Hi everyone! I'm Marigrace a Press Con contestant. I have so many wonderful days with my friends during our Division and Regional Schools Press Conference that I want to share. I will never forget those days. Having too much time, hours, and days with your friends and teachers I think you have so many things to talk about.

Jessen, Angeline, Maricar, Pearl and me are all Press Con contestants. We became too close after this competition began. From this blog you will know how we met each other, the days before we became contestants, our rigid practice, if we are already in the contest room, the awarding and the last days of that competition. People said we changed ever since this contest begun. But they don't know what is the feeling of being a contestant. The challenges they need to face before they will reach their goals.

Please read our blog so that your minds will be cleaned up that being a contestant is not too easy for you to think.

History

Sorry if jessen is not here...,,

The four of us met each other in the age of seven in the year 2003. But Maricar is still not with us that time. We are only Grade 1 pupils, we don't know what will be our future and talent. In the year 2004 Maricar transferred at our school. What I've thought of her before is a naughty girl but, I'm wrong, she is kind and cute. When we are Grade 3 Sir Eumeirx (J.A.M.P's coach) is our adviser he let us write articles for him to know who has the ability to compete for the Press Conference. When we are Grade 4 no one from us was chosen to be a contestant but some will. Grade 4 had pass and we need to face Grade 5 Angeline, Pearl, Jessen and Essa were the only pupils chosen from our room to compete for the Division Press Conference year 2007. They won too, they become the over-all champion. But, a day came one of them fade away and needed to be changed. Before we became Grade 6 there is a summer class for Journalism. I try to join, to know if I can write any article. Sometimes, I don't know what will I do but, I need to work for it to discover what is my talent. Me, Maricar, Jessen and Angeline are classmates in that class. To my surprise Maricar can write a very beautiful Sports News. I never expect that Maricar can wrote an article. Today, I'm a Grade 6 student, before I don't know what kind of article I will make. But now, I realized I can make an Editorial Filipino. We became too close, and we found out that we are deserving to be a Regional Contestants.

How J. A. M. P w/ Grace started...

At first it was really J. A. M. P w/ Damuls because my friends are always teasing me Damulag or in short Damuls. The reason for this is because I'm a big girl and I'm also strong which is also the characteristics that a Carabao have.

They even call me Damulaga because when Pearl ask my coach Ma'am Emma if what's the name for a female carabao, she replied its a calf, but since calf is not so beautiful to hear they just teased me Damulaga. They even called Jessen Damulagita because she's also a chubby little girl.

The J. A. M. P comes from the initial of my other team mates namely: Jessen, Angeline, Maricar and Pearl.

Even they always tease me I dont get irritated easily, but when its others I get angry to them and cry. As they said its what friends are, understanding each other...

WE started just being a simple classmates. But now, we treat each other more than friends, we treat each other like sisters since we are all girls and of course Sir Eumeirx is our father though he don't have plans to be married yet.

Sometimes, if he will go somewhere he always tell us: " Wag niyong pababayaan yung kapatid niyo painumin niyo ng gatas, isilong niyo yung sinampay pag umulan at pagbalik ko ay kakain na tayo ng tanghalian."

He also treat us like his own daughters. He once joked to us that he will kiss us and treat us to Jollibee if we win (but im not included in their team) and we replied that he just treat us to Jollibee never mind kissing us. He also wants us to be safe.

Division Press Conference...

Saturday, September 27, 2008 is the start for the Division Schools Press Conference.We felt nervous and trying to be chill. We watched the opening program prepared for our contest. The emcees introduced different schools and let us watched their preparations. While the opening program, a boy fell his g- string. We felt pity for him. Many people laughed at him. He even cried because of embarrassment. After that, we return to our coaches. I want to return in our quarters but I don’t know that the contest of Pearl and Jessen are already near to start. I told them to bring home the bacon.

I believe in my friends that they can win and achieve our goals. After each contest, we asked them if how difficult is it? Mananalo ba tayo?

Monday, September 29, 2008 is the time for me to be in my respective contest room. I felt nervous, but I remember a friend of ours that already say good-bye. I’m always asking a support from her and God. I know that she will always right be here in our side guiding us and protecting us from harm.
3:00 p.m in the afternoon, the awarding ceremony started. We felt so too much nervous! But we cannot believe we got these places:

1^st Sports Writing (English)- Angeline

1^st Sports Writing (Filipino)- Maricar

1^st Editorial Writing (Filipino)-Marigrace

1^st Feature Writing (Filipino)- Kathleen Diane

2^nd Editorial Cartooning (English)- Nimfa

2^nd Editorial Cartooning (Filipino)- Emel Francie

2^nd News Writing (Filipino)- Pearl Marren

3^rd Photo Journalism (English)- Paul Patrick

3^rd News Writing (English) - Jessen Joy

All in all we became the 1^st Runner up!

Rigid Practice...

In preparation to the contest all of us, the contestants have been practicing and excused in our classes. Even though its time to practice we are all telling stories to each other so our coaches often scold us, especially the five of us cause our coach is strict, but he is a very good coach.

He is Emerson H. Gonowon, our computer teacher but you can call him Sir Eumeirx for short. He is a loving and caring coach. He treated us like his own children. We owe him what we know about our events.

He give us difficult problems because he believes in what we can do. It is the key why we've reach this far....

Contest Time...

After all those practicing and "sermons" we've been through its now the time for us to be judged. It is already the contest time.

We are all very nervous. We even tell ourselves that we will not be included in the winners because our works are not so good. But because of our coach determination our nervousness was eased. We just played together and have fun enjoying ourselves.

The Awarding...

After all those nervousness while we've been contested in our events, the Awarding Ceremonies is already over. Almost all of us qualified, but some are not just lucky enough. We are all emotional including our coach Sir Eumeirx. It has been our goal to join in the Regionals for our late classmate Reena Mae Essa P. Mamansag which was a former journalist.

Before the awarding comes, we comfort ourselves by singing our favorite songs. We don't even know that our contestmate Kaisser is taking our video. We shared so many things, and the feelings of being nervous was changed of comfortness.

We don't expect too much from our works that's why I felt too much nervousness. But, after hearing our names we felt so happy for ourselves. I realize that I need to be a positive thinker. The five of us was included for the Regional Schools Press Conference in Bacacay, Albay.