Last July 18-27, 2015, six delegates of Jubilee Christian Academy had the privilege to attend the Advanced Placement (AP) Conference 2015 held in Austin, Texas.
The delegates, consists of Sally Coyukiat, Ed. D., Executive Directress; Paul Calamiong, Ph. D., Senior High School (SHS) Principal; Mrs. Lorna Yan, Elementary Principal; Mrs. Carol Seming, Preschool Principal; Mr. Enrique Sabacan and Ms. Frances Gaza, Math and English Coordinators, respectively, were immersed on a four-day seminar on the ins and outs of subject-specific AP courses and their administration.
July 20
Prior the conference, the delegates had a wonderful time under the warm Texan weather when they visited the Bullock Texas State History Museum—the official state museum named after Bob Bullock, the lieutenant general who established the museum in 2001. Visitors become well-oriented on the rich history of the lone star state that has been well-preserved. It features group and family tours, museum exhibitions, gallery displays, and interactive programs geared to enriching the guest experience of the state’s ever loving history.
Part of the itinerary for the trip was a visit to world class school and universities in Texas. The first stop was a visit to St. Edward’s University, a Congregation of Holy Cross member institution. The university, boasting its 160-acre property, is a hillside school with approximately 4,600 undergraduate and graduate students. It has representation from over 44 states and 51 countries and offers courses such as Psychology, Biology, Communication, Business Administration and Global Studies. Aside from that, students are given a holistic educational journey with a well-balanced academic and student activities program through its well-equipped and state of the art university structure and highly competent faculty. St. Edwards is known to produce numerous Fulbright Scholars. On-campus housing or residents hall is also made available for students in the midst of growing international partnership they have.
The group joined by other visitors—future students, parents, and educators—taking a tour of St. Edwards which was established in 1885.
July 21
On the 21st of July, delegates had a grand reunion with former personnel, Mrs. Debbie Duhaylungsod-Ostil, together with her husband, Mr. Kelvin Ostil. She was formerly a Filipino teacher in the High School Department (2004-2007) and has been residing in Oklahoma for three years with her husband and their three-year old son, Kameron. She is currently working as a state employee. She also hosted a delegate for several days by taking her around Oklahoma City. The group had a most delighted fellowship at Iron Works Barbecue in Austin. It was an afternoon well spent reminiscing Jubilee experiences and exchanging professional and personal stories.
Mrs. Duhaylungsod and her husband receive a memento bearing the School logo which according to her will find a spot in their home.
July 22
The third day witnessed a very exciting tour of the University of Texas (UT), home to roughly 50,000 Longhorns and ranked in the top global universities. UT, which is the flagship school of the University of Texas Systems, caters to students from all over the United States and beyond and has a main campus of a 431-acre expanse.
The UT student ambassador-guided tour gave a glimpse of UT’s very enriching history and university life—experiential, research-centered, diverse in culture, and loaded with traditions. The delegates braced themselves for lots of walking as they got shown around UT’s premier buildings, including one donated by alumnus Michael Dell in collaboration with Bill Gates. Classrooms, historical spots and statues, student spots and residences, and its famous University Tower were all appreciated.
The University Tower, which is 307 feet in height, is a distinguishing landmark of UT and provides guests a cityscape view of Austin from its observation deck.
The University houses 17 libraries of more than 10 million volumes of work and 7 museums, including the Blanton Museum of Art which the delegates got to visit. At the time of the visit, Natalie Frank was holding an exhibit of pastel art works entitled Brothers Grimm. The museum also holds a collection of 3D artworks.
The Texas Capitol and Summer Circle
The Texas Capitol (Top photo in the collage) stands as the highest point in Texas. This shot was taken from the grounds of UT. Summer Circle, a 3D artwork displayed at the Blanton Museum of Art, was made by Richard Long in 1991. Original configuration of the piece was 24 inches wider.
From UT, the delegates drove to Hill Country Christian School, an Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) school offering Pre K-12 education to approximately 500 students. The school is known for offering AP courses to its high school students anchored on its 3Cs—Christ-centered community, classical education, and college-preparatory curriculum. Located in a very huge land space, the School shares facilities with the Hill Country Church.
The Upper School, which is made up of the Middle and High School, offers an in-depth curriculum that includes critical thinking and biblical worldview. On top of that, the school is committed to community service geared for moral and spiritual development of the students as well. The tour gave the group an overview of its rigid academic program, strong student activities plan, and strong partnership with parents and community. Going around, one would find the well-maximized facilities for various programs the School offers to engage students in all their programs.
Murals to liven up the atmosphere of the school plus well- maintained and maximized facilities for various programs. The basketball court doubles as a cafeteria during lunch time.
July 23-27
The Conference proper took place at the famous Austin landmark, Austin Convention Centre (ACC), which was situated at downtown Austin. Aside from sessions that took place at the city’s multi-purpose hall, parallel workshops were also held at the Hilton Hotel just right across ACC. Each day of the AP Conference featured keynote addresses from notable speakers such as Sir Ken Robinson who delved into the necessary 21st century skills schools should be teaching students. In between his humorous stories, Sir Ken challenged educators to refocus what they do in their respective institutions to achieve the aims of education for learners: 1) to understand their talents and the world around and 2) to help them become fulfilled, compassionate, responsible, and independent individuals.
Trevor Packer, Senior Vice President of AP and Instruction of the College Board, home organization of AP, also discussed the results of the 2015 exams. He emphasized that among the AP courses, Physics and Calculus are the most taken exam in the last year. The final afternoon session centered on making the voices of AP heard through Emmy award-winning news correspondent Hattie Kaufmann moderating a panel discussion with students about their AP journey. Haufmann challenged educators to ‘do a little bit more’ when she shared that her life took a turn because of a teacher who believed in her abilities. The three students who were interviewed came from schools awarded in the AP District Honor Roll and they shared how AP programs helped them become better at getting the most out of their education. They also shared how vital school support and parental involvement were for them to prepare for the demanding course work and for them get 5s in the AP exams.
(Left) The delegates (Upper right: student sharing during the Voices of Ap (Upper right and lower right phototake from the College Board AP Conference 2015 website)
The annual conference had a crowd of around 3,500 educators mostly from educational institutions in the United States and neighboring countries. It featured pre-conference and post-conference sessions spent with AP experts who gave a full-day workshop on chosen AP courses—from Arts to English, to History and Science, to Math and World Languages, to Computer Science. There were also two days filled with concurrent workshops on around 30 courses, techniques and strategies in handling them, and AP administration. The conference gave delegates a taste of what AP is and allowed them to be in the same room with AP experts who shed light on why AP is a successful program and how institutions can make AP a successful program in their respective schools.
The whole conference was packed with various sessions from AP teachers and readers, all passionate in their different fields and who were very much willing to share what they know in the program. Delegates were also welcomed to an exhibit showcasing various publishing companies producing AP materials and AP partners all willing to share their rich resources. On July 25, the delegates had another Jubilee Reunion, this time with alumni Dr. Rochelle Dy and Mr. Dwight Dy. The siblings have been residing in the US for several years already.
Rochelle is a medical practitioner while Dwight works as a systems analyst. Both of them took time to drive to Austin from Houston, Texas. Aside from them, the group also met with Mr. Jovan Sy, an alumnus of batch 1993, at the San Francisco Airport where he works for an airline company. The fellowship, though brief, warmed the hearts of the delegates as the gestures of the alumni and former personnel magnified the impact of JCA’s mission and vision in their lives.
Jubileans across the US shining in their respective fields. (right-top) Siblings Rochelle and Dwight hosted a delectable Austin dinner for the group; (right-bottom) Jovan assisted the group during their transfers.
The Austin Trip was both a cultural immersion and an affirming experience as the group learned from academic exchanges at the conference, toured around the sprawling city of Austin, and enjoyed the mini reunions.
The AP Conference further legitimized and strengthened Jubilee’s vision of raising the standards of quality Christian education. The School looks forward to this endeavor as AP is launched in the coming school year. All glory to God for this experience!
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