Topic: Scihi Resilience and academic dominance amidst the pandemic

A lot can happen in two years. On March 11, 2020, the World Health
Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Few of us could have predicted
the difficult journey ahead when lockdowns started. While quick progress was made in
securing people's lives and livelihoods, new strains and other developments have led to
instances in which the virus appeared to be outpacing all available defenses. We are all
observing and feeling the concurrent spread of concern, anxiety, and instability as
Covid-19's spread and far-reaching effects dominate the news. In fact, when faced with
a crisis, our emotional state frequently seems to make an already difficult situation even
more difficult and even becomes a significant barrier. As students we also felt the harsh
effects of the pandemic in the midst of a lockdown, insecurities arise and both mental
and physical health of a student is in balance. It all comes down to whether he/she can
keep up with the pressure,anxiety,and stress. What if that student cannot cope with
these obstacles during the pandemic?

During the last day of face to face classes before the lockdown was
implemented, students didn’t know what exactly to expect. I didn’t even bring my things
from my locker because who would have thought that it was the last day of freedom and
the start of 2 years being held captive by this treacherous virus. Spending almost 6
months staying at home, waking up every morning or in my case every noon. With the
efforts of the Department of Education and the Scihi teaching force, the online classes
took place and the rest is history. Not every student had the privilege to join these online
classes, some resorted to modular mode of learning. Problems such as internet
connection, lack of gadgets, competency and the presence of the student were
undeniable. Hearing the name of Cebu City National Science High School is somewhat
synonymous with success, but is it still accurate despite the situation caused by the
pandemic? The scihi dominance and prowess in the academic field was still undeniable,
International math and science competitions, Robotics and Science fair, Journalism
competitions, local and school based competitions, and the students performance
during the online classes. These achievements and success justified the Scihi’s
resilience and dominance in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic.

How can we define resiliency? Is it the number of achievements we

accomplished, or how we cope with every problem we get to face along the way.
Resilience is the capacity to develop as a person following a traumatic or stressful
experience. Resilience can help one recover from those experiences that have
occurred. If you have experienced a traumatic event in your life, it may influence you
more than it does for someone who hasn't. Not all students have an easy way of dealing
with anxiety,stress,and environmental issues. Some find it difficult and I was one of
them, I didn’t really have any friends to support and help me going through these
challenges, I learned every lesson the hard way. Teamwork not only creates
opportunities but also helps those students who are incapable of socializing with others,
teamwork can change their philosophy in life and with teamwork bears success. With
teamwork and resiliency a student can lead to dominance not just in academics but also
in life. To close this speech a powerful message from Greg Kincaid “No matter how
much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear.”