The Constant Mother: Gledelyn "Nanay Dhen" Echague By Darlene Ramos

The Constant Mother: Gledelyn "Nanay Dhen" Echague
By Darlene Ramos

When you turn left coming through the lobby of the Children's Home, you might meet someone who nine out of ten times will be lighting up the corridor with her eternal grin: Nanay Dhen.

Barely two years ago, Nanay Dhen came to CCFT as a volunteer houseparent, months fresh from a caregiving exam as a nursing assistant and patient care technician.

"June 26, 2007. I remember it well because I was interviewed that Monday morning, then went on duty that very afternoon. I had no orientation whatsoever, and they brought me to the family of toddlers on the spot. I did not sleep a wink all night because I was quite scared, but also excited," Nanay Dhen recalled. She spent her first two months with the toddlers, and then by September she was assigned to the infants.

"I was impressed by CCFT when I first came on board, because it was a lovely, quiet place, and had everything the children needed," she added. There were already thirty-three children when she arrived, who were grouped into eight families - three of boys, three of girls, and the two she already handled, infants and toddlers. By the end of September, Nanay Dhen became "mother" to a family of three grade-school girls, Sarah, Jairah, and Abigail - appropriately (at the time) called Family Three.

At first it was difficult for her to handle the three, because they threw tantrums left and right, refused to follow her rules, and were generally naughty little girls. She wasn't the only one - some house parents were so overwhelmed by the hard-headed youngsters that they left after a few weeks. Nanay Dhen and Jonathan (Tatay Jong) Tamayo were the only houseparents left of the first batch in CCFT.

"I stayed because of the children. I felt that these children needed something - someone - constant in their lives to love them and care for them. These kids have been through so much sadness, trauma, and change at their young age, and I wanted to be one of those constants," she explained. "I want to see that vision come true, that the foundation will take care of the children till they can fend for themselves in the real world. They have nowhere else to go."
On a lighter note, Nanay Dhen talked about her favorite day-to-day routine with the children. "They are so fun to be with. I love playing with them, and I enjoy teaching them songs. When I was still handling a family, we would gather round and sing together. Sometimes when I would sing my family to sleep the children from the next room would call out and beg me to sing them to sleep, too. That's what I miss the most." For when Nanay Dhen was promoted to Head Houseparent-OIC in mid-2008 - the officer-in-charge when Head House Parent Tatay Jong is away - she spent less time with the children, and had to oversee the kitchen and the clinic

"These days, there is however one hour in the morning that I get to spend with the toddlers of Family Respect," she said. "I don't get to spend much time with anyone else, sometimes my own family. Sometimes, on my day off, my mind is still on the children. I worry about them. I wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to Sarah, or Jairah, or to any child."

Spoken like a true mother.

Joanna (Give Me Hope!) By Darlene Ramos

Joanna (Give Me Hope!)
By Darlene Ramos

Two girls giggle in a corner of the Golden Pirates headquarters. It is Education Week in CCFT Coron International School and everyone is donning their team colors - blue, red, yellow, and black. The girl in a blue "Ultra Glam Girl" t-shirt, Joanna, carefully picks out shiny letter stickers and spells out the team name of the girl in yellow, Mitchie, on her forehead: "Golden Pirates". She steps back and admires her work, and the two girls, grinning from ear to ear, walk arm-in-arm out into the warm sunshine.

This is a far cry from the Joanna of last year, who hung back from her classes and sometimes just stayed in the school corridors because she couldn't read and couldn't keep up with her classmates. Whenever she was provoked, she would throw a tantrum and had to be brought home from school. Her records showed that she was abused, and so found it hard to trust adults. During her first months in CCFT, she was often sad and aloof, withdrawing from the company of her classmates and siblings. She was very quiet during her first few trauma therapy sessions, and her reading tutor found teaching her to recognize words and read a tedious ordeal.

As the months passed, she began to open up. Whenever she felt low, she would go to therapist Viviene - her "Tita Ayen" - or to the head houseparent, Nanay Dhen, and pour out her feelings. She began to confide in the few people she learned to trust her life story and her dreams for the future - which includes becoming a nurse someday.

Joanna also began to read - slowly at first, but when she found she could, it was as if a new world opened up before her. Joanna began to look forward to going to school. If she hated joining classroom discussions before, she now volunteers to recite in class. What used to be a dull, complicated lesson now was an adventure in learning.

Joanna still has a long way to go, but luckily the journey won't be a gloomy one this time. And we all hope she'll walk this leg with a light heart, a skip to her step, and friends at her side.

Education Week: Learning Ahoy! By Teacher Fresca Estima

Education Week: Learning Ahoy!
By Teacher Fresca Estima

On December 8-13 CCFT Coron International School abandoned their books, pens and classrooms - not that they were tired of studying, but the week's goal was to acquire learning in a different way. Away from the four walls of the classroom, students from the different grade levels were divided into teams; each team had a teacher adviser assigned. Each team came up with a name, chose their team head quarters and chose their team color.

Mr. Rey Belarmino was the team adviser of the Black Flames, Mr. Ryan Calupas the Red Apples, Ms. Michelle Panganiban, the Golden Pirates and Ms. Fresca Estima, the Blue Sharks.

The Prefect for Extra-Curricular Activities, Mr. Jordan Ormido, together with the assistance of the other teachers, prepared a series of activities that tested the wits, creativity, strategies and alacrity of the different teams. Winning was crucial, the teams' unity will be tested to its frontier.

Monday, December 8, was the opening of the education week. After the flag ceremony, headed by each team’s muse and escort, the different teams were introduced. Black, red, yellow and blue were the colors of the day. Cheers and shouts filled the air. After the introduction, all teams started to design their booths. Snacks of all sorts, stickers, patches, hair ties, wrist bands and more were sold in the different booths. The days that followed were just as vigorous. Grades 4, 5 and 6 of each team attended a journalism workshop while Grades 3, 2, 1, preparatory, nursery, and kindergarten watched films. The Golden Pirates won the quiz bee while the Black Flames won the spelling bee.

The treasure hunt was one of the most awaited events. Every team aimed to be the first one to find the treasure. A close encounter between the Red Apples and Blue Sharks happened but the Sharks were more aggressive and succeeded in getting to the treasure first. Everyone was so happy and gay excitement filled the event.

Education Week was a great experience for everyone. The teachers' reward was the joyful smiles and enormous curiosity of all the students. Who knew learning could be this fun?

Christmas Around the World: CCFT Night By Darlene Ramos

Christmas Around the World: CCFT Night
By Darlene Ramos

December 18, 2008.

It's not everyday that children get to dress up and play a red-nosed reindeer or Joseph and Mary - or a Christmas tree, for that matter. So when Christmas pageant night comes around, once a year, everyone is in high spirits. Tonight, after all, is the first time that CCFT-Coron International School will be holding the Christmas performance in Coron's Pavilion Hall. The afternoon before the show, students and teachers all huddled in groups, singing a snatch or two of a carol, muttering memorized lines, and fussing over costumes. Here fingers are sticky with last-minute glue and glitters, there random spikes of hay poke out from the manger-makers' hair, and somewhere in the confusion, an angel's wing needs more cotton.

A higgledy-piggledy ride on the CCFT jeepney down to town - with wisps, then chunks of the Nativity hut tied to its roof falling prey to overhanging branches - brought the children to the Pavilion Hall. There were last minute touch-ups, a panicked hunt for Rudolf's red nose and fur coat, a vain patch-up of the wrecked hut, and the show began.

And as if angels were standing by, the children sang and danced through their numbers like a dream. The black-light mime of the "battle of good and evil", awkward in daylight rehearsals, was now ominous and striking on the darkened stage. The Grade 1 speech choir now featured Joseph and Mary in their journey through Bethlehem looking for a place for Mary to give birth to the Savior. The one-act play, "Christmas Around the World", with impishly comic Christmas decorations and a nose-less Rudolf surrounded by dancing preschoolers, drew laughs from the audience. A solemn "Silent Night" closed the performance, the sound of children's voices blending together, warm and sweet in the cold night air

Multiple Intelligence Awards at CCFT

Multiple Intelligence Awards at CCFT

Each quarter of the school year, CCFT Coron International School recognizes the students who performed well in their academics. CCFT-CIS ascribes to Dr. Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, which is widely accepted and practiced in major private and international schools worldwide. The theory affirms that every individual is intelligent in his own right and IQ test scores aren’t the exclusive basis of measuring one’s mental abilities.

CCFT-CIS awards students for the eight basic kinds of Multiple Intelligence: 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). A ninth and unique award, Filipino Smart, is also given for students gifted with communicating in the national language, Filipino.

The Second Quarter Recognition Rites were held at the CCFT-CIS Pavilion on November 28, 2008. For each grade level, students who were recommended by their teachers on the basis of their grades in different subjects were awarded certificates corresponding to their unique academic strength. It is interesting to note that no one student reaped all nine awards for his or her grade level. Different students took home different awards, a testament to Dr. Howard’s theory.

This quarter’s recognition was made all the more special because it was the first time students were also recognized for their extra-curricular achievements. CCFT-CIS won first place in two inter-school competitions in Coron within the quarter: the World Tourism Day slogan-making contest in September, and the 45th Fish Conservation Week on-the-spot drawing contest. This was a proud year for CCFT-CIS, a school barely past its second year, attesting to its commitment to excellence in a well-rounded education, both within and outside the school walls.

Birthday Bash of the Year

Birthday Bash of the Year

The biggest birthday party of the year has to be the November celebration – not just for the number of birthday celebrants, but for the celebrity status factor, at least within CCFT. This month, Executive Director Michelle Abayari, CCFT Coron International School Principal Lilia Chavez, Head Teacher Elvin Resco, and Teacher Ryan Calupas celebrated with four girls from the Children’s Home – Livinia, Ara, Joanna Marie, and Sandara, plus three Facility Department staff – Tito Ben, Tito Leo, and Tito Ernesto.

This second Saturday, November 15, the CCFT-CIS teachers decked the Children’s Home lobby with hanging paper clowns, colorful ribbons, and balloons. After a short prayer, all eleven birthday celebrants were called to sit up front to listen to a rendition of the traditional Happy Birthday song and receive a gift.

Coaxed by the children’s enthusiastic clapping, Tito Peter, Tito Arvin and Tito Marvin of the Facility Department serenaded the audience with Stephen Speaks’ Passenger Seat: Tito Arvin on guitar, Tito Marvin tapping on a hand drum, and a blushing Tito Peter on vocals. After overcoming the initial surprise – “He can really sing!” – The audience began cheering them on and teasing the blushing vocalist by coming up to with offerings of flowers, Christmas wreaths, and a hula hoop around his neck.

Tatay Jong and Tita Cora of the Children’s Home next stepped up with an on-the-spot swing number to the delight of everyone. Soon, half of the CCFT population was up dancing along with the pair and it was quite some time before the games could begin.

or the next hour everyone scrambled over who would get to join the games – balloon-blowing, hula hoop twirling, and pop-the-balloon relay (where some children refused to pop their balloons because they wanted to take them home)

Each CCFT department had a special number for the party, their token for the eleven special people turning a year older in November. The International School presentation had everyone all but rolling on the floor laughing. It was a spoof of the memorable International Day talent show: Teacher Andrew wiggling his hips out of time to Miss Guam’s Pearly Shells, Teacher Franz reciting a muddled version of Mr. Spain’s poem, La Cogida y La Muerte (more popularly known to the amused children as A Las Cinco de la Tarde), the stocky Teacher Rey swaying to a Colombian beat, and Teacher Miyet bouncing merrily to a traditional Finnish song.

The day ended with everyone dancing the Froggy Dance, a cute Japanese pop song with an instructional video – not once, but at least thrice, to repeated prodding of “Again! Again!” by the children. It was a birthday to be remembered and treasured by all who were present.

Arthur: Miracle in the Making

Arthur: Miracle in the Making

The conscientiously neat, quiet boy carefully prints out his name on a sheet of paper: Arthur. Unremarkable and ordinary at first, yes. But like his namesake storybook king, looks can be deceiving.
Arthur came to CCFT in 2007, a temperamental, distrustful child. Among the rest of the children, he was a puzzle – a stickler for rules and neatness and impatient with his siblings at the Children’s Home, yet

he would retort back at anyone who reprimanded him for a mistake. He would run away when angered, hiding inside cabinets or underneath the CCFT staff house. In addition to this, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), a condition that makes it difficult to him to concentrate in school, slowing down his academic development.

These, however, were challenges accepted by the Children’s Home. Recognizing his leadership potential, he was assigned assistant lead child in his family, and he has since learned responsibility, trust, and tolerance for his fellow children. Therapist Viviene Francisco, through several weeks of therapy, helped him to express his emotions and manage his anger.

Nowadays seven-year-old Arthur is improving in school, showing a keen interest in writing and drawing. He has a better sense of humor, takes teasing in stride, and bends a bit when things don’t turn out as planned. Instead of running away when annoyed, he asks to be taken to a quiet room, or walks about the Children’s Home to calm down.

During both the International Day and the December CCFT Christmas Night in Coron, he shone in his performance along with his fellow members of the Grade I speech choir.

Our Art hasn’t pulled out any swords from stones yet, but looking at the miracle of his life in CCFT, we wouldn’t be surprised if he did one day.