english,
The atmosphere in UPIS has become more vibrant these past few weeks as 2016 ends. This could only mean one thing... UPIS Week is coming.
Everyone’s busy getting ready for the UPIS Fair, but the aura around UPIS students is beaming with excitement. Kudos to the Pamunuan ng Kamag-aral (pKA) who has been working hard since the start of the school year to organize this year’s fair in hopes of igniting the UPIS spirit once again.
Along with the pKA, the Executive Committee, Grade Level Coordinators, advisers, and Year Level Organizations also play a big role in the organization of this event.
But aside from the fun the fair brings, it also aims to strengthen the relationships among the people in the UPIS Community and to give the students a chance to showcase their skills and talents. This event has been celebrated since 1976, which is when the UPIS Elementary and High School were joined together to form what we now know and love as the UP Integrated School.
As the closing of the UPIS’ Centennial Celebration, the fair circles around the theme of pursuing the promise of a brighter future. Entitled “Idealisko: Pangarap ng Isko, Tagumpay ng Siglo,” it is to be held on December 14 – 16.
Now that the air is brimming with anticipation for the 3-day event, here’s a short list to remind you of why the UPIS Fair is the best thing that has happened to this school:
1. The Powerdance Competition and Field Demonstration
Each batch from Kindergarten to Grade 10 has been training their soldiers, assembling their formations, preparing their strategies, and finishing their routines weeks before the annual event. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 participate in the Field Demo which delights all the parents since they’ll have the chance to see and take pictures of their children in costume, grooving to the beat of the music.
But the thing that everyone’s been talking about is the much-awaited Powerdance. In this annual competition, the Grades 7-10 students compete against each other as they perform their own dance routine which was accompanied by an original mix. Simple tokens like certificates and jars of Stick-O are given to the winning batch, but the bragging rights and the batch unity it brings with it is the true prize. The themes over the years have ranged from festivals, the future, throwbacks, and dreams, but one thing remains the same: the powerdance brings batches together like no other activity can.
2. Thanksgiving Party
It’s the time when every batch or class comes together to celebrate as the first half of the year you’ve spent together comes to a close. This is the closest you can get to a Christmas celebration spent with your second family and can be one of the most memorable moments you’ll treasure in your life. It usually comes with a program prepared by the batch’s year level organization, consisting of indoor games, exchanging of gifts and eating the food everyone selflessly brought. It’s one of the best ways to end a fun-filled week of festivities and a hectic 1st semester in school.
3. Sportsfest
It’s time to show them who reigns! The Sportsfest brings the competition to a whole new level. Similar to the Powerdance, it engages each batch in a most physical and exhilarating way through group sports and games. Each batch has a chance to go against the other three grade levels in various sports with alternating schedules prepared by the pKA.
This event usually lasts up to two days, but with the adjustments that happened for the past two years it was squeezed into one. We’ll be expecting to see a lot more of action-packed sports such as Ultimate Frisbee, Relay, Dodgeball, and Filipino games like Tumbang Preso, Siato, and our very own Double Cell! We witness a lot of dramas and victories here but what always shines is the sportsmanship of UPIS students.
4. Battle of the Bands
Who doesn’t love this? You get to stay late in school with your friends while singing along to your favorite songs performed by your fellow students as they compete for the title. Fondly called by the students as BotB, the competition is open only to high school and occasionally Grade 6 students. It showcases how talented UPIS students are when it comes to singing and playing instruments. Songs from different genres are sung, and recently, a trend of playing original songs has started. But whether they perform classics or fresh tunes, what’s really special with this closing event is how it allows the UPIS community to just rock and spend a good time together regardless of their age.
5. Variety Show
This is the part of the fair where you see so much talent and passion from the people you never thought would show such potential. With audiences from all levels, the Variety Show is a contest open to all UPIS students. It serves as a stage for them to perform their techno dance moves, their lovely singing, and other astounding talents in front of the whole school.
6. Marriage Booth
For generations, this has always been everyone’s favorite. Being married to your crush, even if it’s just in front of cadets and a makeshift altar, and exchanging vows with him or her is the real deal!
The GSP organizes the marriage booth every year. From the rings and documents to the actual wedding itself, they have always succeeded in spreading the kilig across the whole campus. They have different packages, too! You can choose from wearing paired rings, signing marriage certificates, spending some private time together and parading around the school. You can even opt for the full experience which includes everything that was mentioned! Whatever you choose won’t matter because it’s the moment that you will truly remember!
7. Jail Booth
Get wet or get broke! The jail booth tests how fast you can run and proves how sly each of you can be trying to hide from the BSP to avoid getting doused! The usual flow is as follows: they’ll call out things or names which you may or may not have at the moment and if you’re spotted, they’ll catch and put you inside their circle of chairs. While in their makeshift prison, you may choose whether to bail yourself out or get drenched! They’ll either hose you from head-to-toe or soak you with a bucketful of water. This is why you should always prepare extra money and clothes in case you get unlucky on that day.
8. Foods and Goodies
Every UPIS week, different concessionaires sell a variety of food and dry-goods to the various fair-goers. Although many come-and-go, a few of them always manage to get a spot on the UPIS grounds during the fair.
Plastic balloons
Little pieces of happiness you can get for just 5 pesos! We’ve seen friendships built because of this balloon-blowing trend every time it is being sold at the fair. And we hope that this simple delight would never come to an end.
El Bonito’s Pizza, Calamares, and Blue Lemonade
The El Bonito pizza concessionaire has already left a mark in the hearts and taste buds of all UPIS students. It gives us a glimpse of what heaven tastes like with its mouth-watering pizza flavors such as hawaiian, pepperoni, vegetarian, and bacon.
Along with the calamares and blue lemonade, which is such a good combination of salty and sweet, it’s a nice break from the food you usually eat at the canteen or bring from home.
The lemonade doesn’t just make your tongue blue, but it also makes your tummy smile. The calamares alone is already satisfying, but it’s so much more than that when you add a dip of spicy vinegar to it. The joy of eating these during the fair, coupled with the memories you have with the people or person you eat it with, makes that 45-peso combo so much more “sulit”.
Weeks from now, we will see what everyone’s been looking forward to. When the fair finally reaches our doorstep, we hope that you’ll be ready to relax and just have fun. //by Layla Wadi and Jo-ev Guevarra
Feature: UPIS Week: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the (School) Year
The atmosphere in UPIS has become more vibrant these past few weeks as 2016 ends. This could only mean one thing... UPIS Week is coming.
Everyone’s busy getting ready for the UPIS Fair, but the aura around UPIS students is beaming with excitement. Kudos to the Pamunuan ng Kamag-aral (pKA) who has been working hard since the start of the school year to organize this year’s fair in hopes of igniting the UPIS spirit once again.
Along with the pKA, the Executive Committee, Grade Level Coordinators, advisers, and Year Level Organizations also play a big role in the organization of this event.
But aside from the fun the fair brings, it also aims to strengthen the relationships among the people in the UPIS Community and to give the students a chance to showcase their skills and talents. This event has been celebrated since 1976, which is when the UPIS Elementary and High School were joined together to form what we now know and love as the UP Integrated School.
As the closing of the UPIS’ Centennial Celebration, the fair circles around the theme of pursuing the promise of a brighter future. Entitled “Idealisko: Pangarap ng Isko, Tagumpay ng Siglo,” it is to be held on December 14 – 16.
Now that the air is brimming with anticipation for the 3-day event, here’s a short list to remind you of why the UPIS Fair is the best thing that has happened to this school:
1. The Powerdance Competition and Field Demonstration
 |
GROOVIN’. 1st runner-up Batch
2019 delivers their outstanding performance during the Powerdance 2016.
Photo
credit: Lyka Lubang.
|
Each batch from Kindergarten to Grade 10 has been training their soldiers, assembling their formations, preparing their strategies, and finishing their routines weeks before the annual event. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 6 participate in the Field Demo which delights all the parents since they’ll have the chance to see and take pictures of their children in costume, grooving to the beat of the music.
But the thing that everyone’s been talking about is the much-awaited Powerdance. In this annual competition, the Grades 7-10 students compete against each other as they perform their own dance routine which was accompanied by an original mix. Simple tokens like certificates and jars of Stick-O are given to the winning batch, but the bragging rights and the batch unity it brings with it is the true prize. The themes over the years have ranged from festivals, the future, throwbacks, and dreams, but one thing remains the same: the powerdance brings batches together like no other activity can.
2. Thanksgiving Party
 |
TRIP TO
ENJOYMENT. Students from Batch 2018 enjoy each other’s company during their
Thanksgiving Party last January 9.
Photo Credit: Lyka Lubang
|
It’s the time when every batch or class comes together to celebrate as the first half of the year you’ve spent together comes to a close. This is the closest you can get to a Christmas celebration spent with your second family and can be one of the most memorable moments you’ll treasure in your life. It usually comes with a program prepared by the batch’s year level organization, consisting of indoor games, exchanging of gifts and eating the food everyone selflessly brought. It’s one of the best ways to end a fun-filled week of festivities and a hectic 1st semester in school.
3. Sportsfest
 |
CHASING THE
WIN. Drew Magbag of Batch 2018 goes for the ball as they compete with Batch
2020 during the basketball event.
Photo credit:
Hannah Manalo
|
It’s time to show them who reigns! The Sportsfest brings the competition to a whole new level. Similar to the Powerdance, it engages each batch in a most physical and exhilarating way through group sports and games. Each batch has a chance to go against the other three grade levels in various sports with alternating schedules prepared by the pKA.
This event usually lasts up to two days, but with the adjustments that happened for the past two years it was squeezed into one. We’ll be expecting to see a lot more of action-packed sports such as Ultimate Frisbee, Relay, Dodgeball, and Filipino games like Tumbang Preso, Siato, and our very own Double Cell! We witness a lot of dramas and victories here but what always shines is the sportsmanship of UPIS students.
4. Battle of the Bands
 |
PUT YOUR HANDS UP. Ryan Dimayuga of Kung Fu Banda hypes up the crowd
during the Battle of the Bands 2016.
Photo credit: Clar Abac
|
Who doesn’t love this? You get to stay late in school with your friends while singing along to your favorite songs performed by your fellow students as they compete for the title. Fondly called by the students as BotB, the competition is open only to high school and occasionally Grade 6 students. It showcases how talented UPIS students are when it comes to singing and playing instruments. Songs from different genres are sung, and recently, a trend of playing original songs has started. But whether they perform classics or fresh tunes, what’s really special with this closing event is how it allows the UPIS community to just rock and spend a good time together regardless of their age.
5. Variety Show
 |
SHOWTIME.
Elkan Reyes serenades the crowd with his performance at the Variety Show 2016.
Photo credit: Hannah Manalo.
|
This is the part of the fair where you see so much talent and passion from the people you never thought would show such potential. With audiences from all levels, the Variety Show is a contest open to all UPIS students. It serves as a stage for them to perform their techno dance moves, their lovely singing, and other astounding talents in front of the whole school.
6. Marriage Booth
 |
| I DO. GSP Cadets hold marriage rites for a paired
couple in their marriage booth. Photo credit: Lyka Lubang |
For generations, this has always been everyone’s favorite. Being married to your crush, even if it’s just in front of cadets and a makeshift altar, and exchanging vows with him or her is the real deal!
The GSP organizes the marriage booth every year. From the rings and documents to the actual wedding itself, they have always succeeded in spreading the kilig across the whole campus. They have different packages, too! You can choose from wearing paired rings, signing marriage certificates, spending some private time together and parading around the school. You can even opt for the full experience which includes everything that was mentioned! Whatever you choose won’t matter because it’s the moment that you will truly remember!
7. Jail Booth
Get wet or get broke! The jail booth tests how fast you can run and proves how sly each of you can be trying to hide from the BSP to avoid getting doused! The usual flow is as follows: they’ll call out things or names which you may or may not have at the moment and if you’re spotted, they’ll catch and put you inside their circle of chairs. While in their makeshift prison, you may choose whether to bail yourself out or get drenched! They’ll either hose you from head-to-toe or soak you with a bucketful of water. This is why you should always prepare extra money and clothes in case you get unlucky on that day.
8. Foods and Goodies
Every UPIS week, different concessionaires sell a variety of food and dry-goods to the various fair-goers. Although many come-and-go, a few of them always manage to get a spot on the UPIS grounds during the fair.
Plastic balloons
Little pieces of happiness you can get for just 5 pesos! We’ve seen friendships built because of this balloon-blowing trend every time it is being sold at the fair. And we hope that this simple delight would never come to an end.
El Bonito’s Pizza, Calamares, and Blue Lemonade
The El Bonito pizza concessionaire has already left a mark in the hearts and taste buds of all UPIS students. It gives us a glimpse of what heaven tastes like with its mouth-watering pizza flavors such as hawaiian, pepperoni, vegetarian, and bacon.
Along with the calamares and blue lemonade, which is such a good combination of salty and sweet, it’s a nice break from the food you usually eat at the canteen or bring from home.
The lemonade doesn’t just make your tongue blue, but it also makes your tummy smile. The calamares alone is already satisfying, but it’s so much more than that when you add a dip of spicy vinegar to it. The joy of eating these during the fair, coupled with the memories you have with the people or person you eat it with, makes that 45-peso combo so much more “sulit”.
Weeks from now, we will see what everyone’s been looking forward to. When the fair finally reaches our doorstep, we hope that you’ll be ready to relax and just have fun. //by Layla Wadi and Jo-ev Guevarra
0 comments: