Coinciding with the birthday of the great teacher Confucius, Ateneo Celadon’s annual Teachers’ Appreciation Week (TAW), held this year from September 26-30 at the Doghouse and the 1st Floor of the New Rizal Library, continues to put the spotlight on the school’s hardworking faculty. What set this year’s Teachers’ Appreciation Week apart from the previous years was the culminating night, which was in partnership with the Teachers’ Formation Institute (TFI) and the Office of the Vice President of the Loyola Schools (OVPLS). It was held on the night of September 30, the last day of TAW at the Leong Hall Roofdeck.
TAW Week
The students nominated and voted for their favorite professors for different award categories. Voters were also encouraged to give special tokens—a special lanyard, with an attached bag tag—to their teachers. This made it look like a medal, which supported this year’s theme, TAWlympics.
Professors who won multiple awards include:
- Best SOSS Professor and Legendary Confucius (Male): Fr. Adolfo Dacanay, S.J.
- Best SOH Professor and Most Wanted Teacher: Ambeth Ocampo
- Best SOSE Professor and Friendliest Teacher: Christopher Peabody
- Best SOM Professor and Up & Coming Teacher: Nathania Chua
Other awardees were:
- Legendary Confucius (Female): Queena Lee-Chua
- Most Memorable: Alvin Yapan
- Best Physical Education: Ryan Gialogo
- Most Underrated: Zomesh Maini
- Forever Young: Mark Cayanan
- Kakaibae: D.M. Reyes
- Best Department Secretary: Ma’am Christy
TAW Culminating Night
Students and teachers alike gathered at the Leong Hall Roofdeck for the culminating night. The area had game booths and a photo booth. During the program proper, Celadon’s very own Andre Tan, Raenelle Ngo, and Lyonel Tanganco performed to entertain the guests through song. During the awarding, awardees each received special plaques and six packs of Toblerone. The night ended with served dinner and a speech from the Vice President for the Loyola Schools (VPLS) Maria Luz Vilches. “This is a good tribute, not just for teachers, but for you too for working hard just as your teachers do,” expressed Vilches.
Zomesh Maini, winner of the Most Underrated Professor award, expressed, “I guess I’d like to say thanks to everyone who voted for me. Also, let’s remember that science literacy is not meant to scare people, but [to] help them understand things better and make more informed choices. I hope to continue doing this work for SOSE for years to come.”
“Seeing the venue, I was amazed in how the well-set up the place was, despite the budget and time constraints that we had. I was shocked and pleased to hear about the partnership we got with the TFI and OVPLS for the culminating night. Sir Ron Cruz and VP Vilches acknowledged and thanked the project for what it did for the profs,” said co-project head John Chua.
Chua, who thought of adding Confucius to this year’s theme, stated that he wanted this year’s event to be “bigger and better than the ones of previous years, [and] to be more culturally relevant.”
Co-project head Cian Kieffer Lim adds, “We envisioned a TAW that acts [as] a dialogue [between] students [and] their professors. It was a fulfilling and unique experience not because we accomplished something, but rather [because] we chose to give back to the people who molded and shaped us into the people we are today.”
“Teachers are nothing without their students. It often feels like the work we do is never enough, but every now and then, the appreciation of our students reminds us that just perhaps, it already is for them,” expressed Best SOM Prof and Up & Coming winner Nathania Chua. “I’m extremely grateful not just for my profs and mentors who taught me what I know, but the students who continue to teach me new things in and out of the classroom. Thank you for loving me into the teacher I am today!”
Written by Joel Lim and Almira Uy.
Photos by Lucas Po, Regine Choa, Mark Chua, Harvey Li, Chenelle Co, and Miguel Aguirre.
