The 6th St. Scholastica’s College Manila Leadership Summit with the theme Katatagan: Pagyakap sa Kasalukuyan, Pagsulong sa Kinabukasan, was held last December 3, 2022, and December 10, 2022. This year’s theme honors the new Benedictine Hallmark added this school year: Stability. There were 15 participating schools, namely:

1. 1. South Eastern College
   2. San Beda College, Alabang
   3. Southville 8B National High School
   4. University of Santo Tomas JHS
   5. Manresa School
   6. Living Stone International School
   7. St. Scholastica’s Academy, Marikina
   8. St. Agnes Academy Inc.
   9. Holy Family Academy of Angeles, Pampanga, Inc.
   10. Maloco National High School
   11. Philippine Christian University-Union High School of Manila
   12. St. Mary’s Academy of Sta. Ana Manila
   13. UST Angelicum College
   14. Our Lady of Fatima University, Basic Education Department, Quezon City Campus
   15. Batasan Hills National High School

The event was divided into two days. The first day was allotted for the plenary session, wherein four Scholastican alumnae were invited to speak on topics relating to stability. The first talk on the topic “Self-Stability: Taking Care of One’s Mental Health” was administered by Ms. Chriztel Reyes, a Senior High School almuna who is currently a BS Psychology major in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. She shared her experiences as a student leader in High School, along with a striking piece of advice — recognizing where you went wrong is a step into being a good leader.

The second speaker was Dra. Ma. Bernadette Abrera, current Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. In Dra. Abrera’s talk on “Stability in Social Relationships: Inclusivity in the School Environment,” she divulged the meanings and key terminologies of the summit’s theme, stability, and inclusivity. She concluded by redefining stability in the context of leadership. “Stability doesn’t mean to stay unchanging… stability means the strength to stand and endure.” She states.

For the final topic on “Stability on Truth: Patriotism in the Midst of National Conflicts,” two speakers graced the 6th Leadership Summit with their talks. These speakers were Senator Risa Hontiveros and Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB. Senator Risa provided a pre-recorded message for the participants, encouraging them to be active members of our evolving society. She says, “take up space; make your voice be heard. We need it.” This was followed by Sr. Mary John sharing some of her unforgettable experiences during the time of Martial Law. She wraps up the plenary session debunking the saying, “youth is the hope for the future,” by emphasizing that the youth are in fact, the hope of today.

The event continued on the second day as the simultaneous competitions were held. The competitions were classified accordingly: writing competitions, prepared competitions, and on-the-spot competitions. The writing competitions consisted of Essay Writing, News Writing, and Position Paper Writing. The prepared competitions included the Oratorical Speech, Science Communication, Song Writing, and Advocacy Making Competitions. Lastly, the on-the-spot competitions were the Product Pitch and Digital Poster Making Competitions. The prepared and on-the-spot competitions were held in their concurrent Zoom sessions from 8:30 AM – 12:00 NN.

The event concluded with the announcement of winners and a closing ceremony last December 19, 2022. With that, schools nationwide bore witness once again to St. Scholastica’s College, Manila’s call for leaders that bring strength and solidarity to the people, embodied by the annual Leadership Summit.

This event was made possible with  Yummy2Tummy, Edukasyon PH, and Smart Communications, Inc.

By Francesca Beatrice Baltazar, Grade 11 Student