The Student Coordinating Board, MIT International School’s governing student body, hosts different events and activities to boost school spirit and promote enjoyable school life. Furthermore, SCB serves as the bridge between the students and the school administration so that they can become partners for over-all school development. Just like all the previous student boards, SCB of SY 2018-2019 brought tradition and innovation to realize the school’s annual theme, “MITISzens: Living to Learn, Love, and Lead.”
The elections happened a month into the school year and soon after that the SCB’s teambuilding was held in Los Banos, Laguna. The team building aimed to unite SCB members and to practice and enhance the required skill sets for running the coordinating board. This year however, the Board together with its adviser decided to give significant time on the planning for the activities the team will spearhead. This allowed SCB to give the needed attention to the areas for growth as identified by the previous year’s student-leaders. After this, the Oath Taking of SCB members took place which saw the official installation of the officers to their respective roles. Charles Denver M. Opague took the helm of leadership as SCB’s President together with Maria Ana Katria P. Naval (Vice President), Maria Sophia T. Alipit (Secretary), Joel Andrei T. Ramirez (Treasurer), Iona Violeta A. Gibbs (Auditor), and Anagha Menon (PRO). Also, Matthew Allan Francis A. Gibbs and Subin Lee were named as the Committee Heads for Student Affairs and Special Programs, respectively, to support the core SCB officers in delivering their mandate. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Opague dedicated himself and the entire SCB to be of service to the entire community.
The first task SCB took on was the strengthening of school spirit by making school merchandise available. SCB promoted the wearing of pull overs, varsity jackets, t-shirts all containing MITIS colors and logo. These consisted the revitalized Smart and Good Store (S&G Store).
During the International Day of Peace, SCB decided to incorporate Korea’s culture for a fund raising activity. Korean students along with the SCB worked together for the Pojangmacha where the Korean students relished and shared their culture via their street food. The Korean seniors cooked tteok bok ki, oh deng, and sik hye. Students and teachers were delighted to try new foods and the Koreans were ecstatic at having a taste of their home just within reach for the day.
Buzzing around the theme of change and addressing student concerns head on, SCB launched Student-Only Assemblies where in suggestions, comments, opinions, and questions are received by the SCB and discussed with the school administration. This promoted collaboration among the student body in identifying relevant school issues and helping the school address them.
In order to further support the programs and activities the Board, SCB spearheaded two block screenings where students, teachers, and parents spent time together in watching A House with a Clock in its Walls last September and the much awaited Avengers: Endgame. Aside from being overly enjoyed by participants, the two screenings helped SCB significantly in making its other activities more meaningful to all MITISzens.
After the International Day of Peace, SCB held their first event for the month of October, The World Teacher’s Day. SCB hosted a short program in the morning as an appetizer for the surprise students had in store for their beloved mentors. Students presented their appreciation and gratitude to their teachers by giving them small tokens presented during the program. Games were also facilitated which improved the bond among teachers and students. Once the program was over, the teachers were treated to bowling and lunch. This was done successfully with the help of parents and guardians through the Parents and Guardians Coordinating Board (PGCB).
With just a week or two later, the second event of October was held coinciding with the United Nations Celebration. During the final day of the celebration, the PGCB, CSO, and SCB decided to embrace unity and created the Fusion of Flavors. This was a booth that sold foods that gave a taste of the world to the guests of the UN Global Village. With the PGCB providing the food, members of CSO and SCB managed selling and advertisement which also raised funds for their respective activities.
Following Fusion of Flavors was Pepero Day. This was another event inspired by Korean culture. Korea celebrates Pepero Day every 11.11 (November 11) since its shape looked like pepero sticks. On this day, people give pepero to those they value, whether romantic or not.
As we reached the end of 2018, in lieu of a combined Christmas party, the Songs of Thanksgiving was held. In this event, instead of focusing on Christmas, a holiday not all religions celebrate, the student body decided to celebrate an aspect of it that everyone can appreciate. The program focused on appreciation and awareness. Students showcased their appreciation, and awareness through short presentations and even groups of students from different classes decided to showcase their talents. The students sang and danced along to songs from different cultures, the foreign language students decided to share a German song to everyone, and the House Cup videos Share the Love premiered.
Two months into the New Year, Valentine’s Day was celebrated. This was another opportunity for SCB to raise funds for the upcoming Family Day and Prom. To celebrate the day of love, the SCB sold roses, chocolates, and serenaded students.
Just a few days shy of Valentine’s Day, Family Day was held. It was a day filled with activities not only for the parents and their children but with other families, too. This year, the families were divided into three teams where they had to work together to compete in the games. To help with the program and in consideration to the parents and other families, the program was hosted in both English and Korean languages. The activities prepared were made in such a way that everyone could play, may it be the mothers, the fathers, or their children; this way everyone could enjoy and celebrate together without others being left behind. After that, a pot luck lunch was held overflowing with food from different cultures.
Lastly, the long awaited event of the MITIS Promenade was held on the 30th of April. This event which took months to prepare for was following a theme inspired just a decade or two after the previous year’s Retrospect. This year, the prom jumped a few years from the 70’s to the rock style of the 80’s for the theme: Against the Current. It was a wild cry from the previous themes for prom but it still followed the tradition of the previous ones. This year’s prom embodied its theme and deviated from the usual activities. The prom was under a “concert” theme that entailed multiple performances from everyone. An open mic dubbed the Social’s Night was also held where in students performed as a live band and sang for the crowd building in front of the stage. It was a prom that deviated from the norm but still emphasized camaraderie among all high school students.
While this year’s SCB brought novelty in many activities it sponsored, it remained true to its commitment of developing leadership skills among its members and of inspiring the entire school community to become active partners in making the school a better place for all learners.
