by: Lucia D. Josol
High School Department Head
The High School Department is confronted with a very challenging season as the K to 12 curriculums gradually unfolds. We have now 1st year level coined as Grade 7 and the 2nd year level as Grade 8. Several changes are taking place most especially in the grading system because the grade/year levels like Grade 1, 2, 7 and 8 will now have letter-grade such as follows:
Advanced (A+) 95% and above
Advanced (A) 90% – 94%
Proficient (P) 85% – 89%
Approaching Proficiency (AP) 80% – 84%
Developing (D) 75% – 79%
Beginning (B) 74% and below
For a country like the Philippines we need to level up in the area of education so we can compete globally. Not everybody has the full grasp of this new curriculum but we in the academe are trying our best to bring the message of change to our students and parents.
This year the High School Department is blessed with 547 students, 141 of which are graduating.
On June 20 to July 4, 2013 our student named Eurel Bandoy, of 4th year level was the lone representative from the Philippines in the Japan Language Program for High School Students in Kinsai, Japan together with the other 41 students from USA, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries. It was an educational tour where learning cultural lessons such as Ikebana and Calligraphy was part of it. The whole delegation also visited the places of Nara, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima. Eurel came back to Davao bubbling over with her experiences which she will never forget in her entire life.
Last September 2 and 3, thirty-five (35) Indonesian educators came to visit PNJKIS as part of their benchmarking activities in the Philippines. It was a great privilege to accommodate them here in our school and exchange our best practices, concerns as well as our culture.
Our Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts remained to be active in participating the council’s activities. On September 9 to 15, thirty-eight (38) Boy Scouts participated in the Davao-wide Jamborette in Malagos. PNJKIS was awarded as 2nd Place for the Biggest Delegation. This month of November, it will be the Girl Scouts turn to have their Davao-wide Encampment in CampCorazon and we are hoping to have a number of girls who will take part.
During the 21st Recorder Ensemble Competition in Calinan, on October 5, 2013, PNJKIS-High School level bagged the 1st Place.
As an institution, we will continue to do our best in molding the lives our of students despite the very challenging transformations in the area of technology, behavior, attitude and views in life. It maybe very tough but by God’s grace we can do it.