By: Jaylieca Cunanan
What’s meant to be will find its way.
Philippine School Doha’s (PSD) Link Creative Editor-in-Chief, Joy Anne Dela Cruz, a Grade 12 PSDian, proved the saying to be true as she bested all other contenders from the two Philippine schools in Qatar by securing the most-coveted championship title in the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Qatar Chapter’s fourth annual Math and Science Quiz Bee 2021 last October 29.
Dela Cruz secured the championship title beating all the other contestants from PSD and Philippine International School Qatar (PISQ). This event was a continuation of the PICE Math Whiz Series but now with a twist of integrating concepts from the different branches of Science.
The first half of the competition, comprising 25 student challengers from the Senior High for each school, was held online through the Zoom application. This round determined the top ten students from both schools who advanced to compete for the final round that took place in the PSD Gymnasium on the same day.
It can be noted that the final round was the first in-person inter school event to be held again in the school gymnasium ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The twenty finalists, then, answered a grueling quiz of 30 questions that would bag them points for their school.
Initially, Dela Cruz attended the face-to-face event only to cover the news for the Link, the campus journalism organization, after handing over her finalist spot to Jaylieca Cunanan who won in their tiebreaker question from the elimination round. However, after the first placer from the elimination round, Hannah Otieco, reported unwell, Dela Cruz proved to be PSD’s trump card as she fortunately gained a spot as a finalist and eventually, as a champion.
Timothy Del Rosario, a Grade 11 student from PISQ, won first-runner up. Landing on the third spot was another PSDian, Ivanna Judea Madriaga. Distinct from the champion; she was consistent in the top three for both the elimination and the final rounds. After having tied for third place, though, she also fought for a final tiebreaker question against Rhee Costan from PISQ, to which she accurately and swiftly answered.
Moreover, aside from the student finalists receiving awards, the head coaches of both schools, Mr. Mike Edison B. Pioquinto of PISQ and Mr. Roberto C. Jacob of PSD, were also given certificates for their participation in the program.
The school principal of PISQ, Mr. Jason A. Iyas, proceeded to emphasize that “knowledge is just potential; wisdom, being able to apply that knowledge, is true power”. The vice principal of PSD’s Research Development, Accreditation, and Publication Office (RDAPO), Dr. Lorina S. Villanueva, also reminded the students that above competition, the event’s aim is socialization. Both then expressed their gratitude towards the members of the PICE Qatar Chapter, the coaches, and the students for the event’s success.
The exciting triumph of PSD broke PISQ’s third streak in this Math Quiz Bee series. With a tie-breaking finale, the program concluded with the announcement of winners with cash prizes, medals, trophies, and certificates: Ivanna Madriaga (2nd runner-up from PSD), Timothy Del Rosario (1st runner-up from PISQ), and Joy Dela Cruz (Champion from PSD).
PICE is a Philippine-based organization that aims to unite Filipino Civil Engineers from all over the world. Through the inter school quiz bee, its Qatar Chapter sought not only to promote the degree of Civil Engineering to Filipino schools with the academic track of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) but also to widen their capacities in Mathematics and Science and further encourage sportsmanship and camaraderie with one another. Through the event sponsor, Gateway Visa Solution, PICE also aimed to help the Filipino seniors in terms of career orientation.