Vinculo 2024: A vibrant memory for Senior Squires

Elijah Leigh Tan

PHOTO | John Marcel Sumanghid

Heartbeats pulsated as mixed emotions of nervousness, excitement, joy, and much more fueled the hearts of Senior Squires in the 2-day celebration of Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s “Vínculo 2024: SHS Week” celebration from October 28 to 29. It was a short yet thrilling roller coaster ride for the Senior High School students who engaged in various fun and challenging activities.

Echoes of laughter and enthusiasm with some even gasping for air were all that I could hear as waves of students dressed in blue surged the campus grounds while they ran across several stations to claim their flags and win the race during the “Ultimate Challenge.” This was the scenario in the final moments of SHS week’s celebration.

The “Ultimate Challenge” was only one of the many competitions that took place during SHS Week's 2-day festivities. It was a fun race that allowed students to interact with others, work together as a team, and engage in friendly fires with fellow SHS students regardless of their strand. A perfect ending to highlight the celebration’s theme “Vinculo,” a Spanish word that means connections or bond.

Time to Shine

Whether one has stage fright or not, surely everyone dreamed at least once of being held under the spotlight while proudly presenting themselves. A golden opportunity has been presented in SHS Week through the different competitions that encouraged students to get out of their comfort zones to embrace and challenge their wits, talents, and skills in their respective fields.

Each competition was seemingly a part of the journey through our senses. From the nerve-wracking and brain-twisting Sci-math quiz bee, Damath competition, and research contest: Tangkay Saliksik for STEM students, to the visually appealing Art of napery, Battle of the bottles for HE students, and the eye candy posters and advertisements in AdFest Year 5 by ABM students, as well as the graphic and web design contests for ICT students.

After our brains, hands, and eyes do their work, our taste buds were next to our stomachs now needing to be filled. Perfect timing, as the cherry on top of our celebration cake is already placed with Arribanchetto unfolding various enticing food items sold by Grade 12 ABM students.

In a short span of 2 days, a time for students to shine and show their fullest capabilities and potential had been allotted. It also paved the way for students to appreciate and become knowledgeable in their fields more through the seminars conducted.

No Boundaries in Camaraderie

Aside from appreciation of one's field, skills, and talents, SHS Week also opened the door for everyone to appreciate fellow Senior Squires' talents and other strands’ fields of study by allowing students to witness their prepared exhibits.

Back to the final competition of the celebration, the “Ultimate Challenge,” each team was composed of students from all strands. With some being classmates, mere clubmates, or schoolmates who were completely strangers to each other. Even so, they were capable of connecting and becoming one as a team after going through challenges of luck, body, and mind in the different missions in each station.

Despite the differences in interests from one strand to another, Vinculo 2024 proved that it is not impossible to create a bond among students. After all, we share the same arriba spirit as Letran Senior Squires. The celebration was a successful proof that there could indeed be unity in diversity.

Memories were made in every part of Letran, from the auditorium and halls where competitions were conducted, the Salon de Actos that became a haven for foodies, the grounds where students played, and the classrooms that became hangout spots for classmates and friends during breaks. Vinculo 2024: SHS Week was a short yet sweet ride that would be a vibrant memory to look back to someday.