45 schools join TF lantern-making tilt

CEBU, Philippines - For the past three years, The FREEMAN and its mother paper, The Philippine STAR, have been ardent in discovering the artist within Elementary and High School students in different parts of the Visayas.

This year, over 130 elementary and high school students from 45 schools in Cebu joined The FREEMAN’s 3rd Light a Star Lantern-Making Contest and showed off their potential in arts and creativity in lantern making despite time constraint and limited resources.

This year it was an on-the-spot lantern-making contest held last Friday and yesterday at The FREEMAN building.

Each team representing their respective schools was given up to six hours to create their lantern out of trash —candy wrappers for the elementary and used CDs or DVDs for the high school level. The main goal is to enhance student’s artistic talents and to teach the value of teamwork in group activities.

Teachers of participating schools also believe that the competition teaches their students to appreciate things thrown by some can be re-used and turned into something more special, in a way, inculcating their love for the environment.

Most of the participants in the elementary level collected wrappers from students who were required to donate their trash instead of throwing it to the bins.

High School participants, on the other hand, found ways on how to make use of old CDs and DVDs that are usually left idle at home after these have served their purpose.

Like in the case of the University of the Visayas Compostela Campus, over 1,000 CDs and DVDs of old movies were donated by their fellow students. Each lantern made used up around 150 to as much as 500 disks.

Photos of all entries will be published so readers can pick their favorites.

Public voting will be opened on Monday until November 30. Voting forms will be published in The FREEMAN. Readers shall fill it up with their choice and drop it in designated drop boxes. Voters also have the chance to win in a raffle draw during the final judging on December 4.

The lantern that will have the most number of votes will get the Reader’s Choice Award.

Winners in the elementary level shall receive P10,000 cash, while P8,000 and P5,000 shall go to the second and third winners, respectively.

Winners in the high school level shall receive P15,000 in cash and P10,000 and P7,000 for the first, second and third placers, respectively.

There will be seven consolation prizes of P1,000 worth gift certificates for each category. (FREEMAN)