Into the New: CSA's Back-to-School Activities in the Hybrid Set-up

HAPPY RIBBON CUTTING. Father Rector Dante Bendoy, Father Yuan Caspe, and Father Julian Mazana welcomed the happy teachers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing of the newly built faculty room. © Tapia

Colegio San Agustin (CSA) - Makati finally reopened its doors, welcoming students to Academic Year 2022-2023. In line with that, the school has set activities and opening programs to ensure the students feel welcomed. For these programs, the Supreme Student Council (SSC) gave us a peek of what they have done behind the scenes.

First In-Person Mass

The first In-person mass was held on August 15, 2022, in the CSA Gym. The SSC officers arrived early in the morning to set up the seating arrangements and contribute to other preparations. The mass was also streamed online. According to Lakan Fuentez, the SSC President, they worked together with the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) as the technical team behind the program while also ensuring that they oversaw the movements of the students to the venue and that all students follow the minimum health protocols. The mass was then followed by a short program hosted by two Augustinian teachers.

Buddy Program and Help Desk

The SSC also had programs for the school opening to make their fellow students feel welcomed. They had a buddy program where old CSA students give new CSA students a small tour around the campus. There were also help desks in different corners of the high school department to help students with concerns and show that the batch councils are there for them. SSC Vice President for External Affairs Julia Hernandez stated they would like to ensure that they are approachable and ready to help.

Feast Day of St. Nicholas of Tolentine

Following that, the Feast Day of St. Nicholas of Tolentine was celebrated by the Augustinian community. During the feast day, students were encouraged to bring a loaf of bread to be donated to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila. The SSC and the batch councils took care of collecting donations and checking the quality of breads by students, followed by the mass, where the Augustinian priests blessed the bread. After this, the loaves of bread were brought to the PGH, which was taken care of by Ms. Raquel Reyes, the Outreach coordinator.

Blessing of New Facilities

The newly renovated High School faculty center, additional classrooms, and Sta. Rita De Cascia Hall were also blessed by the Augustinian priests, which the SSC, together with the rest of the batch councils, witnessed as well. This was done on the same morning as the blessing of bread, with Rector Fr. Dante M. Bendoy, Fr. Julian Mazana, and Fr. Juanito Caspe, who led the blessing. The school’s administrators, teachers, and student representatives also attended.

As the school reopens its doors to all members of the CSA community, there was undeniably great work needed in order to achieve the set-up the school is experiencing today. During the four-month summer break, student leaders from different organizations and clubs, along with their advisers, found ways to welcome different clusters of students into the Augustinian community. We are thankful for all of these, and we hope to continue to strengthen the Augustinian Spirit.