𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 || 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲'𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

𝐻𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑎 𝑇. 𝐴𝑙𝑖𝑎

𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑤𝑎 𝑃𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑒

𝐵𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑛 𝐶𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛

BUTUAN CITY, February 27, 2025—"𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲—𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲." 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗘𝗱𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘀'𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸: 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Aligned with Presidential Proclamation No. 683, which designates February as National Arts Month, this inaugural division-wide event aims to foster creativity, skill development, and confidence among students in Key Stages 2 and 3. More than just an art training session, the workshop cultivates a deeper appreciation for diverse art forms and cultural heritage, enriching the educational experience.

"Learners are creative by nature; what we need to do is enhance it," remarked Mr. Michael U. Martin, Education Program Supervisor for MAPEH. He highlighted the significance of nurturing students' artistic potential and encouraged them to embrace creativity to find meaning in everyday life. "By valuing everything around us, we cultivate a deeper appreciation for all things," he added, emphasizing the workshop's role in this transformative journey.

The workshop is led by a team of esteemed art educators from various schools, including Mr. Gualberto Licong from Los Angeles National High School, Mr. Federico Alabata from Butuan City School of Arts and Trades, Mr. Bernardino V. Vergara Jr. from Libertad National High School, Mr. Carlo Collantes from Mahay Integrated School, and Mr. Bryan Pacanut from Libertad National High School. Through expert-led sessions, participants will explore techniques in mixed media, painting, and other visual arts disciplines.

In discussing the mixed media segment, Ms. Arlyn C. Torralba from Agusan National High School expressed her desire for learners to represent themselves authentically using materials from their surroundings. Meanwhile, Mr. Dan Michael L. Labicane of Pareja Integrated School encouraged originality: "I want to see a unique output that truly expresses the self." These insights reflect the workshop's commitment to fostering individual creativity among participants.

With attendees from various districts, the workshop promises a dynamic and interactive experience filled with hands-on activities that challenge learners to push beyond their creative limits. Mr. Emman Galinato from SPA-Agusan National High School reminded everyone that every artistic work holds intrinsic value: "Tanan artwork kay nindot, magdepende ra na siya sa panglasa sa tao."

Furthermore, the event aligns with Project FITNESS (Focus, Integrity, Talent, Nutrition, Exercise, Self-care, and Sustainability), an initiative spearheaded by Mr. Martin to integrate holistic development into the MAPEH curriculum. Although still early, activities like Creative Spark are vital stepping stones towards broader project implementation.

With creativity at its core, Creative Spark: Unleashing Your Artistic Side marks a significant milestone in Butuan's art education landscape. It demonstrates that their artistic potential is limitless when young minds are equipped with the right tools and inspiration.

For more information, contact (085) 221-1151; 0961-737-08-73; 0977-739-44-53. Website: www.caraga.deped.gov.ph; email: caraga@deped.gov.ph; pau_caraga@deped.gov.ph.

𝐄𝐍𝐃