XAVERIAN'S CORNER

Brains, Brawn and Beyond: Xavier's First Ever SciCathlon
Jann Sy (H2B), Stallion Features Writer

Posted Friday, 09-Mar-2007 2:32 PM

      The final stretch, here it comes. You feel that your gut is going to pop out and your insides are going to spill out, but you keep on running. Your sweat-drenched clothes have already been dried up by the scorching heat of the sun. Reach for your heart and it feels like you are going to drop dead on the floor from a coronary. Wait! You see it. It is the pit stop, along with the grand 5% incentive bonus and the sensational perfect score on the lab practical test dancing around it! Sure it is no $1 million prize, but it is definitely worth it! That is how you would feel after a long afternoon spent running around campus while solving the virtually unsolvable.

      Last Wednesday, February 21, 2007, the Xientia Club together with the Science Department held its first ever SciCathlon, a Science decathlon. It was an experience to remember with a multitude of student volunteers from Xientia and teacher supervisors who gave it their all to prepare for the school-wide race. This decathlon was held throughout the colossal area which Xavier had to offer. The 8 teams, composed of 32 contestant-representatives from each high school classroom, journeyed from the high school area to the grade school area to the EED and back! Well, who won? Read though the article and find out!

      So you have the running, but what is a SciCathlon without the Science? The supposed crème de la crème of each section were tested in their abilities in the various departments of the sciences, namely: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science and Integrated Sciences. What transpired during each task? Well, let us leave it up to the contestants to disclose what horrors they had to face during the race. Let us leave it at the fact that Mrs. Albano was in charge of most of the activities, if you know what I mean.

      Want more proof? Then, let us take a look at what Joseph Cheng of High 3-H had to say, “For me, the Scicathlon really demanded nothing other than the best. Every minute, picayune detail that was discussed in class had to be brought out and this left no room for being slipshod.”

      In relation to the difficulty of the race, it also turned out to be quite enjoyable and a great learning experience for quite a few. Charles Lim of High 1-C had this to say, “Overall, I would say the SciCathlon was a fun and wonderful experience. I didn’t just enjoy the race; I also learned a lot of new things that I know would help me throughout my high school life.”

      I bet that those who were not there to witness the grand event are probably wondering, was it a success or not? Will there be another SciCathlon next year? Mrs. Albano, Xientia Moderator wanted to express her views by saying, “Considering that the event was handled and facilitated by freshmen and sophomores and that it was the first time we had this, overall it was a success. We were also able to evaluate what students learned in Science. I also believe that the students had fun while learning.”

      The SciCathlon may be over but learning is a lifelong process. Let’s ponder on what Lorenzo Mangubat of High 4-C had to say, “It may already be obvious, but the [SciCathlon] reemphasized that Science is not just some abstract concept but an explanation of real phenomena. I applaud the activity for giving students such as myself another exciting avenue to take for academic excellence.”

      Finally, time to get to the juicy part! Who won? Here are the results! Team Azure, composed of Jordan Tee of High 4-B, Joseph Cheng of High 3-H, Szion Gan of High 2-H and Charles Lim of High 1-C emerged as the winners of the first SciCathlon.

      There you have it, students who are willing to use their brains and brawn, to achieve something beyond their normal capacities. Now that’s what I call Magis

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