by Vean Cordero || Photo credits: PSHSS Fb Page
Two students from Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC) bagged 2nd and 3rd place under the Science Feature Writing Category of the PisayCom: National Science Communication Competition (NSCC) conducted last July 14 to October 1.
The PisayCom: NSCC, organized by the Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS) for all interested Grade 6, 10, 11, and 12 students from public and private schools across the country, aimed to encourage science communication among Filipino students and assimilate the importance of science communication.
The competition had four categories: Science Feature Writing for Elementary Level, Science Feature Writing for Secondary Level, Science Visual Designing for Secondary Level, and Science Short Video for Secondary Level. Winners in each category received prize money ranging from Php 500 to Php 20,000.
The winners were announced through a Facebook Live on the PSHS System’s official Facebook page last November 29. Calina Julianne Y. Pamplona, a Grade 11 student of PSHS-EVC, won 2nd place under the Science Feature Writing Category for Secondary Level with her entry “The COVID-19 Pandemic has Fueled a Mental Health Fallout – Here’s Why You May Be Suffering and How You Can Combat it”.
“Placing 2nd was a shock to me. I didn’t expect to win any prize since I didn’t spend a lot of time on my submission, thinking it would just be another good experience for me. It certainly was, though, win or lose!” Pamplona shared.
Mark Russel D. Caranzo of PSHS-EVC class of 2021 also won 3rd place under the same category with his entry “Disney’s Frozen Reveals Important Clue for Maintaining Mental Well-being.” According to Caranzo, it was a memorable experience as he incorporated the iconic movie Frozen into his article. Moreover, he expressed that the writing process was both fun and nerve-wracking since the deadline for grade 6 and 12 students of School Year 2020-2021 was set almost two months earlier than the rest of the contestants.
The project coordinator of the competition, Rommell Ross C. Oba, hopes that through the contest, the participants could better understand the science topics related to their categories, gain an idea on how to present a topic to a specific audience creatively, and learn the importance of conducting a thorough and accurate literature search.
Caranzo shared that it would be better to set your main goal for the production of an article that you can be proud of. He emphasized treating the writing process as a break from all the stresses of school. Pamplona also added to simply go for it, whatever the competition may be about. “The best thing that can happen is that it will potentially help you build your portfolio, but if not, you’ll still learn something along the way,” she stated.
The Science Net 