Every 1st and 2nd Wednesday of the month the grade schoolers do not mind going home later than usual, for they are thrilled, excited, and engaged in the Curriculum Enrichment Program (CEP) they had enrolled themselves in. During these particular Wednesdays, it is a common sight to see pupils, together with their friends, excitedly parking their bags along the hallway and rushing, not to get home, but to be in their respective CEP venues.

Who wouldn’t be? Learning something new is interesting enough, but deepening and applying such learning in varied context make it more interesting. CEP enriches learning in the classroom, thus, pupils attend their chosen programs with existing knowledge and skills needed to engage in a totally new and higher level.

The 33 programs cater to various interests, multiple intelligences, and subject areas. In each program, the pupils experience familiar yet different undertakings. Sports-related programs namely the Basketball club, Table Tennis club, Volleyball club, Soccer club, Aquathlon, and Taekwondo club allow their members to engage in real play and learn time-tested strategies and techniques from veteran coaches. Musical programs specifically the Children’s Choir, Junior String Ensemble, and Piper’s club teach their members more advanced musical arrangements, and give them avenues to perform for a bigger audience through concerts and the like. Performing Arts programs such as the Hataw at Galaw and Blue Tag tickle the creative and groovy bones of their members as they choreograph their way under the spotlight. Still-Arts programs like the Hearty Hands, Young Artists club, and Shutters’ Clique enhance the talents and skills of their respective members in every stroke and click they make as they paint and capture colorful and beautiful pictures in white canvas.

On a more academic note, the Young Innovators’ club, Health and Wellness, Green Thumb, Young Writers’ club, Ispeak, Cooltura, Ricci’s Circle, Math Wizards, Junior Computer’s club, and Homemakers’ club enrich their members’ learning through various hands-on activities and performance tasks. As off-shoots of these academic programs, the Books and Media Watch, Social Entrepreneurship, Scouting Programs, Pinoy Games, Little Friends and Companions of St. Ignatius, and AMTG further develop the academic knowledge of their members in more socially-involved contexts.

These programs may seem different from each other, but they are similar in many aspects. For one, they are all rooted in the Ignatian ideals and the seven core values of the school. Also, they enrich the classroom instructions, and lastly, they make ordinary Wednesdays extraordinary.

Article contributed by Wanda Jude de la Calzada (Grade 5 – Xavier), Ms. Mitos Gonzales (CEP Coordinator)