Tapulanga Foundation's 6th Silay Summer Workshop 2016 Graduation

Tapulanga Foundation held its one month-long summer workshop last April 1-30. Classes offered were Basic/Advanced Drawing and Painting, Basic/Advanced Guitar, Hip Hop Dance, Swimming, Football, Basketball and Volleyball, .

Drawing and Painting Class with Visual Artist Teacher, Ramon de los Santos
and assistant-son, Myron

Above: Basic Class; Below: Advance Class

Swimming Class with Coaches Joelin Patris, Jubal Zayco and Ronald Santander

Football Class with Coaches Roy Alvero, Dennis Soluta and Ceasar Ofamen

Top: Boys 12 Under; Middle: Girls Team; Bottom: Boys 16 Under

Basketball Class with Coach Nikko Sobretodo

Grade School Volleyball Class with Coaches Ronald Premaylon and Gerard Ignacio

Guitar Class with Instructor Junjun Davo

Hip Hop Dance Class with Instructor Champ Tipon, assistants Mark Formanes and Dhenice Armada

During the graduation on April 30, the Drawing and Painting Class exhibited their artwork at SFAS covered court.  Students received their certificate of completion, too!

Tapulanga Foundation's 6th Silay Summer Workshop 2016 Graduation photos.

Watch videos:

Guitar Class

Guitar Class Recital 

Drawing Class

HipHop Dance Class

Basketball Class

Football Class

Volleyball Class

Swimming Camp

Swimming Camp Friendly Game

Guitar and HipHop Dance Class Joint Presentation

Tapulanga Foundation would like to thank the following sponsors and donors who have made possible SSW'16.

Major Sponsor

National Commission for Culture and the Arts

AY Foundation

Aboitiz Foundation

Tinihaban Agricultural Corporation

Minor Sponsor

Norconsult Management Services, Phils.

Anonymous donor

Patrons

Lopue’s East Centre

Roberto G. Abello

Sponsored a Scholar

Jory and Kat Jimenez

Imelda Tongson-Batara

Tony and Danuta Tse

Betty Crader

Helen Burke

Randy and Renee Reyes

Jacob Kaufman

Sherrie Good

Bimsy and Martha Mapa

Jess, Jr. and Mariam Campos

Mel Sanchez-Dumlao & Raquel Sian-Estrella

Carisa Pangilinan

Bob and Amy Strahl

Ed Katalbas

Carlo Lota

Evelyn Cruz-Galvan

Czarina Katalbas

Atty. Dominique Iñigo

Gilda Fernandez-Raum

Jerome and Maria Concepcion

Lala Alvarez

RJ and Marissa Laguda

Atty. Joanne Ramos

Ichi Yabut

Therese Tuvilla-Borromeo

Lance Martinez

John and Fern Schmidt

Reeda Bantug

Dr. Anna Calleja

Prof. Liwayway Engle

Betchai Tamayo

Emma Calanog

Noel Casipit

Ana Gonzaga-Layaoen

Rani Alisan

The Peters Family Meet Their Scholar for the First Time!

Last April 22, TF donors Patrick and Katrina Peters visited St. Francis of Assisi School of Silay City and meet their scholar, Jasmine Joy Eguid. 

The couple brought their 4-month old son, Sawyer and Katrina's sister, Joyce. They have been sponsoring Jasmine for the last 5 years since she started Pre-Kindergarten in 2012.  Jasmine is now in 3rd grade.  They brought Jasmine a gift set of coloring materials.

"Hello! My name is Kat and I live in Montreal with my husband Pat. I first found out about Tapulanga through my friend, JR Abello, whose sister Micmic is Executive Director of the foundation. I started with partial sponsorship of a scholar every year for several years and when I met Pat, we started supporting a scholar together. Would you believe that after all these years, we have never been to St. Francis of Assisi School in Silay City, where our scholars go to school? So Pat and I were both very excited when we had the opportunity to visit the school during our recent vacation.

We met our scholar Jasmine, who came with her mom and sister. It was also nice to finally meet Genalyn and Micmic who both do a very good job with updating us not just on our scholar, but also with the school and the foundation’s activities. They took us on a tour of the campus, which was quite spacious and well maintained. Since it was summer, there was no class, but we saw many students who were participating in the summer classes that the foundation had organized. We were impressed with the summer program as it gave students the chance to participate in a variety of activities outside of coursework, such as sports, music, dance, and art. We also loved seeing how the school has adapted to the realities of its environment. I enjoyed seeing the campus chapel made of mud, while Pat thought it was cool how the chairs were made of steel so they would not float away during the occasional flooding that happens when typhoon season arrives. 

It was a short but eventful visit. We’ve seen with our own eyes the amazing work Tapulanga and St. Francis of Assisi School are doing to provide educational opportunities to young ones who would otherwise not have the resources to go to school. Pat and I are very proud to be part of Tapulanga and will continue to support their endeavors in the future. Thank you Micmic, Gen and Jasmine for hosting us during our trip!"

Summer Visit from the Olorga Family and Mrs. Azucena

Last April 15, TF donors Jackie Lou Velasco-Azucena, and Joe and Joy Olorga visited St. Francis of Assisi School of Silay City and met their scholars for the first time.

The Olorgas were on vacation from the US with their son, Logan.  They have been sponsoring Mariel Sadio, who is in Grade 3, since 2012 when she entered SFAS in Pre-Kindergarten. They chose her as their scholar during the 35 Scholars Challenge in April 2012.

Jackie Lou has been supporting Tapulanga Foundation since 2005. She also helps in sponsoring other school needs of 10th grader Jhane Rose Coja.  

"On April 15, we finally got the chance to meet Mariel, our scholar since pre-kindergarten. It was quite nice to see her in person after several years of exchanging photos and messages via Facebook and email. It was very rewarding to see her doing so well in school and be able to gradually achieve her dreams in life with the help of the Tapulanga Foundation.  We also met our scholar's mother, Malou.

Thank you, for giving us a tour around the school grounds. We feel glad to see the school improving and growing, as well as giving the opportunity to help the students reach their goals in life. We will definitely come back and visit the school whenever we are in the Philippines." by Joe and Joy Olorga


"Last April 15, I went to St. Francis school to meet with my scholar Jhane Rose to see how she is. We had a small talk and told me she's doing well in school and that she'll be in grade 11 next year. Wishing her all the best and hope she keeps up her good grades." by Jackie Lou Velasco-Azucena

The Koutsavdis Share Their Blessings

Last March 18, Mrs. Mary Bayaban-Koutsavdis visited SFAS and brought gifts for her four scholars. She met her two new scholars for the first time, Rico and Christy.  Ms. Mary had previously visited the school several times in the past, and together with her husband, Evangelos, first sponsored a student in 2011 and have added one new scholar every year.

"Whenever I go on vacation in Negros I always look forward to visit St. Francis to meet our scholars. It always gives me joy in my heart to see them. My husband and I are thankful that we can share our blessings with these children." by Mary Koutsavdis

Silay Summer Workshop 2016

The Silay Summer Workshop ‘16 aims to provide continuous learning to the children on their summer break while having fun at the same time. The workshop starts on April 1 and ends on April 30.

This year, we are offering classes/camps in Drawing and Painting, Guitar, Hip Hop Dance, Volleyball, Football, Basketball and Swimming for 200 students.

Our registration fee for the class per student is Php 600 (for sports) and Php 1,000 – Php 1,500 (other classes). The fee covers the professional fee of the instructions/coaches and materials/supplies.  Students will receive a certificate at the end of the workshop. Each class can accommodate from 5-20 students, depending on the course.

We would like to thank the following for supporting Silay Summer Workshop ’16!

Major Sponsor

National Commission for Culture and the Arts

AY Foundation

Aboitiz Foundation

Tinihaban Agricultural Corporation

Minor Sponsor

Norconsult Management Services, Phils.

Anonymous donor

Patrons

Lopue’s East Centre

Roberto G. Abello

Sponsored a Scholar/s

Jory and Kat Jimenez 

Imelda Tongson-Batara 

Tony and Danuta Tse 

Betty Crader 

Helen Burke 

Randy and Renee Reyes 

Jacob Kaufman 

Sherrie Good 

Bimsy and Martha Mapa 

Jess, Jr. and Mariam Campos 

Mel Sanchez-Dumlao & Raquel Sian-Estrella 

Carisa Pangilinan 

Bob and Amy Strahl 

Ed Katalbas 

Carlo Lota 

Evelyn Cruz-Galvan 

Czarina Katalbas 

Atty. Dominique Iñigo 

Gilda Fernandez-Raum 

Jerome and Maria Concepcion 

Lala Alvarez 

RJ and Marissa Laguda 

Atty. Joanne Ramos 

Ichi Yabut 

Therese Tuvilla-Borromeo 

Lance Martinez 

John and Fern Schmidt 

Reeda Bantug 

Dr. Anna Calleja 

Prof. Liwayway Engle

Betchai Tamayo 

Emma Calanog 

Noel Casipit 

Ana Gonzaga-Layaoen 
Rani Alisan

Please click the following links for the Silay Summer Workshop ’16 photos and videos! 

Silay Summer Workshop '16 Orientation and Registration day!

Silay Summer Workshop '16 Week 1
Silay Summer Workshop '16 Week 2
Silay Summer Workshop '16 Week 3

Silay Summer Workshop '16 Week 4

Tapulanga Foundation's Silay Summer Workshop 2016 Graduation

TF Scholars Raymart and Mariel Sadio

Raymart and Mariel Sadio are both in 3rd grade at St. Francis of Assisi School of Silay City.  Their father Renante, works as a night-shift security guard at SFAS and their mother Malou weaves "nipa", a material for thatched roofing.

Raymart and Mariel have been TF scholars since they started Pre-Kindergraten at SFAS. This coming school year, their youngest brother, Renante, Jr., is hoping to study in SFAS with his siblings and be a TF scholar as well.

The Sadio siblings are just a few of the many aspiring young students to receive not just quality education at SFAS but also a chance for a better life as TF scholars.  Tapulanga Foundation is about to launch its "60 Scholars in 30 Days Challenge" and we are looking forward for you to be a part of this wonderful cause.

The Katalbas Siblings (Czarina and Ed) meet their Scholars (Laurine and John Rey)

Last February 12, siblings Czarina and Ed Katalbas, with their sister-in-law, Babes and nephew Ricky, visited St. Francis of Assisi School of Silay City and met their scholars Laurine Estardo (Grade 3) and John Rey Capa (Grade 9). They became sponsors of Laurine and John Rey when they joined the 50 Scholars Challenge in April 2013.  Czarina was a member of the Babes of Bacolod group in Los Angeles who helped raised funds and promote the programs of Tapulanga for many years.

L-R Laurine Estardo, scholar of Czarina and John Rey Capa, scholar of Ed

 

To Czarina and Ed, your generosity is greatly appreciated.  Thank you for taking the time to meet your scholars and visit the school. 

L-R Babes, Laurine, Czarina, John Rey, Ed and Ricky.

My sister and I visited our respective scholars as part of our very brief stay in the Philippines. And it was such a humbling experience to meet Micmic and Gen who showed us what Micmic’s family do to honor and continue the legacy of her grandma who founded the St. Francis of Assisi School of Silay. One can really sense the nobility and kindness of their undertaking in providing priceless life experience to kids who would otherwise be set in a different path.  The balmy weather, simplicity, charm and the welcoming spirit that pervaded the atmosphere of the school, where kids greeted us “Good morning visitors” at every turn, made me yearn to go back in time to be a kid again even if for just a moment and relive it like our scholars.  Such innocent, sweet and very lucky kids to be under the wings of the Tapulanga Foundation.  My utmost thanks to all of the wonderful people of the St. Francis of Assisi School and the Tapulanga Foundation. by Ed Katalbas