"A strong woman stands up for herself, a stronger woman stands up for everybody else"

Month of March has been designated as National Women's Month as part of the worldwide observance of International Women's Day (IWD) to highlight the empowerment of women as active contributors to and claimholders of development. This year's celebration differs from previous ones it happened in time against the COVID-19 pandemic, which provided both challenges and opportunities for women.

Nicolas Agatep Elementary School joined the nation in commemorating this year's National Women's Month with the national theme: "We Make Change, Work for Women," with a sub-theme: "Juana Laban sa Pandemya: Kaya!" as a tribute, platform, and call to action that highlights the extraordinary roles of ordinary Juanas in society as initiators of major change on March 28, 2020.

Activities were organized to promote women's equality of rights and opportunities, gender equality, empowering women as active contributors to development, and their roles during this pandemic. The celebration was highlighted by the planting of bamboo at Aquarich Integrated Farm in Lasam Cagayan. NAES female teachers took part in the event. This female-led initiative is dedicated to reforestation, which promotes healthy communities and the restoration of the environment.

This national event demonstrated that by standing up for others and the nation, women can truly make a difference.

Learning has always been an important part of human culture, and it is also a survival tool. There are numerous advantages to learning, and are vital in making the world a better place to live to live in.

Even though we are in the midst of a pandemic, education has not ceased to bring the best out of its system. This is why educational activities still happen, as they are an essential component of education.

Brigada Eskwela is one of the activities that brings together volunteers to assist one another as a community in completing a specific task without expecting or asking for anything in return. This ignites the spirit of Bayanihan within the community's people, parents, alumni, civic groups, local businesses, non-government organizations, teachers, students, and individuals who volunteer their time and skills to repair school buildings and facilities in time for school opening.

In addition to this, in response to the Hamon: Bawat Bata Bumabasa issued through DepEd Memorandum No. 173, s.2019, the External Partnerships Service has committed to make every learner a reader by engaging partners and stakeholders to promote the culture of reading. This is a nationwide reading movement for the Filipino children and will serve as platform to synergize efforts and resources to address education-related challenges especially on literacy and numeracy. In accordance to this, Nicolas Agatep has its project "Strengthening Mathematical and Reading Techniques (SMART)'' that aims to improve math achievements and promote make every learner a reader.

In these difficult times, Nicolas Agatep ES believes that learning continuity will exist through the shared responsibility of all community members. Thus, Brigada Eskwela has proven to be an effective vehicle for awakening community members' unity and oneness toward quality education.