English Department Launches Lit Month 2019

    Friday the 13th was no frightful matter in Xavier School Nuvali as the English Department led the Intermediate and Secondary levels into a costumed-parade to officially open the annual celebration of Literacy Month. This year's theme, inspired by Spiderman: Into the Multiverse, is called Into the Readingverse, and focuses on two things: the numerous literary universes that the written word gives us, and the thousands of words literature exposes us to.

    For the Dress Me a Literary costume parade, students dressed up as words inspired by their grade level's assigned theme. Grades 4, 5, and 12 took words from their novels, grades 6-10 used words inspired by different subject areas, while grade 11 students used words taken from their respective strands.

Grade 9 students like this young man chose words related to SCIENCE, their assigned theme.

  The students went from the gym to the MPC, passing through the primary levels so that the Kinder to Grade 3 students could see the creative costumes of the students. Once at the MPC, the program opened with the morning assembly rites led by the members of the Book Lovers' Club. Each grade level was then asked to stand up so that their themes and costumes could be acknowledged. Attention then turned to the teachers as each department went center stage and struck a pose. The Science Department chose "food web" as their term, each Science teacher going as a component of the web. The Math teachers illustrated different aspects of the circle such as pi, arc, circumference, and others. The CLE Department had a creative way of showing their term, "liturgical season", by using specific events and colors in each season such as Advent, Christmas, and Ordinary Time. The Social Science Department chose the word "oppression" and showed mildly  its different forms: physical restraint and abuse, prohibition of speech, and even death. The Chinese teachers aptly came as Moon Ladies of the mooncake legend, as Sept 13 also marked the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The MHAPEC department showed the word "euphoria", a state of intense excitement or happiness, something one would feel in an adrenalin rush or at the showcase of an artistic, digital, or culinary creation. The Filipino Department chose to share "halo-halo", sharing the English translations of its ingredients (did you know that the English of kaong is sugar palm?). The Formations team members came as Care Bears, each one with a value stuck on his/her torso. Lastly, the English Department chose to showcase words made popular in the 1950s such as "wig chop" or "rock and roll" since they were to perform a song from the hit musical Grease later on.

    After the teacher parade, a video of English teacher Mrs. Marcie Fong played. It showed her in a role parallel to Miles Morales's in Into the Multiverse. In the English department's version, Mrs. Fong was bitten a radioactive book, and this is what got her to hold Lit Month again and again and again. The video concludes with Mrs. Fong "transporting" into the MPC from the video to the awe of the students. With help from dance clubs XVibe and AbsoluteX, theater clubs Dulaang Xavier and Xavier Actors' Society, and teachers from different subjects, Mrs. Fong and the English teachers shared the different activities for the month through a musical number featuring songs from popular theatrical productions such as Hamilton, Rent, Dear Evan Hansen, and Grease.

   The performance was met with thunderous applause. Students look forward to the activities for the month, all of which will culminate within the first week of October.

    As for the primary levels, their launch took place last September 16, Monday. Kinder teacher Ms. Antonette Galon hosted the launch, which included a reader's theater performance by grade 2 students.

    Lit Month 2019 definitely had a great start!

    The English Department would also like to thank the following offices, groups, and individuals for their support and help.

1. Mrs. Arlene Choo
2. High School Principal's Office
3. Mrs. Nereyda Garcia
4. Mrs. Arzbette Amon
5. Ms. Mina Bona
6. Ms. Faye Dela Cruz
7. XBeats under the guidance of Ms. Casey Alcantara
8. XVibe under the guidance of Mr. Philip Oning
9. AbsoluteX under the guidance of Ms. Aiah Rosales
10. Dulaang Xavier under the guidance of Mr. Natha Sejera and Mr. Bryan Catayna
11. Xavier Actors' Society under the guidance of Mr. Marvin Ong and Mr. Brian Ramos
12. Teacher performers: Mr. Benjo Falco, Mr. Jervis Villarez, Ms. Aiah Rosales, Mr. Renan Parala, and Mrs. Christina Ripoll
13. Judges for Dress Me a Literary: Mrs. Susan Buhain, Ms. Angelica Samson, Mrs. Emalyn Bataycan, Mr. Philip Oning, and Ms. Jody Uy
14. Ms. Tricia Ramos
15. XSN Media Team
16. Mr. Luke Santos
17. Mr. Mark Esquibel
18. Mr. Andy Golpe
19. Mrs. Lucy Pedrezuela
20. Mr. Gino Mendoza
21. Ms. Antonette Galon