SHS Pop-Up Convention
ABM, HUMSS, TVL, STEM. Since ten years ago, the five strands have lived together in the halls of senior high schools, but everything will change when the new curriculum is implemented. Thus, before these strands vanish, the Grade 12 students organized a pop-up convention, where they shared their learning experiences from their respective strands.
On March 6, the Student Center did not hold rows of chairs, which it typically houses, but instead catered tables and wheeled bulletin boards. The venue gave space for four booths, one for each of the strands. While each booth differs in design, all aimed to showcase their classes and learning experiences to the Grade 10 and 11 students.
Seemingly chilling on the left side near the entrance, the spread of paper displayed on ABM’s booth bared much more chilling 10-column accounting worksheets, financial statements, financial analyses, and business proposals. They also presented creative outputs such as economics posters, marketing content, and event posters. These outputs revealed the rigor behind the presenters’ calm presentation. Through these tasks, students demonstrated their ability to apply accounting, marketing, and entrepreneurship concepts in practical situations while developing teamwork, critical thinking, and communication skills.
Meanwhile, TVL’s booth on the right shows an obvious contrast. Far from the paper-rich table of ABM, TVL’s featured a variety of 3D-printed prototypes. Their projects, such as the Automatic Dog Feeder, Retro Control Panel, Ardu-Drive, and Bit-Lift, spoke for their classes that explore design and innovation.
Booths of Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) strand and Technology – Vocational (TVL) track
One of the crowd favorites, perhaps, is the “ice cream booth”. Yet, unlike a familiar ice cream booth, there were no freezers or any machines at all. The ice cream was made from scratch, by hand. Some of the strongest STEM students shook the ice cream mixture to the right consistency while explaining the endothermic process behind the freezer-free ice cream-making. This Chemistry Ice Cream booth demonstrated phase changes that let guests see how materials change from liquid to solid through an onsite process. However, the STEM booth offered more things. Beside the ice-cream station was a kit for building mechanical circuits. Through Spintronics, the students demonstrated their understanding of electronics and engineering concepts. This Physics booth introduced basic circuit concepts by demonstrating electricity flow and parts operation. For Biology, the STEM students also provided a microscope and a few slides of organisms that the booth visitors examined. They also presented one of their Capstone products, ScrubPal, an innovative solution that demonstrated their scientific understanding of real-world issues. Through such interactive displays, their exhibit achieved its objective of teaching science by making scientific knowledge easy to understand and fun to experience.
Booth of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand
This convention would not be possible without the initiative of HUMSS students. They organized the Pop Mart-inspired showcase as part of their Culminating Activity requirements. They designed the venue, set up the photo booth, and even prepared rounds of raffle to make the event more fun. The Pop-Up Convention itself was already a showcase of their growth and learning from their HUMSS classes. However, that did not hold them back from setting up their own HUMSS booth. Their exhibit mostly featured their community engagements, literary works, and their explorations on various sociocultural issues.
Through this carnival-themed convention, Grade 10 and 11 students had the opportunity to appreciate their fellow students’ projects and research. As they asked questions and engaged in the interactive showcase, they got to reflect on their personal goals as well. This exposure to student projects and innovations brought excitement for creativity, discovery, and innovation.
Booth of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand
Pop-Up Convention
The strands may bid farewell, but learning will not. As long as there are learners who carry their curiosity and eagerness beyond the classroom, no curriculum change can alter the impact of learning. Even so, we look forward to the learning experiences that the Strengthened Senior High School (SSHS) Curriculum has yet to reveal.