“Pagkakaisa,” which means unity, is a Filipino word that best describes the strength of the Filipino community in the school. 

In 2017, Hornby High School continued to welcome Filipino students with pleasant reception and open minds. With the steady rise in the number of Filipino students this school year, there has been much greater active participation in sports, music, drama and dances that show their diverse talents and skills.

Filipino pride was upheld as Jericko Tayong was appointed as one of the prefects and Rylu Dequita as the student representative for the Board of Trustees in the school year 2017. Jibryl Pagdilao and Aubrey Uri achieved the top place with their breath-taking dance performance in the Talent Show followed by Ivan Malpaya who came in second place with his fantastic beatbox performance.

This year wouldn’t be complete without the Filipino Salu-salo evenings. We have now celebrated our seventh salu-salo since 2015. Varieties of food were shared between students and their families. Entertainment was present as well, through games, song and dance performances and social interactions. This was put together by the Filipino Youth Group (FYG) adviser Mrs Flores with the help of the newly elected FYG officers.

A definite highlight of the year was the International Food Festival. A cultural dance was performed by 35 members, which embodied different traditional dances and a bit of modern hip hop. This was put together by groups of students and teachers alike. The presentation of Filipinos showed that they were united as one family and promoted the culture of their country.

Such activities would not be made possible without the love and support of Mrs O’Donnell. Time and effort was also dedicated to the group by Mrs Flores and her cohort of students, Jibryl, Aubrey and Jhonna.

Mabuhay! Long live!