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COVs in Quarantine: Finding the drive to keep learning
COVs in Quarantine: Finding the drive to keep learning
BY ADI FERNANDEZ | WRITER
One of the most enjoyable and unforgettable moments that happens to a student is through their participation in extra curricular activities. Whether it is through the friends and connections made, the skills learned, or the experience itself, extra-curricular activities open doors for students to discover more about themselves and the world around them. Academics can get repetitive and tiring at times, so through clubs, organizations, and varsities, the students are still able to learn and grow through means that pertain to their interests and passions. COV’s bring spirit and energy to the student body. So, how has that all been affected by this quarantine?
Thankfully, the school did not remove the possibility of creating and joining COV’s this school year; so already existing COV’s were given the option to continue with their activities. “We felt the need for this org to stay active, especially during times like this,” says Grade 12 student and President of Woodrose’s World Youth Alliance (WYA), Nadine Medina. “Although it was difficult thinking of activities to be done in an online set-up, all of us officers had to think outside the box to ensure that we're holding quality events that will be memorable for our members.” On the other hand, Grade 12 student Chloe Vale, Captain of Woodrose Dance Crew (WDC), also shared her insights on the exciting but challenging planning process for the varsity’s school year. “In a normal setting, most, if not all, of WDC’s activities involve being together physically.” She says, further mentioning that auditions, welcoming of new members, and generally keeping the team’s bond was difficult to plan. “However, the exciting part was that we could still dance freely with no limitations at home and consequently, venture into other aspects of dance. In a typical school year, competition training would take up at least 60-70% of our time while the latter consisted of just fun trainings, performance preparations, and of course, concert preparations. But dance is so much more than these. With the new setup, we could explore dancing as an individual rather than dancing as a team. This included enhancing our individual skills in foundations, freestyling, choreography, and more.”
Photo retrieved by Therese Amante
Photo retrieved by Therese Amante
WDC and WYA have been active for years now, so they had to think hard about the transition of setup. But what about the new COVs? “Kimmy and I actually started planning for WMUN as early as April 2020, and at the time we were still unsure of the circumstances of the following school year,” says Patty Bufi, a Grade 12 student, co-founder, and Vice President of Woodrose Model United Nations (WMUN). The club launched only this school year 2020-2021 and has been moderated by Ms. Ashley Aquino and led by founders and current President and Vice President Kimmy Calonzo and Patty Bufi respectfully. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult,” says Kimmy, referring to the planning of activities for WMUN. “Since we wrote the club proposal thinking it would be in person, we had to revise everything to make sure it was feasible in an online set-up. It took a lot of time and effort. We did a lot of research on how it could be done online, and we even went to an online MUN training to figure out how we could do it in Woodrose.” Kimmy also shared that she and Patty began to lose hope in gaining the level council’s approval for WMUN when it was announced that the school year would be completely online. Despite their doubts, the club pushed through and has since participated in conferences, with more invites and projects to be fulfilled.
The digital setup undoubtedly poses limitations, but that doesn’t mean that COV’s activities cannot find breakthroughs. Chloe misses being in the promenade with the team, blasting music for a few hours and seeing everyone’s talent, and participating in all the competitions, performances, and concerts. Furthermore, besides technical struggles like WiFi and scheduling, it’s hard for the WMUN and WDC members to keep their mindset up. Kimmy commented, “I think stepping out of our comfort zone was the most challenging. When we were about to join our first MUN conference, we were all so lost and stressed. It was very nerve-racking to engage in a debate with veteran delegates from all over the world.” WDC also had some trouble staying fully engaged, as mentioned by Chloe, “The biggest challenge that the team and I face in quarantine is avoiding burnout and losing that genuine love for dancing, training, etc. With the whole setup, there may be tendencies when attending training can feel forced rather than something that the girls can look forward to after school.”
However, these struggles do not take away from realizing the excitement and learning experiences COVs have to offer nowadays. “The team had been able to explore more areas of dance, specifically catered to us, as individual dancers.” She says. WDC has been able to participate in collaborations with other schools, online competitions, and general bonding with each other and other dancers. ”We never usually got to thoroughly train in this (individual) aspect and it’s exciting because it’s new and it’s given us a chance to grow and improve more as dancers and as people. Most importantly it’s given us the opportunity to realize that we are capable of so much more, despite the limitations given by quarantine.” The same sentiment is shared by Kimmy and Patty. “The most exciting part about WMUN is definitely learning about MUN itself alongside everyone else, and helping each other push ourselves outside our comfort zones,” Patty says.
Photo retrieved by Therese Amante
For WYA, they were able to hold their online concert and fundraiser, Gabi ng Harana. Besides this, they were pushed to finding ways to get their members to bond. “Of course, the connection with one another is different in person than online, so we really have to brainstorm ways to make everyone feel welcome in the organization,” Nadine said regarding their members’ bonding. However, when it came to their projects and service, they were able to work as a team. “I really liked how communication was made somewhat easier with this setup. Although sadly, the officers and members have not met each other in real life, there is still a sense of teamwork in putting these events together.” With that being said, it seems that the passion and teamwork of the COV’s have not lost their spark.
It’s easy and almost inevitable to compare current activities to their in-person counterparts. Despite all the mental and technical difficulties in pushing through with COVs, the drive of leaders and the persistence of members can create unique learning experiences that are uplifting and joyful. As Chloe says, “I like to think that if you truly love doing something, then it wouldn’t feel like a chore or burden to you... I stayed driven because I knew that I can’t just sit and be disappointed forever. I had to change this mindset and see a new light and reason as to why I should keep going. What really helped me was the thought that I needed to make the most out of this year more than ever. As a result, I remained grateful for the opportunities this year instead of being sad and disappointed.”
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