Ton: Moving On

It's a fire drill at the Children's Home. The alarm is sounded and children start pouring out of the home, out under the Tree of Life. Some of the older children grab the little ones and lead them out. It's all rehearsed, of course, but some children are teary eyed and panicky. Some make light of the drill, trying to cheer up the frightened kids. Six-year-old Ton scoops up J, a younger boy, in his arms and hurries to the exit. On the way, he trips and falls. J starts to wail, and Ton begins to comfort him, but soon follows suit. They carry on with the uproar until a houseparent leads them out into the afternoon sunshine.

Later, Ton sheepishly says that he tried to be brave but got scared when he fell down because he remembered being in a real fire, back before CCFT. Young as he is, Ton remembers plenty of things - several of them unpleasant. He acts like an old soul; a child who's gone through too much, so early.

During his first year in CCFT, Ton was unpredictable. Serious, neat, and rule-abiding, heaven help the sibling or house parent who crossed him. He would bide his time quietly, but lash out furiously when goaded to a fight. At school, he would keep to himself, staying near the bottom rung of the class because he wasn't able to keep up with some of his classmates who were already reading.

First grade was a change, though, when he began to open up to therapist Viviene Francisco, drawing pictures of his fears and worries and describing how he would come to blows with people because they reminded him of the fighting in his family before CCFT. He also began attending reading tutorials and discovered he loved books. His February house parent, Nanay Cel Salalima, said she was so proud of how Ton would now read aloud on his bunk bed and pester her about unfamiliar words and spellings.

By the Third Grading Period of CCFT Coron International School, Music teacher Jordan Ormido described Ton as "a revelation". Ton rose up to third from eighth in the class ranking and took home the Music Smart Award. At the Children's Home in January 2009, he became one of the Top Ten Children, and told his Nanay Cel: "Nanay, I didn't know it felt this good to behave well."

It all boils down to this: family love. Nanay Cel said the trick to it was loving her "sons" like they were her own blood. "You have to be consistent, fair, and kind. Shouting orders won't do anything; they will only be reminded of their former, harsh life. Words aren't the key; you have to show them that things are different now, that things are better here."

Love, incidentally, is also the name of Ton's CCFT family. Coincidence? We think not

CCFT-CIS Holds Third Recognition Rites

On March 27, 2009, CCFT Coron International School (CCFT-CIS) recognized students who excelled in the different aspects of Multiple Intelligence advocated by Harvard University Educator Dr. Howard Gardner.


The eight awards are: Word Smart (Linguistically Intelligent), Body Smart (Bodily-Kinesthetically Intelligent), Nature Smart (Naturalistically Intelligent), People Smart (Interpersonally Intelligent), Picture Smart (Spatially Intelligent), Music Smart (Musically Intelligent), Number Smart (Logically-Mathematically Intelligent), and Self Smart (Intrapersonally Intelligent). CCFT-CIS also honors students who excel in communicating in the national language, Filipino, with the Filipino Smart award.

These were the awardees per grade level during the Third Grading Period of School Year 2008-2009:

I. Nursery/Kinder
Number Smart — JIREH ELIZA RESCO
Word Smart— DIANA SHANE SALALIMA
Nature Smart— CHRISTIAN CALING
People Smart— JIREH ELIZA RESCO
Self Smart— DIANA SHANE SALALIMA
Music Smart— DIANA SHANE SALALIMA
Picture Smart— JIREH ELIZA RESCO
Body Smart— CHRISTIAN CALING

II. Preparatory
Number Smart — LIVINIA CALING
Word Smart— MARY ANGELI CALBENTOS
Nature Smart— EMILY SAMPAGUITA SCHULTE
People Smart— EMILY SAMPAGUITA SCHULTE
CLEMONT COLET
BAMBI MARTINEZ
Self Smart— MARY ANGELI CALBENTOS
JIEGO BICOL
Music Smart— JULY RUTH SMITH
OLIVER OROZCO
PRINCESS MIRANDA
Picture Smart— LIVINIA CALING
Body Smart— HAZEL BABES SUPAN
AIRA MAY DELA CRUZ

III. Grade 1
Number Smart — DAN REY ROBLES
Word Smart— DAN REY ROBLES
CLYDE LAGUNOY
Nature Smart— DAN REY ROBLES
People Smart— CLYDE LAGUNOY
Self Smart— DAN REY ROBLES
Music Smart— JONAS MONTE
Picture Smart— DAN REY ROBLES
Body Smart— CLYDE LAGUNOY
Smart Filipino— DAN REY ROBLES


IV. Grade 2
Number Smart — KRISTIANNE CLYDE LAGUNOY
Word Smart— KRISTIANNE CLYDE LAGUNOY
Nature Smart— KRISTIANNE CLYDE LAGUNOY
People Smart— KRISTIANNE CLYDE LAGUNOY
Self Smart— KRISTIANNE CLYDE LAGUNOY
Music Smart— KRISTIANNE CLYDE LAGUNOY
Picture Smart— KRISTIANNE CLYDE LAGUNOY
Body Smart— DHEN HAROLD CRISTOBAL
Smart Filipino— KRISTIANNE CLYDE LAGUNOY

V. Grade 3
Number Smart — LEAH MAE CABUG
Word Smart— LEAH MAE CABUG
Nature Smart— LEAH MAE CABUG
People Smart— LEAH MAE CABUG
Self Smart— MITCHIE ROBLES
Music Smart— LEAH MAE CABUG
Picture Smart— SARAH CRISTOBAL
Body Smart— LEAH MAE CABUG
Smart Filipino— LEAH MAE CABUG

VI. Grade 4
Nature Smart— NOAH LEVINE
People Smart— NOAH LEVINE
Self Smart— NOAH LEVINE
Music Smart— NOAH LEVINE
Picture Smart— NOAH LEVINE
Body Smart— NOAH LEVINE
Smart Filipino— HANNANEAH KIM TIANGA

VII. Grade 5
Number Smart — LAWRENCE OLIVER PE
Word Smart— LAWRENCE OLIVER PE
Nature Smart— LAWRENCE OLIVER PE
People Smart— NIKKA TRISHALEE LABANAN
Music Smart— CHRISTINE BUNAYOG
Picture Smart— NIKKA TRISHALEE LABANAN
Body Smart— NIKKA TRISHALEE LABANAN
Smart Filipino— NIKKA TRISHALEE LABANAN

VII. Grade 6
Number Smart— LEMUEL GREGG GONZALES
Nature Smart— NATANAEL MENDENILLA
People Smart— JOHN ELVIN RESCO
Self Smart— NATANAEL MENDENILLA
Music Smart— JOHN ELVIN RESCO
Picture Smart— SAMUEL NICKLAS
Body Smart— SAMUEL NICKLAS
NATANAEL MENDENILLA
Smart Filipino— THEREZA MAE GONZALES

Balanced Literacy with Nancy Turner

The first time Nancy Turner came to CCFT Coron International School in November 2008, she brought with her Robert Munchin's story Stephanie's Ponytail and taught the teachers fun learning activities to liven up the classroom. Nancy is a reading and comprehension specialist, and taught for several years in the United States Department of Defense Dependents School (DODDS) System. During the weeks following her mini-seminar, Stephanie's Ponytail, which she left with the school, was told and retold by the English teachers. Everyone looked forward to seeing her again.

On Nancy's second visit in February 19 and 20 this year, she came with a lovely surprise - two boxes of books donated to CCFT by her friends. Among these were brand-new animal encyclopedias, books for read-aloud sessions, non-fiction, and young adult literature for the intermediate readers and incoming high school students.

During these two days, Nancy shared more techniques on improving the students' reading comprehension, and the different components and levels of balanced literacy in the classroom. The levels progressed from teacher-controlled reading and writing, through a process of gradual release to student-controlled reading and writing.


On February 20, Nancy also demonstrated the basics of balanced literacy for the house parents and staff of the Home Life Services Office. Once again, Nancy demonstrated a read-aloud technique for children just beginning to learn the alphabet with the jazzy-rhythmic book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. For intermediate-level students, reading should also encompass shared, guided, and independent reading.

With the new books and Nancy's shared skills, the teachers are sure to be empowered for the next school year, and new horizons and vaults of knowledge will be opened to the children of CCFT.

Valentines Birthday

Cupids and arrows and red hearts, oh my! When the monthly birthday falls on the fourteenth of February, well, never mind the rolled eyes and clichés - it has to be a Valentine party. The Children's Home lobby fairly blushed with hanging hearts and crimson-clad partygoers. Red shirts, red smocks, red socks, red everything. The cake, at least, was bright yellow and green.

This month, Nanay Jocelyn and turning-three Travis (on his high chair) from the Children's Home, Tata Mac from the Facilities Department, and Teacher Andrew are one year older.

The host, Teacher Jordan, and game master Tita Viviene, after a debate what sort of dating game to play, settle for heart-matching. The children swarmed the hall waving their red cardboard cut-outs and trying, failing, trying once more to see who got the other half of their hearts. When everyone got paired up, it was the unlikely couple Abi and Art -- Abi tall and gangly beside Art, small and shy. Adorable Nursery-age couple Sandy and Chester also matched their hearts right.

Afterwards, the children paired up once more to play Cheek-To-Cheek! Elbow-To-Elbow! (fill in the body parts), which had everyone giggling while trying very, very hard not to be ticklish and accidentally poke their partner in the eye.

The awarding of the Top Ten Children gave a scant ten minutes of solemn pomp and parading before everyone started going bonkers again, this time with break-dancing.

Art, Raf, and Kuya Dhen all gave demos on how-not-to-break-an-arm-while-spinning-wildly-on-the-dance-floor. To the girls' delight and Nurse Jennifer Chan's relief, not one needed first aid afterwards. Just cake and spaghetti and hotdog-marshmallow kebabs.

Dirty Jobs? Here's Arvin Vinluan

For a sprawling seven-hectare property with a school, a children's home, a staff house, and a small farm, being one of the two sole janitors in CCFT is no mean feat. Yet "Tito Arvin" Vinluan does it, and does it with a smile. Five days a week, he shows up at CCFT Coron International School before anyone else does (barring English teacher Fresca Estima, who is there at sunup - just because she can) and breezes through the hallways with a broom, a mop, and a whistled happy tune. Then it's the Children's Home, the staff house, and everywhere there's a mess to clean up. Tito Arvin is also around for odd jobs - like shimmying up the school flagpole when the flag gets stuck halfway or installing Christmas lanterns or lifting five-gallon water containers into the drink dispensers.

It's been three years and four months since Tito Arvin first came aboard CCFT as a construction worker when the warehouse and nipa huts were the only buildings standing. It was November of 2005, and he was working on his grandfather's fishing boat, trawling the coast of Coron. CCFT employed more than three hundred workers during the construction, and Tito Arvin was drafted to haul equipment and building materials, and dig channels for the underground electrical wires.

"So far it was the largest construction project in Coron. I wondered at the man they called 'Sir Pete'. Why, if he had that much money to build all this, why a foundation? Why not just start a business?" Tito Arvin recalls. "At least, that's what I would do. I wanted to see him in person. I wanted to know how real it all was."

And see the founder he did, in 2006. William "Sir Pete" Baldwin III came to visit the construction site, and the workers were rounded up for some pep talk by the man himself.

"He talked about how he was happy about the progress of the work, and how he wanted all of us to do our best because we were doing it for the children," says Tito Arvin. "I felt proud of Sir Pete, for choosing Coron for the children, for giving us all jobs. In a place where work was scarce, he built a blessing. I knew that in my own way, I also wanted to help the kids that he wanted to help."

Noble words, yes. But when the rubber hit the road in 2007 with the arrival of thirty-three children, Tito Arvin put on his janitor shoes and it was not pleasant at all - at first. He gives something halfway between a shudder and a laugh as he describes his daily ordeal at the boys' toddler room: "They weren't toilet-trained yet, and the walls and floor would be smeared with you-know-what. There would be soiled underwear in the trash bins. You could smell it from the hallway, and no matter how many times I scrubbed and mopped and disinfected, it would still stink the next time I came around."

"But you learn to help them help themselves. There was this one kid I was always chasing around because he was always forgetting his dirty clothes in the bathroom. One day I promised him he could wear my cap at lunchtime in school if he remembers to bring his clothes with him and put them in the laundry basket. And now" - Tito Arvin grins happily - "now everyday at lunchtime, you see him in my cap. He doesn't forget anymore. They've all grown up a lot, even if you do have to remind yourself that sometimes, kids are meant to be messy."

What with all the dirty jobs, Tito Arvin rarely has time to be with the children. So it is no wonder that he remembers with fondness one afternoon in the summer of 2007 when all the house parents had to attend a meeting, and he was put on temporary babysitting duty with Facility Engineer Joann Aday. "We stayed at the back porch of the Children's Home and spent the day drawing pictures and talking with the kids. Some of them were easy to talk to, some of them were quieter, but it was fun and something different for me, being dad for an afternoon."

Arvin also recalls clearly International Day 2008, where he assisted the intern students at the Philippine float along with their house parents and got to meet Miss Earth candidates at the end of the day. It was tiring, he says, but looking back it was a lot of fun and the children enjoyed being stars for a day.

"I'd like to see them grow up, and I'd like to be there for them, even if all I do is clean up after them. Oh, and yes," he chuckles, "of course I'd also like to see them learn to be self-reliant and clean up after themselves. I'd be the best teacher for that, wouldn't I?"

Definitely, and he'll be needing a few more caps for lunchtime.

Are You Smarter Than the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Graders? By Darlene Ramos

Do you know how many prime numbers there are between 40 and 60? How about the most commonly used word in the English language? What do you call the process by which plants manufacture their food?

If you don’t, you might want to watch the Quiz Bee Week that CCFT Coron International School (CCFT-CIS) holds each January among the higher grade levels. This 2009, Grades 4, 5, and 6 were pitted against each other in the school’s most anticipated game show of the season. The categories? Grade-school English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Filipino.

For two hours daily, ten to twelve contenders sat in the school pavilion with their pieces of chalk, illustration board, and furrowed brows, and stock knowledge from the first to third quarters of the school year. Students too daunted to join sat at the sidelines with their spare illustration boards bearing slogans egging on their contestant of choice. Up front stood the timer, scorer, and the host

Still, it pays to be smarter than a grade-schooler. Are you? (If you’re pitted against three-time Quiz Bee Week champion Natanael... not likely. He knows the answers to the questions above are five, the, and photosynthesis.)


of the day – Teacher Fresca Estima for English, Teacher Rey Belarmino for Math, Teacher Ryan Calupas for Science, Teacher Elvin Resco for Filipino, and Teacher Andrew Roxas for Social Studies.

One sixth-grader who sat calmly in the third row of contestants, Natanael Mendenilla, was the surprise winner for the first three days, in English, Mathematics, and Science, besting even the top rankers of his grade level. Lawrence Pe, a fifth grader, bagged the top prize for the Filipino Quiz Bee, and the Social Studies title was taken by another sixth-grader, Samuel Nicklas.
During the awarding ceremonies on the last Quiz Bee day, Principal Lilia Chavez congratulated all the winners, and said she couldn’t wait to see the students compete with other schools. Head Teacher Elvin Resco took up a different, interesting tack, congratulating all those who joined and lost consistently – saying he admired them for their persistence. In this life, he said, determination counts as well as brains

Beneath the Tree of Life: December Party By Darlene Ramos

There are plenty of mango trees in CCFT, but there is one just across the Children's Home, towering over the rest, thick with leaves - and in summer with fruit. After months of holding the monthly birthday party indoors, the party finally made its way outdoors under the clear blue afternoon sky, around this tree, what everyone in CCFT calls the Tree of Life.

CCFT Coron International School Principal, Mrs. Lilia Chavez, recalled that before the Children's Home had any children, the founder, Mr. William "Pete" Baldwin, III led the first employees of CCFT on a tour of the facility. Stopping before a proud, burly mango tree, he said, "This is the Tree of Life." And around this tree, the children gathered countless times - to play, to run around, to sing and dance, to hold parties, to escape from the heat of the day. It has become a symbol, according to Mrs. Chavez, of the love, compassion, and hope, a reflection of CCFT's mission of providing a happy, healthy environment for its children.

The past year, it was transformed into a gorgeous Christmas tree for the party, adorned with lanterns and vines of tiny Christmas lights, a successful fundraiser for the children. Each lantern represented a donation from various big-hearted families and individuals from Coron and from within CCFT.

The School hosted the party this year, and all the female teachers came out dolled up in red and wearing pigtails. This party, no one was excused from dancing. The Children's Home team had a grand dance showdown, followed by the Facility Department singing a solemn Christmas carol transforming into a combination of a Christmas nativity pageant and a Saturday Night Live skit. The teachers danced a lively "Ding, Dong, Ding" - with all the children jumping up to join in for the second chorus.

The game everybody will probably stick in everyone's memory would be the "Bring Me" - everything from a photo of the founder, William "Tatay Pete" Baldwin III, a Christmas ringtone, a Christmas ornament (which thankfully did not annihilate the tottering Christmas tree), a coin with a hole, and a kiss from the security guard down in Base 1.

And what would be a party without presents? Not just the birthday celebrants (pajamas and mugs of all colors and sizes abound), but the houseparents received gifts. To the delight of the Top Ten children, they were promised a night out in Coron town, to enjoy the sights and sounds of the festive booths, popcorn and ice cream and what every child thrills at: a late bedtime.

The party wasn't as grand as last year's, but the spirit of the Tree of Life filtered through the hearts of those who came to celebrate, like sunlight through its leaves. For this December, we had one whose birthday we celebrate among the rest of the birthdays, the One who died on a tree that we all may have Life.