the horizon, excitement is revving up among JCAians.

"This might be the year" is one expression of hope kindled in the obviously-drenched heart of the Cubao faithful, who has been subjects of year-after-year of losing.

The five-foot-seven Dalisay is now heading the squad, which also features spitfire guard Vencarl Dangco and high-flying forward Lester Combalicer.

Dela Torre is optimistic.

"Mas talented ang team na ito kesa sa mga nakaraan," said the 22-year-old mentor. "We are targeting to make the playoffs for the first time."

And to aid this goal, Dela Torre, in cooperation with Ignite and the Supreme Student Government, campaigned for a moniker change - the Doves are too malamya, too soft to battle with the Eagles, Tigers, etc.

Armed with a new tag - the Roaring Lions - the JCA basketball team is now expected to slug it out with the best of them.

Of course, much is still to be done. Three years of losing cannot be just set aside overnight.

The system, discipline and the fighting attitude that he has developed in this team plus the defensive training they got from a two-day stint with an American coach, however, make Dela Torre see big things.

So when the Roaring Lions take the court when Season 4 fires off on August 14, JCAians are raring to roar, growl and shout out loud in support of their hoops squad.

We now believe.

And as the old saying goes, when you are down, there's no way to go but up.

This is now, "Laban ng leon. Laban ng palaban."