Lighthouse Diary #75: Learning Through the Seasons

"Life has seasons and each season has something to teach you… it is during tough times when you discover happiness. Joy does not come from ease. It takes time, meaning and purpose. Trust the journey!” ~ Angeline Tam, Commencement Speaker, ANGKAS PH CEO

The closing weeks of the Academic Year is often laden with events and activities that drum up accomplishments, nostalgia, gratitude and hope. For the first time, I walked with our graduating seniors in their Batch Night bearing witness to the rituals and traditions that define us -- the senior tribute and send off. What was new this year was the recognition of staff and faculty who served in the Academy for a decade and more. This was definitely a surprise.

So, I received a service award. And then some.

Let me count the ways...

1. Working alongside a resilient Advisory Team inspired me to up my game as adviser for the next academic year -- only if asked or chosen. 

2. Our senior batch reps step up on their last week of school. I can't be anymore prouder.

3. Our school leadership's tenacity and the intentionality in striving to keep integrity intact is admirable. Beyond compare.

4. This year brought many challenges, "bulaga" moments, surprises that we never expected. And along with it are heart breaks that I thought I was already used to, but... we recognize them. Mistakes and all. And we move forward with grateful hearts.

5. Friends are leaving the Academy and we hold them dear to our hearts as they venture forth to new adventures. Their contribution to the growth and development of the Academy is now a part of Griffin History. 

6. On the last few days before graduation, convening as a faculty to reflect and look back at academics, advisory and student life programs to firm up our commitment in maintaining the high standards of teaching and learning.

7. And lastly, I am truly appreciative of the openness and honesty to which we can all talk about what matters to us all -- to continuously become better versions of ourselves as teachers in light of changes and the uncertainty this new age brings.

Academic Year 2025-2026 is waving at the distance, but summer is beckoning. This break, short as it is, is well deserved. I will make the most of it.

Recommended Reads: Filipino Middle Grade Books

 

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Are You Ready When a Fire Breaks Out?

 

The BTS FESTA 2025 Calendar: Sun, Moon, Compass and New Beginnigs

This FESTA 2025 poster is a stunning fusion of symbolism, emotion, commitment and consistency in messaging from our Bangtan men. My inner ARMY theorist is on over drive! Indulge me, please.

Sun and Moon as Gears

The orange gear on the left holds a sun emblem, radiating warmth, clarity, and life. It’s unmistakably tied to Hoseok as the last HOTS concert stop comes to a close, with vitality and verve. The blue gear on the right cradles a crescent moon and star, the quiet strength and emotional reflection resonates deeply with Seokjin. The contents he dropped for free and the albums he released post military service galvanize his position as our Moon, the ever faithful mathyhung who believes that love, when it is true, encompasses the universe.

Together, these gears are interlocking, suggesting they’re not just leading this FESTA, they’re driving it, keeping the clockwork of BTS turning even as others serve or rest.

The Compass-Like Clock Face

The entire poster is framed like a celestial compass or astrolabe, evoking Yoongi’s symbolic role in the BU as the compass-holder. The clock strikes 00:00 (midnight), reinforcing themes from “00:00 (Zero O’Clock)” a time of emotional renewal, the reset point of each day. The design whispers: No matter what today held, we begin again.

Dual Worlds: Day and Night

Left half: warm sky, morning tones, sun-drenched clouds → hope, beginning, the known

Right half: starry night, cool tones, deep galaxy blues → reflection, memory, the unknown

It perfectly captures the feeling of liminality, we’re in the space between return and reunion, light and shadow, then and now. BTS has always dabbled with duality and the juxtaposition of the gears that shift from light to shadow & shadow into light presents balance.

June 13 is Anchored at the Edge of the Sun

Marking their debut, 6.13.2013 sits boldly in the golden half. The journey that began in light continues through the cycles of day and night reminding ARMY that time doesn’t just pass, it transforms! The BTS FESTA is a gift. ARMY, let’s show up with joy, reflection & reciprocate the Tannies’ promise of returning as 7.

1 is 7.

7 is 1.

BTS is 7.

Apobangpo! Purple and true!

#btsfesta2025

When Parents Listen to Their Children

Today is the Feast of the Lord’s Ascension unto Heaven, a Sunday we spent with our marriage and family life community, the Magis Deo Community. We gathered to celebrate God’s promise of peace fulfilled and love everlasting.

Every community celebration is truly special because grace in its varied forms are to be had. And for this, I am always grateful. This Sunday’s ComCel is made even more special because we bear witness to the stories of our Magis Deo Youth about their parents. Four members of our Youth participated with only three guiding questions to spur the conversation. Through the guidance and facilitation of Fr. James Gascon, SJ, we listened to three of our “children” share their journey. What wonderful graces we received because, embedded in their stories are the core values of Magis Deo: Service, Sharing, Stewardship and Simplicity. This is God, actively involved in our lives.

A humbling experience, indeed. An affirmation of faith in action. Parenting is never easy. And this is where community comes in to fill gaps, to empower and to be companions in life journeys.

Fr. James had a fitting closure to the session invoking the community to amplify these graces by listening to our children. After all, Parenting is Listening. And while 4 of the 5 core values surfaced in our youth’s sharing, one S seem to have been missing: Shepherding.

I would like to think, and claim, that Shepherding is present, too in Kuya Val leading the six volunteers of the Magis Deo Youth Choir in singing the songs in the Liturgical service this morning. Yes, you can call my bias. But to sing is an act of courage. And to push, guide and accompany young voices to sing songs for the Lord is shepherding too. Isn’t it?

Maybe. But one thing is clear: God moves in quiet ways, in humble acts of presence, in the gentle but firm guiding hand of a parent, a priest, a Kuya, a community. Shepherding does not always wear the mantle of authority. It sometimes takes the form of harmony, quiet encouragement, and the simple yes to serve.

Today, on the Feast of the Ascension, we are reminded that though Christ ascended, He did not abandon. He entrusted us to one another. He called us to be Church. To be community. And so, in the laughter of youth, the honesty in the voices that dared to share, in the earnest songs offered in praise, we find ourselves lifted not just our eyes to the heavens, but our hearts to each other.

This is Magis. This is grace.

May we continue to listen.

May we continue to accompany.

May we continue to shepherd.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam.

Kuwentong Bangtan: From Candified Sex to Confident Sexuality

In Chapter 2 of BTS, the Tannies are moving from Kpop’s signature rendition of candified sex to confident sexuality. All of it happening while on military service, on hiatus and in post enlistment solo projects. And ARMY is so ready for it!

What was once a sugar-coated and stylized depiction of sexuality is now grounded, intentional, and fully owned. They no longer perform desire, they embody it, with clarity, class, agency, and truth.

This evolution isn’t just about attraction, it’s about intimacy: the longing for it, the fear of isolation, and the courage to be seen and heard in an industry polluted by noise and vivid visual effects. Sexuality, in this context, has to be seen as a form of self-expression the most honest way a person can show who they are, and not as a committed sin bound by punishment.

Take Namjoon’s RPWP, for instance. Its critical acclaim speaks to its rawness and artistic integrity. But not everyone is drawn to that kind of honesty and that’s okay. Vulnerability doesn’t look like power to everyone. Still, for those ready to accept and face it, it offers something real and rare.

For Jin and Hoseok, they are both exploring and presenting sexuality in different ways, staying true to their unique artistic voices.

Jin expresses intimacy and longing through powerful rock ballads. In The Astronaut, he captures a deep, faithful connection that transcends cosmic distance. In Don’t Say You Love Me, he reflects on how relationships can either set us free or quietly undo us—reminding us that love isn’t always a balm. I Will Come To You is a tender lullaby that quietly assures loyalty and faithfulness.

Hoseok, on the other hand, is crafting what feels like a triptych of desire with Sweet Dreams, Mona Lisa, and the soon to be released Killin’ It Girl. These tracks map the emotional, playful, and empowering layers of attraction. If one is true to themselves, desire becomes a force for independence and agency. From the raw grit of More to the fiery reckoning of Arson, Hoseok has truly grown. He unfolding into his own as we witness it, step by step.

As for Yoongi, his courage to close the door in the room that once confined him in the song Amygdala is an expression of radical self-preservation. It’s not just about pain but it’s about choosing to stop carrying what no longer serves a purpose. In that act, vulnerability becomes resistance. Silence becomes survival. And healing begins not with forgetting, but with the decision to finally put yourself first.

By following their journey, from candified performance to confident presence, we see that BTS isn’t just maturing musically. They are deepening what it means to be human in front of the world. Their solo works invite us to look inward— in the quiet empty spaces where we can name our longings, to heal without shame, to stand in our truths and hold our power, however soft or raw. This is not a mere spectacle of desire anymore that Kpop commodifies. It is a quiet, powerful reclamation of self which, if you come to think about it, BTS has consistently been doing since 2013.

Next up is the maknae line. However, I find their music more overwhelming to reflect and write about. Those three, Jimin, V and JK— they are desire personified. Sexuality on two legs. Jebal.

#BTS_chapter2 #D10_BTSReturns #BTS_HyungLine

Children's Story Writing Workshop Kid's Edition

 

Ahjumma Reviews: Dear Hongrang and Divorce Insurance

Just an update of the Kdramas I enjoyed in the previous months: Dear Hongrang and Divorce Insurance.

In Dear Hongrang, Joseon Era Korea is depicted as both beautiful and bleak; the characters are sinister and steadfast. The ending is everything I expected— gloriously tragic.

In between is Jo Boah’s charm and Lee Jae Wook’s compelling performance. The look in his eyes reflects an unsettling and unspeakable burden only to be redeemed in every sword fight and a quiver’s flight. Me thinks it is his best, so far. Magnificent!

Lee Dong Wook is back in his charming form and winsome humor in Divorce Insurance. If you’re up for a more mature take on love and relationships, as well as an honest exploration of the messy and complicated world of marriage and couple-hood, you might enjoy this romcom of a Kdrama. It coasts along, yet it demands the mining of the nuances that make the romance truly unique and meaningful.

Watch for the next Kdrama review! 

Disaster Ready Kids: Earthquake

 

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Masaya ang Maging Manunulat!

Read Aloud ni Teacher Loraine 

Isa akong masayang manunulat kapag may mga nare-recieve akong balita na babasahin at gagamitin ang aking aklat sa pagkukuwento sa mga bata. Noong unang lingo ng Mayo, binalita ni Ms. Loraine Bautista, 2nd year college student ng Miriam College, taking up a bachelor's degree in Childhood Education, na gagamitin niya ang aklat naming Masaya Ang Maging Ako (Gagatiga at Bauza, Lampara 2020) sa pagsasalaysay. Bahagi ito ng kanilang group project na makapagturo ng literacy skills sa mga batang nasa day care.

Pero, may malaki silang problema. Wala daw silang makuhang kopya! Kaya nagpadala ako ng kopya ng aklat at nag-transfer si Loraine ng bayad. Isa pa ito sa aking ikinatuwa. May respeto sila sa aking sining at sa buhay manunulat.

Lingo ng Mother's Day noong i-send ko via Lalamove ang aklat. Nagdaan ang ilang mga araw, nakakuha na ako ng feedback. Hiningi ko ang pahintulot niya na i-blog ito kaya, ibinabahagi ko ngayon ang kagalakang ito.

Good morning, Ms. Zarah! Thank you so much for your book! I was able to use it yesterday during our teaching implementation with the day care learners. They were very engaged and had so much fun with the story, especially because it sparked their imagination! We also received great feedback from our professors, who said the book is very nice and perfect for kids We truly enjoyed reading it, and we loved the illustrations too! Salamat po, and God bless you!

Aaminin ko na naghahangad akong magka-award muli. Malaking trabaho at bibilang talaga ng panahon ang ganitong pangarap. Subalit, ramdam na ramdam ko ang pagkatotoo ni Loraine. Pinili niya ang aming aklat para ibahagi sa mga batang paslit. Para na din akong nakapanlo ng award.

Maraming, maraming salamat!

Alcala Prize 2025 Winner: Tin Javier

WORKSHOP for Aspiring Children's Book Writers

Book Review: When My Friend Series

It was a pleasure to meet children’s book author Robyn Chua Rodroguez at the Expo Mom: The MOMentous Fair. We have her books in our library which students use as reference when they make their own stories for children. These stories in turn are shared in our outreach programs in public elementary schools.

Personally, I like Robyn's books because it touches on many areas of socio-emotional learning. I appreciate the emphasis on communication that respects the feelings of children treating them as people with agency regardless of age. Thank you Robyn! Good luck on your Story of Emphasis series!

#authormoms #storiesofempathy #bookstagram #phchildrensliterature

Old Tales With a Fun Twist

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Meet and Greet Author Moms at the Mommy Mundo's Expo Mom: MOMentous Fair

 

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Running Wild Into Reading

The Lighthouse Diary # 74: Summer Reading Program

The Beacon Academy proudly announces the launch of the Sulong sa PagBAbasa! Summer Reading Program 202, themed "Empowering Young Minds Through Stories and Truths." Open to all academy members, this enriching 4-week program, led by Teacher Librarian Zarah C. Gagatiga and Library Assistant Flynn Felix, aims to foster a lifelong love for reading, encourage critical thinking, strengthen reading stamina, and build a community of reflective, articulate young readers.

Tailored for different grade levels, students in Grades 7–8 will "Explore & Imagine" with books like Wonder by R.J. Palacio, while Grades 9–10 will "Reflect & Relate" with texts like Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, and Grades 11–12 will "Critique & Create" through works such as Dekada '70 by Lualhati Bautista 

Each week features a blend of fiction and non-fiction readings, guided reflections, and creative outputs, culminating in projects like book talks, zine festivals, or academic/study action plans. Enhanced by Reading Logs and social media engagement with hashtags like #SulongPagBAsa2025 and #GriffinsRead, this program promises an inspiring summer of literary exploration.