By: Jo-ana Minese D. Dulfo (GS Faculty)
The Grade School community of Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu celebrated English Days 2025 from February 14 – 26, 2025, with the theme: “Forming Messengers of Hope: Read. Dream. Celebrate.” The goal of the English Days celebration is to equip the Ateneo Hearter lifelong learners with Ignatian eloquence by nurturing foundational literacy skills: reading, writing, speaking, viewing, and researching.
The celebration began with its launching at the Magis Eagles Arena on February 14, 2025. One of the highlights of this event was the vibrant parade of characters as the grade schoolers, together with their teachers, stepped into the school campus, embodying their chosen book characters. The Grades 1, 2, and 3 Ateneo Hearters dressed up in their favorite fairy tale and superhero costumes while the Grades 4, 5, and 6 marched in as historical personalities, gods and goddesses, characters from books which turned to movies, and characters from classic stories. After the program, the young learners unfurled the pages of their respective characters’ lives through a Speak-up, which was done in their respective classrooms.
The inter-class elocution and spelling contests followed on February 18, 19, and 24 at the Virginia Chiongbian Theater. In the morning of February 18, Grades 1 and 2 showcased their poetic passion through a poem recitation contest. In the afternoon, the Grade 3 level provided the spotlight for narrative brilliance through the storytelling competition. In the morning of February 19, the Grade 4 level creatively interpreted the piece “Am I To Be Blamed?” through a declamation contest. In the afternoon of that day, the Grade 6 level showcased their skill of spontaneous expression during the Impromptu Speaking contest. After which, on February 24, the Grade 5 level creatively interpreted the piece “The Two Standards” by Fr. Horacio de la Costa, SJ through the oration competition. After each elocution contest followed the spelling competition where lexical mastery was being displayed by each class representative.
Aside from the elocution and spelling competitions, the English Language and Reading and Literacy areas also partnered with the Grade School library. Mr. Gesto, together with his co-librarians, prepared engaging activities like Book Bingo for Grades 5 and 6, Coloring Activity for Grades 1 to 4, Story Fest by the elocution competition winners, and the Book Fair. What a whirlwind of eloquence, learning, and fun!
