Team San Juan joins the NSPC 2020 Qualifiers’ Training
DepEd National Capital Region held a 4-day training for the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) 2020 qualifiers on January 21-24, 2020 at the Great Eastern Hotel in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. It involved the top 3 winners in the 8 individual categories for both English and Filipino in the elementary and secondary levels, totaling to 96 campus journalists and their respective school paper advisers and the top 1 winner in the 4 group categories with a total of 84 campus journalists and their respective school paper advisers.
This intensive training formed part of the preparation for the bid to get the championship in the NSPC come February 17-21, 2020 at Cagayan National High School in Tuguegarao. It is fitting that the pool of trainers included media practitioners, seasoned journalists, and multi-awarded school paper advisers who saw to it that participants got to refresh themselves with insightful ideas and proven strategies that strike relevance to journalistic writing. The 4-day marathon allowed them to have simulations and substantial feedback sessions which highlighted their strong points and improvement areas.
Since the English and Filipino supervisors in San Juan were in another speaking engagement, there was an agreement with the other division supervisors to carry out the responsibilities assigned to them. San Juan was in charge of the News Writing Category and the committee for the Closing Program. Because of proper coordination, pertinent details were still covered so when they came for Day 3 and 4, the transition was smooth. The participants were appreciative of the time they spent with their trainers as well as the feedback on their writing style. The SPAs were equally grateful of the opportunity to learn from the experts and forge camaraderie among their colleagues.
In conclusion, it is found that there is a strong need for the public schools in San Juan City to upgrade their respective Journalism Program that will enable more students to qualify in the different categories. Some schools, particularly the small ones, may opt to merge to come up with a composite team in group categories just so San Juan could represent itself well in the region. Moreover, the Division continues to find ways and means to support the eager campus journalists and the hardworking school paper advisers in pursuit of developing responsible journalism in the context of the ever-changing society in the 21st century.
Article written by:
Marnelli B. Tolentino - Education Program Supervisor (English)
Eulafel C. Pascual - Education Program Supervisor (Filipino)
