Latest Stories
September 2024
September 2024
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13
For more pictures, please click here.
The annual Teachers’ Conference was held from September 18 to 20, 2024. This year’s theme is “Hope Lights the Way, Inspiring Futures Together – 3 Years to Seven Decades”. Four invited speakers graced the event. The conference commenced with a Eucharistic Celebration with Fr. Jesus Miranda, Jr., OP as the main celebrant and our school chaplain Fr. Tomasz Zalewski, OP co-celebrating.
After the mass, Fr. Jesus “Jay” Miranda, OP gave the keynote address. Father Jay is a distinguished member of the Order of Preachers, son of the Dominican Province of the Philippines. He is known for his profound contributions to theology and education. He specializes in Organization Studies and Development; Educational Leadership and Management; Management of Entrepreneurial and Adaptive Learning Institutions; Philosophy of Education, Aquinas, and Contemporary principles in Education. He holds a bachelor's in philosophy and sacred theology, a Licentiate in Theology and Philosophy, a Master of Arts in Theology, and a doctorate in educational management, underpinning his academic pursuits and theological insights.
His work primarily focuses on the intersection of faith and reason, emphasizing the importance of integrating philosophical inquiry with spiritual understanding. He has held various academic and pastoral positions in the Dominican Order. He writes an article with The Manila Times – A well-known Philippine newspaper.
His keynote topic was “St. Thomas Aquinas and the Legacy of Dominican Education”. He said that the charism (living the gift) of the Order in general was given to Dominic which we share in our education apostolate. Any Catholic school’s mission of education originates from the charism of the order or congregation that runs it. This reflects a Catholic approach to education, which takes root in the founder’s spirit, vision, and gift. Education is a major ministry of the Catholic Church. It is an essential part of evangelization.
Ms. Ying-Jing Chu, an Art Therapist from the Taiwan Art Therapy Association gave an art workshop to all participants. The workshop was “Creative Healing: Art as a Mirror of the Inner Landscapes”. The workshop is a therapeutic modality that combines powerful counseling techniques and creative techniques to help improve emotional, and mental health, promote self-regulation, and stretch the self. The participants were given art materials to express their inner landscape. The teachers got to draw their favorite cartoon character and its applicable landscape. The entire workshop was a tool that helped teachers reflect and connect inwards to ‘see’ and interpret the bigger picture.
Fr. Jay Miranda, OP talked about “A 13th Century Teacher meets a 21st Century Teacher: A Dialogue between Aquinas and Constructivism”. Fr. Jay presented a study that seeks to impart the conversation between Aquinas and constructivism in the context of the following questions: How does human nature relate to education? How does learning occur in the educative process? What is the meaning of true and meaningful knowledge? He presented the objectives of the study: to describe the relation of their theories of education based on their distinct and separate understanding of human nature; to explain the relation of their theories based on their respective steps and stages of the dynamics of learning; and, to describe the relation of their theories based on the nature and quality of knowledge. He discussed his findings regarding the study. His conclusion is based on this assessment, the psychological level of cognition of constructivism, while individually and personally meaningful, would still require a deeper comprehension through abstraction, which is the demand of Aquinas for true knowledge. The insistence of Aquinas, of course, is no longer psychological, but rather theological and metaphysical, which arises too from the very nature of the person. With his sharing, the teachers got acquainted with the contributions of St. Thomas of Aquinas about education.
An online talk ensued on the morning of day 2. Dr. Robert Zywicki, an accomplished superintendent of schools in New Jersey, USA was the online speaker. Dr. Robert coordinates the design and delivery of research-based professional development programs for the Center for Effective School Practices. Being an innovative educator, he is an experienced consultant to various school leadership teams. Dr. Robert has been selected to present and keynote at national and state conferences. Dr. Robert received several awards for being a superintendent. The National School Public Relations Association named Dr. Robert, “Superintendent to watch” for “modeling and leading effective communication technology efforts both internal and external stakeholders.” Morris County Council of Education Associations presented Dr. Zywicki with the “Friend of Education” award for his “extraordinary contributions to education.
In the afternoon, Fr. Pablo Trollano, IVE shared his research on “A Catholic Perspective on Taiwan’s Quest for Gender Equality”. Born in Argentina, Fr. Pablo was ordained priest in 2011. In 2013, he came to Taiwan for pastoral work and is now a doctoral candidate at Fu Jen Catholic University. He shared his views on Gender Equality. Each one is entitled to live in dignity, safety, and security. Access to rights or opportunities is unaffected by gender. It’s not only women who are affected by gender inequality – all genders are impacted, including men. He concluded that the interests, needs, and priorities of all, both women and men should be equally considered.
The teachers and staff received a certificate of appreciation to recognize their loyalty, dedication, and years of service Directress/Principal Sr. Jacqueline C. Manuel, O.P., Vice Principal Sr. Rosa Dabhi, CCV, and Pre-School Department Head Sr. Jean Bergado, O.P. handed the certificates with their new D’TORCH HOUSE shirt and a small token.
After the awarding, the Sisters, Teachers, and Staff had a day trip. The first stop was at Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology in Bali District, New Taipei City. Located near the mouth of the Tamsui River in Bali District, the Shihsanhang archaeological site dates back some 500 to 1800 years to Taiwan's prehistoric times. The ancient dwellers are believed to be the ancestors of the Ketagalan people of the Pingpu aboriginal tribe. The artifacts in the museum show the evidence gathered from the ruins indicating that the Shihsanhang dwellers had the know-how of metal-making. Discovered silver, copperware, gold jewelry, and coins reveal that trade and economic activities had happened back then. The second stop was at the Four Points by Sheraton in Bali District, New Taipei City for a sumptuous lunch.