When The Beat Loses Its Rhythm, A Melancholy Tone Emerges
Our dear Tanauan Institute celebrates its 100th birthday this February, and even though the school has no king nor queen, this month makes a jester out of students. Juggle here, and juggle there; sweat and exhaust to make people smile; it might be stressful, but it’s all for the sake of making this celebration fun and memorable.
The month of February sure is a busy month for the Grade 12 students of Tanauan Institute Inc. Not only does the month mark the start of the second semester, but it also kicks off the emergence of multiple activities regarding preparations for the upcoming foundation anniversary of the school. For the preparations, students worry about a lot of things like.
Practice, practice, practice. The beginning weeks of the second semester were spent studying… Not lessons, but dance steps! One of the most awaited moments of the week-long celebration of Tanauan Institute Inc.’s founding anniversary is the “Field Demonstration”. Selected students from each department practice all day everyday to bring pride to the department that they represent. The students take this performance seriously so from the music, the formations, and to the dance steps, everything is carefully planned and arranged to ensure a wonderful performance. But of course, practice requires a place, and thankfully, the school lets the students practice within its premises. At the gymnasium, at the oval, at the mini gym, in front of buildings C and D, and at the playground; every open space is occupied by students practicing for the field demo. On weekends, some students practice outside the school; truly dedicated to their performance.
Practice, but wait, we gotta go to college! Time goes by so fast; only a few months from now, these Grade 12 students will soon be college students. But of course, it’s not a quick skip from Senior High School to College. Applications and admission exams for multiple college universities have opened even before the year started. Some exams are held this February which added to things that the students had to worry about this month. A day or two of absence from practice must be made to be able to attend t h e examination. However, a day or two of no presence might be too long, so students better catch up quickly to the new steps
Practice, but what about prelims? To get as much practice as they could, the representatives of each department are excused from their classes which means they haven’t attended any classes since the start of the semester. Of course, it can’t be helped for the students to worry about the upcoming preliminary exams. By the time the foundation week ends, the lessons they’d have to catch up to will pile up which is truly worrisome. Still, the students just dance and laugh it off.
Despite being filled with exhaustion and worries, every moment is a memory to keep. New friendships bloomed, teamwork arose, and in the end, hard work will surely pay off. Because of everyone’s dedication to this celebration, the 100th founding anniversary of Tanauan Institute Inc. becomes even more special than it already is.
