The second week of September 2013 was quite a busy one for the students of the College of HRM, Tourism, and Nutrition (CHTN) at St. Paul University Iloilo. The CHTN students held their 11th Skills Olympics with the theme: “Conquering the World through Merging Skills and Knowledge towards Global Excellence.” The three-day celebration started on September 9 and ended on September 11.

The event showcased the culture of four different countries namely, Australia, USA, Brazil and France. The students were grouped into four in regards to the countries. They had a Kiosk Competition wherein the students displayed the heritage of each of the said place. It was an extraordinary spectacle of art and craft to which other students of other colleges and even of different high schools in the city were able to marvel.

There were also other competitions like Tour Guiding, Bartending, Table Skirting and a whole lot more. One activity was the Cupcake Wars which involved producing beautiful towers of delicious pastries. Another activity was the Market Basket Competition, which was filled with intense cooking wherein contestants were made to follow recipes they created instantaneously around one core ingredient.

One competition everyone was definitely looking out for was the CHTN Ambassador and Ambassadress of Good Will. Each of the four countries had a pair to represent the group. The pageant wasn’t just all about the costumes and the Q&A portion, it was also about promoting friendly competition and charity.

The fun-filled affair was for everyone, from children to teens to adults, from students of one college to students of another. Patrick Charles Nogra, a BSTM student, said, “I did enjoy the 11th Skills Olympics especially since it is my first time to experience it. Out of all the activities, I mostly enjoyed the Kiosk Competition because it developed our sense of teamwork and creativity.”

The CHTN Circle Adviser and a Tourism teacher, Ms. Carrie Liegh Sarabia, who helped prepare many events for the CHTN, stated, “The 11th Skills Olympics’ goal was to equip students the basics of industry preparedness, enhance their knowledge and skills, exercise their unity and teamwork, and for them to gain confidence in pursuit of their dreams.” She added, “Basically the concept of the event was to make the students responsible of organizing and preparing for all the activities. The HRM, Tourism and Nutrition Council spearheaded the event and our role as teachers were merely to facilitate the event, to help them in their decision-making and problem-solving or troubleshooting of obstacles that may or may not arise.”

The Skills Olympics definitely brought out the skills, talents, and knowledge of the CHTN students. As what Ms. Sarabia said, it was an avenue for students to show their expertise in the field of HRM, Tourism and Nutrition. It may have required a ton of their time and effort but the end result of it being successful was all worth it.

LIST of WINNERS

Day 1

* Domestic Tour Guiding

  Team Brazil – Ms. Sophia Arzadon – BSTM 2

 

* International Tour Guiding –

  Team USA – Ms. Fia Gelito – BSTM 2

 

* Bartending Singles –

   Team France – Mr. Darrell Ticzon – BSHRM 4

 

* Bartending Tandem –

   Team USA – Ms. Melka Jean Lira – BSHRM2 and Ms. Marielle Tacadao – BSHRM 4

 

Day 2

* Themed Table Set-up –

   Team USA – Ms. Krystyn Belmonte & – Ms. Carla Nadine Flores – BSHRM 4  

 

* Table Skirting –

   Team Brazil – Ms. Kamille Lopez – BSHRM 2 – Ms. Debbie Palto-ub & Ms. Rochelle Araneta – BSHRM 3

 

* Cupcake Wars –

    Team Australia – Ms. Carlitte Vagilidad, Ms. Anne Nicole Galono -BSHRM 3 & Ms. Lyrah Genzola – BSHRM 4

 

*Table Napkin Folding

  Team France – Ms. Joemame Majano – BSTM 4

 

*Poster Making Contest

   Team USA – Ms. Dennie Nabuab – BSTM 4

 

Day 3

*Market Basket –

   Team France – Mr. Darrell Ticzon & Mr. Kenneth de Pedro – BSHRM 4,  Mr. Dave Joseph Marzo – BSHRM 3

 

*Kiosk Competition

   Team France – ALL MEMBERS OF THE TEAM

 

*CHTN Ambassador and Ambassadress of Goodwill

Ambassador – Team USA – Mr. John Brylle Peñafiel – BSHRM 3

Ambassadress – Team Brazil – Ms. Christine Joy Bieren – BSTM 4

 

Overall Results

2nd runner-up: Team Australia 

 1st runner-up: Team Brazil

 OVER ALL CHAMPION: TEAM USA AND TEAM FRANCE 

 

by Alexis Luisa Varela