The Scroll

𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 | 𝗦𝗙𝗛𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗿, 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽

San Francisco High School held its annual Student Start-up Expo today in front of the DepEd B/C building to showcase the creativity and innovation of Grade 12 students.

The trade fair consists of various student-led businesses, ranging from food stalls to service-based ventures. The event aims to promote entrepreneurship and practical business skills among students.

The expo will run until 2:00 p.m. today.

✒️ 📸| John Paul Caluyo

𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 | SFHS rules QC anew as NCR title drought lingers

San Francisco High School once again painted Quezon City gold, but their brush keeps running dry when the canvas shifts to NCR level.

In another dominant outing, the SFHS Women’s Softball Team swept through the Division Palaro and punished Commonwealth High School in their finals tiff, 5-2, to secure their fourth consecutive championship on November 30 at Marist School, Marikina.

But as they turn their sights toward the regional stage, the familiar challenge of NCR Palaro looms—a stage that has refused to yield them a crown for three straight years.

For the Kikonians, QC has long been a canvas they have mastered.

Their strokes—agile fielding, aggressive batting, and consistent pitching—were finely blended to produce another gold in their collection, cementing their status as QC’s powerhouse team in women’s softball.

Yet even with their QC portrait complete, the NCR stage remains an unfinished mural.

The past three seasons have seen SFHS advance to the Regional Palaro armed with momentum and discipline, only for their colors to fade when matched against deeper, more seasoned opponents. Their regional canvas tells a familiar pattern: a 3rd-place finish followed by back-to-back 4th-place results—solid strokes, yet never the masterpiece they’ve long been sketching.

Still, this year’s version of their squad hopes the composition can finally change, with their head coach Angelica Calma acknowledging their desire for a long-awaited breakthrough while reminding them not to grow complacent.

“We always hope. We always have the goal, but we cannot be overconfident. I am confident doon sa mga players ko, kasi I have to give my trust, kasi hindi naman sila makakalaro nang maayos kung wala kang tiwala sa kanila,” said Calma. “Yun nga lang lahat ng team lumalakas, lahat malakas.”

This season, the Kikonian representative leaned heavily on discipline and development through their grassroots program, especially with several veterans departing due to the Palaro rulings.

As the SFHS Women’s Softball Team prepares to step onto a bigger stage, they do so with fresh stroke and renewed motivation. QC has once again handed them a blank canvas of opportunity—but it is in the NCR level where they hope to finally craft their masterpiece.

Whether the colors will finally hold under the region’s bright lights remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Kikonians are determined to paint a different ending.

𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 | Pasundayaw bets rule Division tilt as juniors, seniors finish twin golden relay

San Francisco High School’s Pasundayaw Troupe reinforced its dancesports pedigree as Junior and Senior contingents completed a golden sweep in Modern Standard and Latin American categories at the 2025 Division Dancesport Competition on November 16 at Quezon City Science High School Gymnasium.

Ariane Jane Ulpindo and Kevin Charles Deuna, the rising duo, set the tone for SFHS’ dominant campaign after ruling the Modern Standard discipline behind a seamless routine.

Not to be outdone, veteran pairs Frianna Ysahbelle Castro and Prince Leann Earl Fernando capped off the day’s second gold as they dazzled in the Latin American category.

Coach Roxanne Montero credited the dancers’ commitment that carried them through weeks of preparation.

“Dedication + not giving up = Victory,” Montero penned in a Facebook post.

With this victory, the Pasundayaw showstoppers will carry Quezon City’s colors in the upcoming NCR Palaro, where both tandems aim to convert their divisional dominance into another podium finish.

📸 | SFHS SPA Dance / Pasundayaw Dance Troupe

𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 | Leche Buena

Bright paroles hung in every corner, colorful lights flickering in every wall, Jose Mari Chan on everyone’s playlist, carols echoing throughout the street, there is no doubt—the warmth of the Christmas Season is back.

Or so it was for some. Not for us—not for my family. All I felt this holiday was not the holiday cheer, but my Nanay’s worrying expression as she scour her wallet for every last centavo. I saw traces of shame and disappointment in her face when she realized that the money she had was not enough for spaghetti, let alone the sweet ham.

I heard that a noche buena is supposed to have a mouthwatering cochinillo, sweet ham, and enough macaroni salad and spaghetti for the entire barangay. After the main course, there are different panghimagas like buko pandan and leche flan. But seeing the skyrocketting prices, it left a bitter taste in what was supposed to be a sweet and savory noche buena.

"Kung tutuusin ₱500 makakabili na kayo ng ham. Makakagawa ka na ng macaroni salad, makakagawa ka na rin ng spaghetti. Depende rin po ’yan kung ilan ang kakain." said Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Maria Cristina Aldeguer-Roque.

The statement meant that despite the skyrocketting prices, ₱500 was enough for my family to enjoy a fulfulling noche buena enough to feel the Christmas spirit. That somehow, ₱500 would be enough celebration for the blood, sweat, and tears my Nanay and Tatay shed working to survive this year. For people like us, the DTI Secretary’s claim was as possible as Santa actually leaving gifts under the Christmas tree with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

For ₱500, we can barely afford ham. For ₱500, we can barely fill a third of our small table with dishes. With the prices nowadays, ₱500 might as well be pocket change, especially when buying ingredients for noche buena.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year." That was how the song goes. But even in the most wonderful time of the year, those privileged and powerful are trying to see how low we are willing to settle. It showed how even the warmth of the Christmas spirit couldn’t even mask their cold outlook towards us, the less-fortunate. It showed how they don’t see us as people worthy of noche buena worth beyond ₱500.

In the end, we sat on the table. We helped ourselves to the pansit Nanay managed to cook with the money she had. Even if it was not a lot, we got a taste of the joy of the holiday spirit. We slowly started to accept the Christmas is not the same for everyone—especially those with money and those who don’t. The truth is grim: all the salivating cochinillo, macaroni salad, spaghetti, and ham are really only enjoyed by those who can.

🎨 | Coline Galang

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐒𝐏𝐂 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓!

With courage in their pens and pride in their hearts, the campus journalists of The Scroll carried San Francisco High School’s banner with skill, passion, and unwavering determination in the Division Secondary Schools Press Conference on November 15 and 22.

Every article they wrote, every headline they crafted, and every story they told reveal their dedication to truth, creativity, and the power of the written word.

Now, as they set their eyes on Regional Schools Press Conference 2025, the journey is far from over. Challenges await, but so does growth, learning, the chance to shine even brighter, and their passion that will stay with them long after the ink dries.

𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 | What we don’t outgrow

“Yes, you might change.
But the people you were stayed the same.”

— Museum, Matt Maltese

We all like to believe we leave childhood behind—that the moment we grow taller, graduate, and learn to carry our own weight, the past stays small. But the truth is quieter and heavier: The people we were back then don’t disappear. We bring them everywhere.

Some of us carry a childhood that felt like morning. We remember soft hands pulling us close, adults who listened when we spoke, people who made room for us without us having to ask. And because of that, we grew up believing we deserved love—steady, gentle, and warm.

But others carry a childhood that felt more like a wound. They remember doors slammed in frustration, words that stung more than they should have, a house that never felt safe enough. They remember being told to stop crying, to grow up too early, to never inconvenience anyone.

And now, as adults, they wonder why they overthink every silence.
Why they say sorry even when they did nothing wrong.
Why they fear losing people before they even leave.
Why receiving affection feels unfamiliar, like it’s something they have to earn.

This is why National Children’s Month matters so much.
It isn’t just about programs, posters, or themes.
It’s about remembering that every child today is a future adult trying to understand themselves. Their confidence, their softness, their strength—all of it starts with how we treat them now. Behind every strong person is a child who had no choice but to be.

And the older we get, the more we realize that the way we love, trust, fear, and hope… all of it started long before we knew what those words meant.

So this month, may we choose kindness—not because it’s easy, but because it lasts.
May we speak gently—not just to children, but to the child still inside everyone we meet.
May we remember that the future begins in small hands, small voices, small hearts we often overlook.

And someday, when today’s children become the next adults,
may they carry memories light enough not to hurt,
and strong enough to make them believe the world can still be good.

✒️ | Janelle Banuelos

𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 | Love Beyond Graves

Amidst the darkness of the night, the cemetery is seemingly shining with golden light—not from the sun but from the candles lit to remember the people whose names are engraved in the tombstones. The people close their eyes and join their palms, their prayers to their farewelled loved ones serving as a testament that love transcends even life and death itself.

All Souls’ Day is observed by Christians every year on November 2. It is a day filled with prayers and remembrance for the souls of the faithful departed, giving guidance to those believed to be residing in purgatory. In the calendar, this day takes place a day after All Saints’ Day, which is on November 1.

To Filipinos, November means "Undas," a celebration of both All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day. It is the time when traffic occurs near cemeteries, candles are in demand, and the scent of Sampaguita wafts through the air. Cemeteries are filled with bustling crowds offering prayers and reminiscing. In a way, it can be said that the departed come back alive for a moment through the memories of the people they left.

This day shows just how fragile life really is. And even if it’s just for a day, this is the way people give the love they have yet to give to the departed when they were still alive. Praying for the dead and remembering them all shows that love ignores the boundaries of life and death.

On All Souls’ Day, the living and the dead intertwine—a day where those with life remember those taken by death; a day where the dead linger just for a moment through memories and recollections. This shows that remembering the dead doesn’t have to be gloomy—sometimes it can just be full of love. After all, All Souls’ Day is not just a tradition for the dead, but a celebration of the life they’ve lived.

✒️ | Alejandro III P. Marfil
©️ | Philippine Collegian

𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐍 | 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘆

Am I conscious of any gap between my beliefs and actions? How do I respond when I see hypocrisy in others?


Right behavior is the best policy:

Hypocrisy may set a negative example for others, enabling people to avoid the conflict between self-interest and moral standards and threats to their moral identity, thereby resulting in moral disengagement and hypocritical behavior.

𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐍 | 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

"𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦." – Leonardo da Vinci

What is most distressing are not only the unsatisfactory actions of our Philippine officials but also, and more so, their deafening silence. In the midst of the country’s ongoing disputes, citizens earnestly seek assistance and support. However, the authorities’ continued unresponsiveness silences the people’s voices, extinguishing hope and the nation’s future. While officials claim that our voices matter, when raised in protest, their responses remain vague and self-protective, safeguarding their positions in government. What then becomes of the people’s voices? The citizens of the Philippines fervently yearn for prompt resolution and justice.