“Our potential becomes greater when we work together.”
Thus said High School Araling Panlipunan Subject Leader Elgin Mabolo as he opened the school’s United Nations (UN) Week celebration held from October 12 to 23, 2026.
Guided by the theme, “Building Bridges, Inspiring Minds, Empowering Generations,” Mabolo’s statement reflected this year’s central message, which encourages students to collaborate with one another to become change-makers who use their God-given talents to overcome differences with others.
UN Week 2026 included several events where students and teachers alike could learn about various nations and their cultures. In the Upper Primary Years Department, Grade 4 students presented their Identity Box, which contained items they personally selected to represent their identity.
On the second day, Grade 7 students held their Southeast Asian (SEA) Expo around the fifth-floor hallway, displaying diverse SEA cultures through an immersive exhibition.
Following the SEA Expo, ten representatives each from Grades 7 to 10 participated in a social studies quiz bee. After three rounds, Nathan Gohoc from Nazareth, Keisha Elise Wang from Berea, Brielle Dominique Ong from Damascus, and Sage Aimee Gonzaga from Patmos were crowned the winners.
The next day, Grades 7 and 8 watched “The Most Dangerous Ways to School,” a documentary series that showcases how students from different nations travel through their area’s environment to get to school.
On the same day, Strago Solutions Lead Consultant Kevin Martin Dela Cruz challenged students from Grades 9 to 12 to become change-makers by taking the initiative to lead despite their fears in a leadership seminar. Shortly after, his wife, Albay Province Board Member Sheina Marie Dela Cruz delivered her testimony, sharing that despite her difficult leadership journey, putting her trust in the Lord brought her to where she is now.
Meanwhile, the Early Years students dressed up in unique cultural costumes for a parade in Lobby 2. Simultaneously, Grade 3 students studied how geographical and cultural circumstances shape the way people live.
For their part, Grade 5 students displayed infographics and dioramas across the fourth-floor hallways, each representing a unique ecosystem with proposed action plans towards protecting and sustaining their chosen ecosystem.
Two days later, Grade 6 students held an open forum on the connection between their community immersion experiences and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Throughout the week, Grade 1 students created posters that advocated for every child to have their rights respected and protected, while the Grade 2 students made posters about making a positive difference in the world through small actions.
School Principal Evangeline Co emphasized that this year’s UN Week reminded students to take a leap towards making the world a better place one step at a time, sharing, “You can make a difference [simply] by being someone others can trust.”
