by: Katharine Manalo || Photo Credit: Frances Canicon

After two academic years of implementing virtual and remote enrollment, the Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC) finally conducted in-person clearance signing and enrollment of incoming Grades 8 to 12 scholars for SY 2022-2023 at the school campus last July 18 to August 19, as per the schedule provided by the Clearance and Enrollment Committee.

Prior to the enrollment, a schedule was distributed to the student body, informing them of their assigned dates corresponding to their year and section. Additionally, all Student Services Division (SSD) units—registrar, library, residence hall, guidance counseling, and health services—sent their clearance forms and guidelines through email ahead of schedule for the students to accomplish.

On campus, clearance signing was conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, where scholars were given priority numbers after submitting their health declaration forms. The students were then stationed outside the Multimedia Center (MMC) while they waited for their priority number to be called to proceed to the MMC for clearance signing.

“The overall clearance and enrolment process is exhausting. Most of the students in the lower years are not yet adept at accomplishing the ISO-coded enrolment forms. With this, we did individual re-orientation right there and then, and we let these students redo the erroneous forms. This delayed the flow of enrolment and resulted in extended working hours. Despite these, I am relieved and satisfied, to be able to do these core functions in-person with the rest of the SSD units,” Mr. Jhun-Jheff Cobacha, the school registrar and head of the committee, said in an interview.

“It’s good to see again your faces, especially the faces of those students who were never given a chance to set foot on campus due to the strict COVID-19 protocols. If my memory serves me well, these are the batches 2026 and 2027,” he noted.

Regarding the compliance and implementation of health protocols during the enrollment activity, Ms. Marilee Gorres, the school nurse, observed that there had been inconsistencies in following the social distancing protocols between students.

“They tend to catch up with each other in face-to-face conversation. Nevertheless, the triage process facilitates a good health screening assessment for enrollees with their companion through accomplishing the Health Check Declaration form, resulting in safe transaction activity,” she added.

As the school opens the upcoming school year this September 5 with limited face-to-face classes, Mr. Cobacha asks the scholars to continue following the minimum health standard to put an end to the pandemic.

“During and with the online learning modality, we’ve seen that many students have struggled and had difficult time adjusting. So, now that we are to take these baby steps toward having full face-to-face classes, let’s all cooperate and work together to bring back a once zero-virus community,” he stressed in his message.

In relation to this, Ms. Gorres’ message to the scholars is to go F.O.R.W.A.R.D., which stands for:

• Fearless to face any challenges that may come your way because you can be.
• Objective in your perspective as a highly intellectual individual.
• Reach your dreams by playing fair with others in achieving your academic and life endeavors.
• Whole-heartedly embrace and embody the Scholars’ Pledge to be the lighting torch of hope as future Filipino scientists and leaders.
• Altruistic to give back to the Filipino people to whom you owe the gift of your education.
• Radiate the scientific spirit and humanitarian values to the young individuals of today and tomorrow.
• Discern for inner peace and spiritual connection to find meaning and purpose in life.

“Two years of the pandemic had never been easy for all of us. We had different and various good and not-so-good experiences. We were tested and challenged with the feeling of isolation, psychological warfare, and discrimination in a different sense of it. But despite all of it, we will always see the light of hope in our journey in this pandemic, and that hope is the upcoming limited face-to-face classes come September 5, 2022,” she remarked.