OPTICS / FLEDGLINGS
THE QUANTUM ACADEMY
Words of the Willful Wh
by: April Rosete
Hands shaking.
A
name was said over the speakers.
Trembling, they presented what
they were asked to - then emerged
triumphant.
Of long, raven hair and fair skin, Keziah
Acharon, 2013-2014 SG Vice-president,
is a person worthy to be one’s friend and
companion.
When I talked to her about her feat
of winning the ninth grade extemporaneous
speaking last February 13, she shared with me
her own fair slice of trade secrets to seizing
the victory against three other skilled people whom
she shared the classroom with. Each contestant was
given a proverb to explain, to give their opinion, and
to convince - not only the judges - but the audience
as well. The proverb was, “Don’t let your ears witness
what your eyes didn’t see; don’t let your mouth speak
what your heart doesn’t feel.”
According to Keziah, the proverb simply
meant: “Be true to yourself, be true to everyone, be
true to your words.” She explained that our tongue
is a powerful weapon; it can leave scars and we
could never take back the words we utter. For further
understanding, picture this: take a plate. Alright,
now smash it on the ground. Put it back together, Is
it still the same plate as it was before? No. Now do you understand?
On the other hand, eighth grader Aeron Sanidad defeated three
other contestants from sections A and B. This, however, does not come
as a surprise. Aeron who is an academic and co-curricular achiever, a
national quiz bee champion, and the future editor-in-chief of the school’s
publication (Optics), was already expected to come out on top. Despite
being the youngest of all four contestants, he still managed to snatch the
contest’s top spot for his grade level’s extemporaneous speaking. Like the
ninth graders, he and his competitors were given a proverb. Theirs was:
“No one lives for himself.”
The boy, albeit his serious looking allure, is actually a fun-loving,
humorous boy who loves video games as much as any other boy of his age
(Pokemon being his favorite). Aeron agreed with the proverb and presented
his speech by relating the problem to his audience.
To all aspiring orators: Aeron shared his own two-cents on how to
successfully deliver a speech: don’t try to memorize it; just list the important
details and run through them - using them to their greatest effect. The best
speech always comes from the heart.
Yet another achiever, Gian Thomas Regollo from Grade 7-A imparted
his take on the famous quote: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a
day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
He whole-heartedly agreed with this proverb. He said that it was all
about independence, dependence, and the different ways of helping each
other - then he elaborated on the latter. As I spoke to him, I could already
tell how organize this boy’s speech was.
Notwithstanding his well-mannered demeanor, Gian is actually a
joker. I had proven it my self when once I hanged out with him and had
12
I OPTICS / FLEDGLINGS 2014
much fun. He is the epitome of don’t judge
Meanwhile, Theophany Fano of the
level’s impersonation event.
Theophany confessed that she is q
little girl still lives inside her. The day befo
she presented herself as the Little Red Rid
Dressed in a gentle red and white,
stage as if it were a forest she was lost in.
by playing the role of the big bad wolf over
the judges and the audience.
Theophany said that she had so
because to be Little Red, the girl had to ex
The energetic, straight to the point Theo
changed into a humble, quiet, and curiou
that she found hard to do, but perhaps the
allowed her to bag out the contest, knocki
the boxer version of Little Red Riding Hood
Like Fano, petite and shy Bianca Fo
famous Little Red Riding Hood as well. Bia
easier for her to portray the role. In her poi
this is why she won the contest.
In my honest opinion, I saw Little
gentle-mannered, and soft spoken. She w
squealing as we spoke. In her eyes, I saw t
She told me, for the future contes
year, it is important to study, master, and i
victory.
Now moving on to fourth grade’s Lo
for short), who impersonated Mad Hatter,
the aforementioned character.
To which the eccentric little boy s
me.”
His favorite part in his performanc
the Mad Hatter had done in Tim Burton’s
looking at his smile, I could already tell tha
“Would you want to give it another
“Yes, yes, yes!” Insert happy dance
When I prompted about some tips
and participate in the impersonation event
the movie.”
For third grader Kim Omila, who r