(A)(S) Journal Entry #1 [Boy's Basketball Varsity]

It's  been roughly a month since basketball season started and our team has improved greatly since day one.  The team started off very rough, and disorganized during our scrimmages, our team had a lot of new faces this year and it was going to take time before we started playing smooth basketball. However, within the first week, we jumped right into learning new plays, and defenses, of which was very new to even some of us veterans to the team being so used to a sort of casual street basketball practices in the previous years. Our coaches told us to be like "sponges" and to absorb what they tell us, and I think we did just that. Two weeks later, we had our first unofficial game against the faculty where I would say we played quite well despite all the new basketball "knowledge" that we had to absorb within the previous week. As for my individual performance, I thought I had an "alright" game, I had some good looks and a couple of steals. However, I noticed that I had to work on my defensive awareness on the court because at times, I was lost when we quickly switched defensive strategies on the court.
The week after was followed by heavy conditioning, lots of wind sprints, air benches, and stations. Practice was more tiring, but I felt stronger and faster after each day. We almost won against a much older and bigger team, with the final score of 49-54. Our team in general played very well and I could clearly see us improving. However my individual performance in that game was quite poor. I felt like I was forcing my shots and wasn't as relaxed as I usually was. I felt really terrible after that game, and even the next few days, although I tried my best not to show in practice as I tried to look at my difficulty as a motivation to improve in the next game. Hopefully, I can perform better in the next game, and eventually deserve to be part of the starting line up again.

GOAL FOR THIS WEEK (in order of importance)
1) Defense, defense, defense!
2) Court awareness
3) Mid range jump shot
4) Drive and Dish

CAS Proposal Form 9 (Boy's Varsity Basketball)

Student’s Name	Armand Mendoza				Supervisor’s Name	Mr Tolentino
Year  11 12		Activity Name		Boys Varsity Basketball
Date(s) / Duration of Activity			January 2012 – March 2012

What is my past experience with this activity?

I’ve been in the varsity basketball team since grade 6, as a point guard. Last year, I was the team’s captain. I’ve been in the basketball ISAC team since grade 9 as well.

What new learning or skill do I hope to pick up or develop?

I hope to develop my court vision and my ability to keep calm under pressure situations. I also hope to become more aggressive to the hoop, as well as improve my mid-range/outside shooting in order to become a prolific point guard/shooting guard. I would also like to play the “2” position more often (SG) this year. I also hope to lessen my turnovers during the games.

How will this experience be different from that of the past?

This year will be different because of many reasons. First, we have a new coaching staff, so there it will take time for the team to get used to it. Second, this year’s ISAC competition is in Subic, so home court advantage will hopefully get us more prepared. Third, there are new faces on the team, so camaraderie/chemistry must develop between them and the old players in the team.

How am I going to know if I am making progress in achieving the goal/s I have set?

I will know that I am making progress if my teammates and I are improving after each game, and hopefully, our coaches will point out our weaknesses and strengths as we go through the season so that we may work on it, or maintain it. Ultimately, the team performance, as well as my individual performance in the ISAC tournament will be the factor in determining whether or not I have improved, or if I’ve reached my goals.

Goals  What is/are your goal/s for this activity? What do you hope to achieve?

My goals include building/maintaining good relationships with old and new teammates alike, on and off the court as well as improving my overall game by decreasing turnovers, improving my passing and shooting, and performing well under pressure.

Impact  Who will benefit from this activity? How?

The school will benefit from this activity, since we are hosting the ISAC tournament this year, hopefully increasing school spirit. The coaches and the players will also benefit from this activity, especially if the team will compete well. I will also benefit from this activity as I will have to be more responsible as the team’s senior, and will be my last shot with the team to play well in ISAC.

Timeline  Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates whenever possible)

Monday to Thursday 4pm-5.30pm, Friday 4.30pm-6pm

NHS Individual Project 2012: Agusuhin Elementary Bball Court Update

It's been a while since my last post regarding my NHS project, but it's second semester, and I must be persistent in accomplishing this huge project! Anyways, here it goes...

At this point in time, NHS has not raised enough money to fund our projects. However, my project will not need as much funding as last year since the materials have mostly been paid for and were stored at the Agusuhin Elementary School. Hopefully, by the last week of February, arrangements have been made, and supplies will be ready, so that we may finish cementing the floor of the basketball court.

The following are my goals before Mid-February:

1. Make sure the supplies (cement bags, gravel, sand) are all still usable in Agusuhin.
2. If more supplies are needed, raise the funds for it. (Fund raising activities, slushie selling, bakesales, etc.)
3. Purchase the materials needed
4. Gather volunteers + NHS to go there by the last week of February to finish cementing.
5.*Optional: Go there again in the succeeding weekend to paint the lines on the court, and to polish the job.

After the court is completely finished, I can probably bring some volunteers + NHS there again for some basketball pick up games, and to teach the younger kids the fundamentals of the sport.

Reflection: ISAC Boy's Volleyball 2011

This year's volleyball season was phenomenal, at least for me. We started the season roughly 2 months ago and I can say that our team has improved both individually and as a team, on and off the court. Last week was my last ISAC Volleyball tournament, and even if we missed the gold medal by a hair, I still think it was a great tournament, and one that I will remember for the rest of my life (although I am still contemplating whether or not this will benefit me)

At the start of the season, I set up some goals for myself which were if I'm not mistaken to vary my setting techniques, improve my leadership and communication, and strengthen relationships with my teammates (which includes setting a good example for the younger ones who will take my place when i graduate). Although I had some minor setbacks throughout the season such as, not moving quick enough, not using my legs when I set, or having minor arguments with one of my teammates, I managed (I think) to clean it all up towards the end of the season, especially during the ISAC tournament. I think my setting was inconsistent for the first part of the season, with my setting being alright in Hong Kong, then going down on a slump for a few weeks in LSMS, then having a few good games at home, then eventually reaching the level that I wanted to get to by ISAC. This year we emphasized less on high-risk "shoot" sets, onto "stack" plays. I also noticed that this year, I did a lot more back sets than last year. I think accomplished my goal for setting by ISAC, especially during the last few games of the tournament as I was able to make better decisions, and set the ball at the right height and even sneaking in a couple of "jump-sets" during the games. Ths year, William and I were also voted as captains. This presented a big responsibility for William and myself, and occasionally we would lack some initiative and leadership when our team is not doing so well, but for the most part, I believe that I did my part as a captain, making sure everyone was doing their part, making sure that I know the ins and outs of the team regarding conflicts and drama and all that, and I believe that I encouraged more than discouraged my teammates. Lastly, I believe that I did my part in influencing Brian, potentially next year's setter, in decision making, aggressiveness, and leadership and communicating skills on the court. I know that I did my part in preparing Brian for next year's season and I hope he does as well or better than me in the future. I also roomed with him during ISAC, which gave us a chance to connect in other ways and strengthen our friendship. Other things such the tournament in Hong Kong, as well as LSMS trips and the ISAC tournament were opportunities that did bring me closer to my teammates when we're playing on the court as well as times when we were just hanging around and having fun, making jokes and playing games with each other. I do believe that I have gained the respect of my teammates as a captain and as a friend, and vice versa  which has made me enjoy the sport even more than just the game itself, and I believe being the captain has set me up to build better relationships with some of my teammates such as Ji Woo or John An who I didn't really get the chance to get close with the year before.

ISAC Volleyball Tournament 2011


ISAC Volleyball 2011 was a blast. From day one the team was looking forward to a great tournament. I saw some old faces from last year, and some new ones and I was anxious to see the level competition in this year's tournament. My confidence for our team was high, and I felt ready. On the first day of the tournament, we had 3 games against, CIS, BSM and FAM. We played well in all 3 games, ending the first day with a 3-0 record without losing a set. We had one or two nerve-wracking sets, but we managed to pull ourselves together to recieve, set, and finally spike the ball to victory. It was a tiring first day. The second day, we only had 2 games, but it was a tough one, since we played Baguio (our rival) in the afternoon. The first game was against SISC. We played well since the other team could not block, or hit hard consistently since they were mostly 13 or 14 year olds from my observations. Because the opponent was less threatening in this game, I even got to play as a hitter, which I really, really, REALLY enjoyed. I managed to get 3 kills, with one cross-court hit. It was a glorious moment for me. Everyone else played really well and we used this game to gain our confidence for the next game. At around 1pm, we had our game with Brent Baguio. Suddenly things changed. Until this point, we were cruising through the tournament, but now we have a bigger challenge ahead of us. I met Kenneth Taguiba (Baguio's setter) in the bathroom before the game and he said "Let's make it nice." This really stuck in my head and I really wanted to do what he said, "make it nice." After the blow of the whistle, the game started. Baguio was a loud team, they talked a lot, celebrated with every point, and they try to go for every ball. Although we were ahead for most of the first set, we eventually let Baguio catch up and they beat us. The second set was the same. In this game, the team worked really well at first, and we were also loud on the court, but when we started losing I can see the fear and nervousness in my teammates eyes, and in some moments, even myself, making me miss a crucial serve towards the end of the 2nd set. This was something that needed to be changed before we faced them again. It was a close fight, but we lost both sets. The next day, we played against the host team, Brent Manila. I think in this game, our team sort of underestimated the other team, and I didn't play my best game as well. They got as close as 20-25 in the first set, but luckily, we were able to have a better 2nd set, which moved our team to the semi finals. We played the semi finals in the afternoon against BSM. They were different in our second encounter with them, they seemed more confident, louder and even a little intimidating. They were ahead at first, but we quickly took the lead after a time-out and eventually won the first set. The second set, we played a much better game and eventually won the match 2 sets to none. We made it. We were in the finals again, but this year we knew we were the better team and we knew we could take the championship. My mindset took a big shift after we made the finals, and even more so when it was nearing game time. We were supportive of our girl's team who lost in the finals against Brent Manila, but I wanted to win it for them, for my teammates, for my coaches, for my school, and for myself. Things got serious for me in the finals, and I was in deep focus before the game started. After the shaking of hands, the big "Razorbacks" cheer, some motivational words and advice from my coaches, and the blow of the whistle, it was time to start the game. In the first set, Baguio started off with the lead, but then we quickly regrouped after a timeout and eventually took a steady lead until the final points of the set (as usual), with Baguio taking the set at 25-23. The second set was different, the whole atmosphere of our team changed, and it seemed like our loss in the first set, drove us to fight harder and push ourselves further in the second set. There was even one point in time where I hit the ball after the whistle was blown out of excitement. During the time out, my coach (Mr T) told me some words of advice that he later repeated after our game, which I believe is the quote that has affected me the most out of the whole season. Some of my teammates caught on fire, like Cyron who was hitting his best in this set out of the whole season. I was FIRED UP and we took the set convincingly at 25-16 (if I'm not mistaken) and the best part was, we were all having FUN. Before we started the 3rd set, the captains, Kenneth (from Baguio) and myself had to do the coin toss again to decide on ball possession and court. As he walked toward the referee and myself, I could see the look of despair on his face, as if he already lost. This made me stronger and motivated me more to end this game faster. We started the 3rd set with the same energy as the 2nd set, with spectacular plays and unbelievable saves (especially one from Milo, our libero). I was getting more and more fired up, but at the same time I could feel myself tiring. When score was 22-17, and I could picture myself holding the 1st place trophy, pulling up the banners that said "ISAC Boys Volleyball Champions 2011" and time was going really slow. Our coach called the last time out of the game, and he was fired up as well. He wanted us to keep playing the way we were playing and to finish the game. The front row at this point were all the seniors in the team: Jack, William and myself. I was determined for victory. But everything seemed to go so fast after that; missed serves, wrong sets, holding back on hits and everything seemed to be going wrong. However, I still didn't feel like we were going to lose when the score was tied again at 24 a piece. Unfortunately, our team followed that with another missed serve, and a soft spike which ended up being blocked ending the match at 26-24 in Brent Baguio's favor. We had just lost the finals. When the final whistle blew, I felt like I was sinking into quicksand. I felt weak and frustrated and my heart sank, but I was still the captain and had to lead by example. We shook hands with the "champions" and that was it. After a while, it still hasn't sunk in that we had just lost the game despite a 22-17 lead, and I kept asking myself, "Did that just happen? Did we just lose the finals again?" It was a very confusing moment for me, but I knew sooner or later I had to accept it. When I saw my best friend, and teammate, William Ou, tear up towards me, I felt like crying with him. It was our last volleyball game and we lost, but at the same time I was trying to look at the positive side. "Second place isn't so bad." and plus, we played the best game of volleyball as a team of the whole season, and I believe I played my best game as a setter for the team. At that point, I realized that how much I love the game of volleyball, how it has affected my life in many ways, and has made me grow as a person. (I'll elaborate on that later)  During the banquet, our coach started asking me if I was okay, and then he gave me some words that stood out that in a way summarized my role in the game of volleyball, and at the same time serves a reminder for everything that I do in life. He said, "never lose control." I believe those words have been my goal throughout my endeavors with the game of volleyball, although I haven't really realized it until that point and it's something that I should always think of with other aspects of my life and my priorities, such as school, my family (presently and the future), my relationships, my career in the future, and the list goes on. Volleyball has taught me many lessons and skills, both physically, and mentally. I've developed my skills as a setter, but I've also learned to follow instructions, accept and experience failures (in this case more than enough of it), build close relationships with people, and to be responsible and role model to other people, and lastly, to "never lose control". I will miss playing with this team and I will remember my experiences and apply what I have learned for the rest of my life. Looking on the bright side, I still got ISAC soccer and basketball coming up which gives me a chance for redemption! :)

Reflection: International Coastal Cleanup 2011

The planning of this year's International Coastal Cleanup actually had more workload involved compared to last years ICC, but because of we were much more aware of what was needed this year, and the fact that we started planning a little more than a month before the actual event, preparation went a lot smoother and was less stressful this year.


To start of, my personal task of being the Transportation manager was a little less hectic compared to being in charge of managing the people/volunteers last year. This year my main job was to simply wait for the volunteer managers to let me know the number of people who are going to be needing the school bus for transportation during the day of the event, divide them into sections, then finally pass the message to Mr Davis for him to handle the rest. However, I ended up doing more than just that. I also had to segregate the master list for the students who volunteered into their grade/sections and distribute the necessary amount of permission slips to their homeroom teachers and announcing the details for the event during chapel. I also ended up helping with the gathering of the supplies needed such as trash bags and latex gloves. In the end, the organizing committee were completely ready around a week before the actual event and I was just doing last minute checkups during my meetings with Ms Pascual. From what I heard, (since I wasn't able to make it to the event due to my ACET), it was raining very hard during the event, but people still stayed and cleaned up for a couple of hours. 


It would've been nice to actually help clean up that day, and I was really looking forward to doing so, as Ocean Conservancy is something that is very important to me, growing up near a beach and being a big fan of marine animals. However, whenever I do to go a beach, or anywhere for that matter, I do try to pick up trash that's just lying around. Hopefully next year, if I am still in Subic or even anywhere in the world where the International Coastal Cleanup is taking place at, I can take part of this event and maybe even join the school again in this yearly event. 

(A)(S) Journal Entry #2 [Boy's Varsity Volleyball]

A lot has happened since my last journal entry, to summarize: Hong Kong tournament, a home game with Major Major, a weekend in Brent Manila for LSMS (League of Southern Manila Schools), a home game against a high school team (I'm not sure with the name), and another home game today against Gordon College. This weekend, the team will go to Brent Manila again to play in LSMS, however I won't be able to make it because I have to take an entrance exam for Ateneo this saturday.
Our team is slowly getting better, we've had "pockets" of good teamwork (receiving, setting, and hitting altogether as well as communication on the court). However, our team still hasn't reached the level that I believe we can play at and so does both our coaches. The team played well in Hong Kong and got to the finals, but our floor coverage wasn't exactly perfect, or at least as good as the other team, which is probably the reason they beat us although I believe that our team learned a lot from our games in Hong Kong. Outside of playing volleyball on the court, our team also had a lot of laughs and bonding time going around Hong Kong, having team dinners, having fun on the MTR's, taking pictures, shopping and all that so it was a good experience on and off the court. When we got back we played "Major Major", but our team for some reason was not "awake" in that game, and we all seemed "dead" on the court and despite the fact that the other team was at a higher level than us, we didn't even seem to try and fight back and keep up with them, even if we probably could've at least kept up with them in most of the sets. A few days later we played in LSMS, and again our team seemed to have difficulty in covering the court and receiving the ball which makes it hard for me to set up a good play, and come up with decent sets. Even I was getting frustrated with myself because I couldn't set correctly and I did a lot of things wrong such as set too low, and not move my feet fast enough to get under the ball. At the end of the day, we got the chance to play the APAC team. They were really good, but I believe that we could've kept up with them if we played our game. I think my best game for that day was against the APAC team because I really, really wanted to play well against them which actually shouldn't be the case since I should feel and think that way in every game.
Today, we played a game against Gordon College and we played well in some sets, but again our team wasn't consistent and were making careless mistakes (in my case it was serving). I do believe that we covered the court a bit better in our game today but I still think we can do better. Our second setter Brian is consistently improving, but I still think that it's part of my responsibility as a captain to help him out in not just his setting, but the way he takes control of the game (calling out plays, making sure everyones doing what they're supposed to, and encouraging teammates) because it's quality that I believe setters should have, and I hope he plays well this weekend while I'm away. Our coach called my attention today to remind me a few things that I agree I have to bring back to my game: Being light on my feet so that I can move around the court, to not watch the ball after I set and instead be alert for block support, and to polish up my setting by getting under the ball and keeping my hands up all the time. These are things that I believe I can bring back to my game, and I will try my best to do so, starting with our practices and eventually to our games. I feel like it's been a rough two weeks for the team, and especially myself, and this weekend will give (at least me), a chance to rest and start fresh next week. Hopefully I can be a complete setter as I and my team, and my coaches want me to be before ISAC comes.

(A)(S)Goals before Sept 17, 2011: International Coastal Cleanup

1) Announcement for Chapel Sept 7 and Sept 14 - done
2) Gather supplies from Ms Joyce and bring them to Ms Pascual's room - done
3) Check on transportation for 65 people - done
4) One last meeting to check on everything
5) Check if all permission slips are in and final tally of how many people are going
6) Clarify if transportation and supplies are ready for the actual day on Sept 16

(A)(S)Goals before Aug 31, 2011: International Coastal Cleanup

Before August 27:
1) Take down any last minute students who want to join the ICC - done
2) Organize permission slips, segregate each grade level - done
3) Distribute them in each homeroom class, inform the teacher about which student's will need the form, and when it's due. - done

Before August 31:
1) Let Mr Davis know the final count for student who will be needing the bus as transportation - done
2) Purchase gloves & trash bags for student to use on the event - done
3) Clarify and recap if everything is set

(A)(S) Journal Entry #1 [Boy's Varsity Volleyball]

Last week was the start of our first official practice. The team was cut down to eighteen people, and we started getting to know each other, and how we play on the court. The days of the week alternated between good practices, where the whole team was full of enthusiasm, which led us to play better, and not-so good practices, where we played with less energy, and did not communicate. We also had our first game last Friday, against Aura College. The first set, was a bit rough, with most of the opponents points coming not from their offense, but from our own mistakes. I actually did not get 2 out of 3 of my serves in because I was trying to do a "float" serve, in which I exerted more force and swung my hand with more speed, but with the wrong technique, leading to an overshoot for my serve. The first set started off not too great, but we eventually caught up, but we eventually lost the set by 2 points.My other teammates played for the 2nd and 3rd set, and I noticed a lot of my teammates were improving (even if we lost both sets again). In the 4th set, I played much better with my teammates, we communicated better, and I got my serves in this time. I was a lot more relaxed in this set. We ended up winning the 4th set. In the last set, some of my other teammates played again, they came close, but fell short once again, although a lot of my teammates were showing drastic changes in their awareness during the game.

For this coming week, I hope to continue working on my "float" serve, or even a jump serve, which I've been dreaming to learn and execute correctly during games. Another frustration that I would like to work on, is spiking. Even if I'm "vertically challenged," I hope to learn the proper technique and get some offense working for myself during the coming games, even for a short while (possibly when we play a 4-2 rotation). Lastly, I wish to continue learning how to set more gracefully, and get those terrible recieves up in the air, at the "open" area, by an underhand pass (something that I've been struggling with, and working on last week and last year as well).

CAS Proposal Form 8 (International Coastal Cleanup 2011)

Student’s Name	Armand Mendoza				Supervisor’s Name	Ms. Pascual
Year 12		Activity Name		International Coastal Cleanup 2011
Date(s) / Duration of Activity			September 2011

What is my past experience with this activity?

Last year, I was part of the organizing committee for the ICC 2010. I was in charge of organizing the volunteers; getting them the permissions slips, spreading the event around at school, rounding them up and encouraging people to volunteer. On the actual day, I was also helping with the attendance of the volunteers and informing them on what they had to do that day.

What new learning or skill do I hope to pick up or develop?

I hope to just give out a helping hand to the organizing committee since I am the only one in the committee this year who’s had a past experience with the ICC. Although I won’t be making it to the actual clean-up day, I hope to learn and develop my skill in communicating and organizing and meeting deadlines so that the logistics of the event will run smoothly.

How will this experience be different from that of the past?

It will be different first of all, because this time I won’t actually make it to the day of the event itself so my efforts will be solely for preparation. However, I still hope to contribute and share my past experience from this event to make it easier for the newcomers in the organizing committee.

How am I going to know if I am making progress in achieving the goal/s I have set?

Well, an obvious way to measure that I am making progress is if I am not scrambling around campus last minute, worrying about deadlines and reservations with transportation. If I truly did my job correctly and ahead of time, I should have nothing to worry about. On the day itself, transportation should not be a big confusion.

Goals  What is/are your goal/s for this activity? What do you hope to achieve?

My goals are to first contribute anything useless from what I learned from last year’s ICC to make things easier to organize. Second, is to of course organize the transportation of the event, make reservations for the buses on the day of the event, find out how many volunteers there will be and how they plan on getting there, and to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.

Impact  Who will benefit from this activity? How?

The students will definitely enjoy and benefit from this activity, as it promotes teamwork, and encourages recycling, and positive habits such as segregating trash, and also raises awareness towards an ongoing global issue. Obviously, the world itself will benefit as millions of people will also be cleaning beaches worldwide, and hopefully it will pose a bigger impact on people, encouraging proper waste disposal.

Timeline  Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates whenever possible)

Planning from August 17 to September 16, however, I will not be there on the actual event due to some conflicts with College Entrance Exams