THE BLUE FLAME

Blue Flame (Issue 2 -2022)

To our beloved Blue Flame readers,

Pax!

It’s quite hard to believe that a whole school year has passed by once again. With all of us having classes in front of our screens and learning in the comfort of our homes, it seems all too surreal that we have officially closed SY 2021-2022. Little by little, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - the pandemic is slowly coming to an end. Many restrictions have been lifted, more than half of the country’s population have been fully vaccinated, and there are fewer cases being reported day by day. 

However, that doesn’t change the fact that the last two years have not been the best for all of us. And believe me, I get it. I truly understand. Everything you felt for the past two years is very much valid. We’ve all had our own roller coaster rides with different heights and lengths, not knowing what’s in store for us. 

But, it doesn’t mean that once we exit our ride, we should just forget everything and move on.

While things may have been unpleasant, there is no doubt that in one way or another, we have learned something. Perhaps you recently learned that you have a hand at editing videos of your favorite idols, or you finally met someone who is also crazy for the lore in your favorite video game. What you’ve learned may be about anything that you’ve come across over the last two years. 

Instead of setting these things aside to be forgotten in the long run, we should take the opportunity to look at their brighter side in order for us to prosper and eventually create something spectacular.

The 2nd issue of The Blue Flame for the months of January to May is an example of such.

For this issue, we present the unofficial results of this year’s national elections as our banner story, taking a sneak peek of what’s in store for us in the next six years, accompanied by our joint statement with the Student Council and Schomelec, calling for the COMELEC’s accountability for the multiple issues faced during the elections. 

On a lighter note, we also show the multiple awards our dear Scholasticans brought home in the various competitions, such as the UP SPECA and JA BSP. Additionally, we touch on a personal transition to adulthood, along with diverse feminism, in a movie review of Disney’s Encanto. Moreover, we look into the issue of NFTs and Social Media algorithms. And lastly, we showcase the 2nd High School E-intramurals.

We, the Blue Flame, have had our own roller coaster ride this school year. But even with the fear of not knowing what is to come, we were still able to live out our motto - to make a mark and leave a legacy. 

On a more personal note, I am very thankful for the opportunity to have been part of this organization for the last four years. I’ve seen the growth and development of our writers, and it gives me so much hope for the years to come. I truly believe that this campus paper will continue to keep its flame alight, even if we’ve faced a lot of challenges and changes. As such, this will be my final message as both the associate editor-in-chief and as a Scholastican, and it fills me with so much happiness that I was able to be part of marking The Blue Flame’s legacy.

With that said, it is with honor that I finally present to you our second issue for the school year 2021-2022! I invite you to flip through the virtual pages of our paper and appreciate the stories of our dear writers. I also invite you to consider writing with us in the near future. Who knows, you may be able to learn more things about yourself and the world around you.

I hope you may find solace in our works and continue to have hope for our future.

That in all things, God may be glorified!

Lara Joson

Associate Editor-in-Chief

ERRATUM ON BLUE FLAME ISSUE 2 SY. 21-22 CONTENT: Marla Yma Frange (12-Humility) is one of the Scholastican Pop Idol Finalists. We deeply apologize for this oversight. 

Blue Flame (Issue 1, 2022)

Benedicite!

Although it may sound informal, let me transgress the conventions just this once and start off this letter by asking everyone a simple question.

How are you?

I don't know how often you hear this phrase, but I view it to hold such tremendous power. Step outside the ordinary "I'm fine. Thanks," and really, truly think about your response. Reassess your feelings and acknowledge them. They are valid.

Within a span of two years, many of us have faced the snares of adversity at least once, be it in the form of deteriorating mental health, a heartbreaking loss, or growing financial struggles. Despite this, we continue to uphold the value of education and strive for success in the distance learning setup.

Health psychology researcher Philippa Lally states that it takes 66 days before one becomes accustomed to a new habit. We are nearing 730 days into the online setup, hence undoubtedly, many of us have formed a habit of getting up in the morning a little later than we used to during the bygone in-person setup days and going to class in just a few tappity-taps on the keyboard or a mere click of a Zoom link.

The Blue Flame has been up and running since the 20th century and has experimented with various forms of print, from full-fledged broadsheets to dainty tabloids. Print publishing has been our norm, and now we are attempting to engender a brand new habit of transforming ink into digital characters, letters, and words.

And thus, for the third time in the history of St. Scholastica's College, Manila, The Blue Flame presents a brand new online issue for the months of August to December 2021.

Here, we spotlight the pilot run of limited face-to-face classes in selected areas as our banner story as we anticipate the potential reopening of our very own school next school year. We also showcase how the leadership summit organized by the student council has brought empowerment to students from various schools, and feature the campus manangs and manongs in a mini-interview. The opinion section renders heated analyses on the upcoming 2022 presidential elections, while the literature section captures a wide spectrum of emotions from the Creative Writing Guild. Moreover, we delve into the science of vaccines, nanosatellites, and plastics, and pay homage to our country's athletes.

With this, let me prolong the wait no further. It's time to put our pens down and hand over our paper to you.

I invite you, dear readers, to flip the virtual pages of our first issue for this school year, which was crafted wholeheartedly by our team to bring the latest news to your doorstep—screens, rather and promote the school's mission to mold students into critically aware agents of social transformation.

May you find light in our words and maintain steadfast hope for a brighter future.

With sincere gratitude,

Shaina Lim

Editor-in-Chief