Inter-School Academic and Athletic League

(ISAAL PHILIPPINES)
In collaboration with
RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL OF CALOOCAN, INC.

LITERARY COMPETITION GUIDELINES

Preschool, Primary, Intermediate, Junior High School, & Senior High School

Eligibility
All contestants must be bona fide students enrolled in the current school year 2022-2023. They must be pre-registered with the ISAAL
Phil. by submitting a Letter of Intent (written on the school’s official letterhead) and a copy of the student’s school registration
signed by the School Principal and/or Registrar addressed to the Academic and Arts Committee Head, Dr. Adora A. Barnachea, at the
email: ridgewoodschoolofcaloocan20@gmail.com on or before January 21, Saturday, 2023

Venue and Date of Competition

The venue of the competition shall be at the Robinson’s Novaliches Cinema 4, Lobby (Cinema 4), Lobby in front of DFA, and Atrium.
This is co – sponsored by the Ridgewood School of Caloocan, c/o Dr. Maria Cecilia C. Sualog. The contest shall be on February 4,
2023 (Saturday).

Fee
Registration fees per category, per event, per participant, and per school are Php. 500,00 must be paid or deposited at LANDBANK
(Sangandaan Branch) Account Number 4981018295 in the name of Inter-School Academic and Athletic League, Inc. on or before
January 21, 2023. A copy of deposit or transaction slip should be also be submitted at the email and date mentioned.

Time, Schedule, and Venue during the Competition Period

• 8:00 AM - All participants must be registered by their teachers/trainers. Pre-assigned entry numbers will be given upon
registration. Venue is in front of Cinema 4, Robinsons Novaliches.
• Other instructions and details regarding the competition will be given during the briefing prior the contest proper.
• 10:00 AM - the contest proper starts.
• All events for the preschool, primary and intermediate levels will be held in the morning (10AM - 12NN)
 Poem (Preschool); Monologue/Storytelling (Gr.1 or 2 or 3); and Declamation (Gr.4 or 5 or 6)
 Haiku Writing (Gr. 1 or 2 or 3) and Poem Writing (Gr.4 or 5 or 6)
 Poster Making (both Primary and Intermediate Levels)
• The Oration (Junior HS) and Extemporaneous Speech (Senior HS) are also in the morning (10AM - 12NN).
• Feature Writing (Junior HS); Editorial Writing (Senior HS); Mobile Photojournalism (Junior HS); and Graphic
Organizer (Senior HS) will be held in the afternoon (1PM - 4PM)
• Venues:
 Cinema 4 - Oral and Solo performances for Poem, Monologue, and Declamation.
 Atrium - Oral and Solo performances for Oration and Extemporaneous Speeches.
 Lobby (Cinema 4) - Poster Making and Graphic-Organizer
 Lobby fronting DFA - Haiku, Poem, Feature, and Editorial Writing.

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I. Oral Competition

Contest Pieces
The following are the official contest pieces for each category:

Number of
Category Level Participants per Literary Type Title
School
Nursery or K1 or Our Journey Begins
Preschool 1 Poem
K2 (Anonymous)
Back to School after
Primary Grades 1 or 2 or 3 1 Monologue COVID-19 Lockdown
(Aarush Ahalawat)
Things I Learned During
Intermediate Grades 4 or 5 or 6 1 Declamation the COVID-19 Pandemic
(Antoinette Pecaski)
Rethinking Education After
Junior High School Grades 7 or 8 or 9 1 Oration Pandemic
(Anonymous)
Grades 10 or 11 or Extemporaneous
Senior High School 1
12 Speech

Regulations

A. Poem/Monologue/Declamation/Oration
1. Pre-assigned numbering shall be followed in the sequence of contestants’ performance. Assigning of Entry numbers shall be
assigned by the ISAAL Academic Committee once the list of participants has been finalized.
2. The Program Host shall introduce the competitor as Contestant No. 1, Contestant No. 2, etc. not mentioning the school being
represented.
3. Contestants will have their seat assignments inside the venue.
4. It is not acceptable to add, subtract, utilize or incorporate word/s or short phrases to the contest piece. NO ADLIB ALLOWED.
Use of props is not allowed.
5. Attire to be worn is “Best Sunday Dress.”
6. The Program Host will request the audience to refrain from applauding until the Judges have made their decision.
7. The use of any type of electronic/digital data gathering, receiving and/or transmitting equipment in any form by contestants or
members of the audience is prohibited.
8. Judges’ scorecards will not be divulged to anyone at the site of the contest. All judges’ scorecards become ISAAL’s
property.
9. In case of a tie in scores among contestants, the judges will decide the final ranking without need for repetition of performances.
10. The judges’ decision is irrevocable and final. No appeal shall be entertained.
11. Late comers will still be allowed to join the competition, however, they will be given a deduction of 10% from their over-all
rating.

Criteria for Judging: Preschool (Poem), Primary (Monologue), Intermediate (Declamation) and Junior High School
(Oration)

Delivery and Diction 40%

Mastery 30%
Stage Presence (Gestures / Facial 20%
expression)
Overall Performance 10%
TOTAL 100%

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 B. Extemporaneous Speech
Regulations 1-11 hold the same with the following additions:
1. Each Judge will contribute 2 topics.
2. The final topic will be drawn by an ISAAL officer from the pool of topics given by the judges.
3. The assigned marshal or RSOC representative will show each contestant the final topic and shall be given 1 minute to plan on
the speech.
4. All contestants will have to stay in the given holding area and will wait to be called by the assigned marshal.
5. Performance/Speech will start after the designated 1 minute.
6. The contestant will be given a minimum of 3 minutes and maximum of 5 minutes to deliver the speech.
7. There will be a 3-point deduction from the judges’ total score for every 30-second undertime or a fraction thereof.
8. Extended pause and speaking gaps more than four (4) seconds shall be deducted from the total time of the actual speech.
9. The style and delivery shall be conversational, oratorical or combination of both. Contestants who will adopt a dramatic style,
which is any of the following: exaggerated, pompous, spectacular, or extravagantly histrionic are automatically disqualified.

Criteria for Judging: Senior High School (Extemporaneous Speech)

Content, Clear Organization 35%

Delivery 35%
Pronunciation, enunciation and diction 20%
Stage Presence (eye contact, poise,
10%
personality) / Over-all Impact
TOTAL 100%

II. Written Competition

Number of
Category Level Participants Literary Type
per School
Primary Grades 1 or 2 or 3 1 Haiku
Intermediate Grades 4 or 5 or 6 1 Poem
Junior High School Grades 7 or 8 or 9 1 Feature Writing
Senior High School Grades 10 or 11 or 12 1 Editorial Writing

Regulations

A. Haiku Writing
1. Php. 500.00 registration fee for each pupil-participant of the Haiku Writing contest.
2. Only one (1) participant from the primary level of each participating school is required; wearing their proper uniforms.
3. The Haiku and Poem Writing contest will be held at the Lobby/Activity Area (fronting DFA) on February 4, 2023.
4. Contest proper starts at promptly at 10:00 AM and will end at exactly 10:30 AM (30-minute duration).
5. Contestants must be in their proper uniforms and IDs.
6. Each entry will be identified through number codes, which will be given upon registration of every participant.
7. Each participant will be provided with the necessary writing materials, such as pencil and paper.
8. No one is allowed to go out of the assigned venue while the contest is still ongoing. The use of cellular phones during the
contest proper is not permissible.
9. The HAIKU must be in consonance with one (1) theme to be presented at the contest proper.
10. The HAIKU shall be written in English only. A title may be used.
11. Entries must only have 3 lines, corresponding to the 5-7-5 syllabic set-up.
12. All written HAIKU that will be submitted by the contestants will become property of the ISAAL Philippines, Inc.

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 Criteria for Judging: HAIKU WRITING

Relevance to the theme 50%

Haiku Structure (5-7-5) 25%
Spelling 25%
TOTAL 100%

B. Poem Writing
1. Php. 500.00 registration fee for each pupil-participant of the Poem Writing contest.
2. Only one (1) participant from the intermediate level of each participating school is required; wearing their proper uniforms.
3. The Haiku and Poem Writing contest will be held at the Lobby/Activity Area (fronting DFA) on February 4, 2023.
4. Contest proper starts at promptly at 10:00 AM and will end at exactly 10:45 AM (45-minute duration).
5. Contestants must be in their proper uniforms and IDs.
6. Each entry will be identified through number codes, which will be given upon registration of every participant.
7. Each participant will be provided with the necessary writing materials, such as pencil and paper.
8. No one is allowed to go out of the assigned venue while the contest is still ongoing. The use of cellular phones during the
contest proper is not permissible.
9. The POEM must be in consonance with one (1) theme to be presented at the contest proper
10. The POEM, with a stated title, shall be written in English only.
11. Entries must only have two (2) stanzas and 8 lines per stanza with rhythmical pattern and metre using figurative language.
12. All poems that will be submitted by the contestants will become property of the ISAAL Philippines, Inc.

Criteria for Judging: POEM WRITING

Relevance to the theme 40%

Judge’s impression 25%
Poem structure 25%
Spelling 10%
TOTAL 100%

C. Essay Writing (Feature Writing and Editorial Writing)

1. Php. 500.00 registration fee for each student-participant of the Essay Writing (Feature and Editorial) Contest.
2. The Essay Writing Contest (Feature Writing for Junior HS, and Editorial Writing for Senior HS) is open to ISAAL School
Members, in two (2) categories only, Junior High School and Senior High School students. Only one (1) participant per
category per school. The participants must be in their proper uniform and IDs.
3. Registration will start at exactly 8:00 AM (done by the teachers or trainers).
4. Contest starts at 1:00 PM. All participants must be at the venue at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled contest briefing.
5. During the briefing, participants shall be assigned to specific room and seats. A 10-minute bathroom break shall be provided
to the examinees after the contest briefing or before the contest proper. Once the examination starts, no participant shall be
allowed to enter or leave the premises for whichever reason or purpose. Only assigned marshals are allowed to enter therein.
6. The contestants are required to keep silent while the contest is on-going. The use of cellular phones during the contest proper
is not permissible.
7. Each participant will have to bring their own ballpoint pens or friction pens, and correction tapes. The Organizer shall
provide the sheets of paper. Additional sheets of paper can be requested from an ISAAL officer or from an RSOC
representative.
8. For purposes of anonymity, the student-participant’s real name, school, and/or other contact details must only appear in the
official registration form and in the manifesto which shall be signed before the start of the contest proper.
9. No distinguishing mark or name of the contestant or name of the contestant shall appear in the entry. Only the serial number
which corresponds to the name in the manifest shall be written or posted by the authorized ISAAL coordinator on the top
right portion of the entry.
10. For the Feature Writing Contest, the essay must be original and must expound on a theme that shall be announce before
the contest proper starts.
11. For the Editorial Writing Contest, the contestant will be given a news to tackle from which they will write an editorial
article. The entry must be original and meant to express a specific opinion about a current piece of news. This may involve
attacking or defending certain policies or laws based on hard facts, statistics, analogies, etc.
12. The maximum time to write the essays is 1 ½ hours (90 minutes) in designated writing venues together with assigned
marshals.

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 13. The entry must be in English; minimum number of words is 300 but not more than 500 words. Below 300 words is subject to
disqualification.
14. All essays that will be submitted by the contestants will become property of the ISAAL Philippines, Inc.
15. Upon submission of the essays, participants need to affix their signatures in the manifesto. The contestant may leave the
premises as soon as s/he submits his/her essay to the assigned marshal.
16. The judges’ decision is final and irrevocable.

Criteria for Judging: ESSAY WRITING (Feature and Editorial Writing)

a) ORIGINALITY AND COMMUNICATION (40%)

The contestants’ knowledge and depth of understanding about the issues being addressed will be demonstrated by
the quality of their essays. (creative approach, vocabulary, grammar and word usage)

b) CONTENT AND ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS (40%)

One goal of the contest is to encourage contestants to develop their own perspective on issues. This perspective
should be reflected in their analysis of a complex issue and presentation of clear, concise arguments to support their
point of view.

c) WRITING MECHANICS (20%)

Style, Neatness and Readability of the piece.

III. Arts Competition

Number of
Category Level Participants Type
per School
Primary Grades 1 or 2 or 3 1 Poster Making
Intermediate Grades 4 or 5 or 6 1 Poster Making
Mobile Photo
Junior High School Grades 7 or 8 or 9 1
Journalism
Senior High School Grades 10 or 11 or 12 1 Graphic Organizer

Regulations

A. Poster Making (Primary Level - Gr. 1 - 3; Intermediate Level - Gr. 4 - 6)

1. Php. 500.00 registration fee for each pupil-participant for the Poster Making Contest.
2. Only one (1) contestant is required for each category from each participating school.
3. The Poster Making Contest will be held at the Cinema 4 Lobby on February 4, 2023.
4. All contestants must be in their proper uniforms and IDs.
5. Contest proper starts at promptly at 10:00 AM and will end at exactly 12:00NN. (2-hour duration).
6. Each entry will be identified through number codes, which will be given upon registration of every participant. No other
identifying marks will be allowed to appear in the artworks.
7. The poster must illustrate, interpret and emphasize the theme.
8. The theme shall be announce at the beginning of the contest proper. Each contestant will create his/her own headline.
(Example: If the theme is Environment Conservation, the contestant may write “Buhayyin ang Kalikasan, Buhaying ang
Mamamayan” as the headline.)
9. All artworks must be done on the spot and must be completed within the allotted time of two (2) hours.
10. The poster must be done in free hand using the following materials (to be provided by the pupil-participants):
1/8 size illustration board
pencils
oil pastel
markers
11. The judges’ decision if final and irrevocable. In case of a tie, the judges will vote again using the same criteria.

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 Criteria for Judging: Poster Making Contest

CREATIVITY (over-all impact, interpretation of theme) 30%

MESSAGE (clarity of message, effective headline) 25%
EXECUTION (color, composition, drawing, etc.) 25%
ORIGINALITY (original, outstanding, unfamiliar, not normally seen layout) 20%
T O T A L 100%

B. Mobile-Photo Journalism
1. Php. 500.00 registration fee for each contestant of the Mobile-Photo Journalism.
2. Only one (1) contestant is required from the Junior High School (Grade 7, 8 or 9) of the participating schools.
3. Contest starts at exactly 1:00PM and ends at 3:00PM (2-hour duration).
4. Theme or topic will be given before the start of the competition.
5. Each contestant is allowed to submit a maximum of one (1) photo only taken using a smartphone or mobile phone.
6. All photo entries must be appropriate to the competition topic and must have been taken by the student-participant
him/herself.
7. The entry to be submitted should be in a JPEG or PNG format.
8. The content should not be digitally altered significantly beyond standard optimization as in cropping, reasonable adjustments
to exposure, color and contract, etc. The use of third-party apps such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom or any mobile
editing apps is prohibited.
9. It is not permissible to alter the basic reality of a photograph. No removal or insertion of objects from the photo. No cloning
pixels to create a new image or add to an image. No radical color changes.
10. The photo to be submitted should be emailed at this address: ridgewoodschoolofcaloocan20@gmail.com
11. Submission time is at or before 3:00 PM. No entries will be accepted beyond the 3:00 PM deadline.
12. All submitted photos will become the property of ISAAL Phil. Inc.

Criteria for Judging: Mobile-Photo Journalism Contest

Content and Relevance to the Theme 35%

Artistic Value and Communication Potential of the Image 30%
Technical Excellence and Quality 20%
Inspirational Power 15%
Total 100%

C. Graphic Organizer
1. Php. 500.00 registration fee for each contestant of the Graphic Organizer competition
2. Only one (1) contestant is required from the Senior High School (Grades 10 or 11 or 12) of the participating schools.
3. The Graphic Organizer Contest will be held at the Cinema 4 Lobby on February 4, 2023.
4. All contestants must be in their proper uniforms and IDs.
5. Contest proper starts at promptly at 1:00 PM and will end at exactly 3:00 PM (2-hour duration).
6. Each entry will be identified through number codes, which will be given upon registration of every participant. No other
identifying marks will be allowed to appear in the artworks.
7. The Graphic Organizer must illustrate, interpret and emphasize the theme. It is to be done on 1/2 size Illustration Board.
8. The theme shall be announce at the beginning of the contest proper. Each contestant will create his/her own title.
9. All artworks must be done on the spot and must be completed within the allotted time of two (2) hours.
10. The contestant may use the following (to be provided by the student-participants):
1/2 size illustration board
pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils, etc.
construction papers, colored papers, art papers (other similar papers)
yarns of varied colors
ruler
paste or glue
scissors (specialty scissors are also allowed)
11. The judges’ decision if final and irrevocable. In case of a tie, the judges will vote again using the same criteria.

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 Criteria for Judging: Graphic Organizer Contest

Category Description Score

Arrangement of Main concept easily identified; sub-concepts branch
25%
Concepts appropriately from main idea
Linking lines connect related terms/point in correct
Links and Linking
direction; linking words accurately describe relationship 20%
Lines
between concepts
Graphics used appropriately; greatly enhance the topic
Graphics and aid in comprehension; are clear, crisp and well 20%
situated on the board
Reflects essential information; is logically arranged;
Content concepts succinctly presented; no misspellings or 20%
grammatical errors
Clean design; high visual appeal; four or fewer symbol
Design 10%
shapes; fits page; color used effectively for emphasis.
Easy to read/ neatly written; amount of text is
Text 5%
appropriate for intended audience;
Total 100%

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I. Poem Piece for Preschool
Our Journey Begins

We begin this year with thoughts

of many unknown things to come.
There are feelings of excitement,
but still anxious thoughts for some.

All precautions will be taken as

we set on our way.
And we will strive to make the
most of each and every day!

Our journey through this school

year feels different from the rest.
But we will work to make this
year the best of all the rest!

II. Story Telling/Monologue Piece for Primary Level

Back to school after COVID-19 Lockdown

After two years of lockdown,
There is finally good news in the town,
Schools are going to open soon,
I’m as delighted as I’m on the moon,
Life without teachers and friends was incomplete,
Its been three months since we didn’t meet,
In the excitement of meeting all of them,
Whole day I’m jumping on my feet,
Classroom, library, lobby and playground

My attachment to all these is very profound I have missed them all every day I’m awake,
It will be nice to see them after such a long break,
Thankful to God for keeping us healthy,
And protecting us against COVID-19,
As we are now going to be back to school,
It’s our duty to maintain distance and hygiene,
The way I’m excited to go back to school,
Students around the world would be eager too,
The way God made Fiji COVID-19 free,
I wish, whole world get rid of COVID-19 too.
Aarush Ahalawat is a Year 7 student of The Learning Centre (TLC), Suva, Fiji and is a Kaila! contributor.

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III. Declamation Piece for Intermediate Level

Things I Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Antoinette Pecaski

There are things to learn even in the most challenging of times, and sometimes it’s what we learn in those
everyday moments of life that gives us a renewed perspective.

I learned to appreciate the big things. Like toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap. I nearly fell on my knees and
wept when I spotted a lone bag of bread flour on the grocery shelf.

I learned that woman does not live by bread alone. On my first foray to the grocery store I prepped like I was
going out for a night on the town. Eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, foundation, blush and, of course, lipstick. I
looked in the mirror and said, “Where have you been?” No one in the store could see my efforts. But, it felt so
“normal,” even if it did look like I was robbing the place.

I learned to appreciate the really, really big things. The sight of my grandchildren’s faces on Facetime, the
sound of my grown children’s voices on the phone, the warmth and support of my parents’ presence, the sound
of my friends’ voices on the phone. My heart would swell with affection, my spirit parched with the need for
friendship, for companionship, for a sense of normalcy.

When we could finally bubble, I learned to share my Italian heritage with my grandchildren (and appreciate it
more myself). “Look,” I said as I gave them each some homemade dough. As their little hands kneaded and
shaped the dough, I told them about the small mountain village where I was born. “Nana taught me this when I
was a little girl, and her mother taught her and her mother taught her, going back many generations in our
family.”

I learned to upgrade my computer skills. “You know,” I said to my son on the phone, “I’ve learned to do all
kinds of stuff online: order groceries, pay my bills, and order our new printer.

I learned to channel my pioneer spirit. At the beginning of the pandemic, when we were afraid to venture out
even to the grocery store, I learned to be resourceful. We needed hamburger buns. “No problem, I’ll make
them.” Of course, they turned out like Frisbees and even the grandchildren wouldn’t eat them. And they eat
everything!

I researched how to make your own hand sanitizer, homemade soap and lavender oil. I thought it prudent to be
prepared for anything.

And I learned to find solace and hope in nature. When my Dogwood tree bloomed in May after almost dying
the previous year (it had to be transplanted), I was overjoyed, and saw it as a sign of hope.

When I spotted a small green weed with its small white and yellow flowers, defying its bed of gravel, I took its
picture. Its tenacity to survive, to thrive and to flourish despite its adversity was overwhelming. Now, its picture
is memorialized on my fridge, a constant reminder of what hope and courage look like.

And, when the pandemic is over, and we are free again, I think we will all have learned, that there are no little
things in life. We will look at the world, like my little green plant, with renewed vigor and courage and a better
understanding of this gift of living.

ISAAL LITERARY & VISUAL ARTS COMPETITION ’22-‘23 9/10

IV. Oration Piece for Junior High School (Grade 7 or 8 or 9)

Rethinking Education After the Pandemic

The question of return to work and return to school is a topic in every newspaper, at every dinner table, and in
the minds of every student and parent. School may never again be the same. Will it employ a split-week
approach, will it be a part-day model, will it still take four years to get out of high school, college, will dorm
living be possible—everything will have to be considered.

What’s Next?

The next iteration of educational opportunities for students must be a thoughtful, inclusive community-wide
venture. Wouldn’t it make sense for communities to develop local “think tanks” to study the models together
and slowly and cautiously begin to introduce the ones that work best for the communities? However, as we
anticipate this Think Tank, some decisions need to be made in order to define a plan that will begin to address
the needs of students and parents as our society goes back to work.

Now is the time for our school leaders to generate a new compelling philosophy of education and an innovative
architecture for a just and humane school system. We must refocus our energy on a foundation built on a sense
of purpose, forging relationships and maximizing the potential and talents of all children. Let’s take advantage
of the possibility that our nation’s attention can shift 180 degrees, from obsessing over test scores and
accountability to an entirely different paradigm of physical, mental, and emotional well-being for students and
staff. It is our collective responsibility to foster engaging and meaningful environments when educating our
children in the new era of a post pandemic education. Now is this the time to revolutionize this antiquated
system built on old structures and ideologies.

No Small Task

We must begin the process of opening the schools that will take into consideration the diverse communities of
families and students that exist in our cities. The idea that we can reopen schools—in July or even the first
semester—as if all is safe for our children and educators, is truly a fantasy of politicians and dreamers. Our
school buildings are not designed for social distancing nor are our curriculum and graduation outcomes, with
their emphasis on collaborative learning, team building and global citizenship, designed for remote learning.
However, we do think that we have learned from the pandemic that we live vulnerable lives, that we need to
reset our priorities in education, that we need to rethink what we want our students to know and learn, and that
we are all one, global community.

ISAAL/agab

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