Last May 11-12, 2023, the Grade 12 STEM students took their first step in the creation of their Capstone Project. This is in response to the DepEd Order 30 s. 2017 also known as the “Guidelines for Work Immersion” which is a key feature in the Senior High School Curriculum. This provides the learners with the opportunities to apply principles and theories, enhance their technical knowledge and skills, enrich communication skills as well as develop their good attitudes towards research ideation.

The 80 hours’ research/capstone project must be completed by the STEM students under the guidance of a research adviser to identify a scientific, technological, or mathematical problem, design and apply an appropriate methodology, formulate hypothesis, and draw conclusions based on their investigation. At the end of the semester, students will prepare a scientific report/paper to be presented/defended in a research culminating activity.

The Pre – Immersion Activity was conducted through the orientation of the parents and students last May 09, 2023 spearheaded by Mrs. Editha F. Alimbuyuguen Master Teacher II, SGH-STEM and Focal person for Immersion together with Mrs. Mary Ann E. Garcia, Grade 12 Level Coordinator and Research Mentor. The orientation was very comprehensive to discuss the following: a. Idea Generation Phase, b. Project Development Phase and c. Final Defense.

The first phase was set through a 2-DAY LECTURE FORUM and WORKSHOP facilitated by the STEM teachers. The first day began with Mrs. Jodelyn B. Tarraya focusing her talk on the Characteristics of a Scientific Research followed by Ms. May Ann D. Romano, who discussed how to Choose a Topic targeting their line of interest and the Parts of a Research Plan/Scientific Research Paper in IMRAD format. The workshop was attended by the STEM groups facilitated by the Research Mentors.

The second day was a busy day which started with the lecture forum conducted by Mr. Victor L. Tubilan on his talk about the Review of Related Literature (RRL) Development followed by Mrs. Mary Ann E. Garcia who explained the Ethical Issues in Conducting SIP. The afternoon session was allotted for the judging of the workshop outputs consisting of a 4-slide deck: Proposed Title, Problem, Proposed Solution and Methodology/Plans for Development. The Proposal Walkthrough was graced by the different judges such as the SHS Group Heads and Research Teachers utilizing the badge pointing system: Orange (3pts), Yellow (2pts) and Green (1pt).

The top 3 teams with the highest badge points were qualified for the presentation to the Digital Hub Town Hall namely: 3^rd Placer – Group 21 led by Andrei R. Escotillon, 2^nd Placer – Group 12 led by Numan C. Alam and 1^st placer Group 11 led by Arvin Carlo M. Senador. Other teams who managed to get high badge points include: 4^th Placer – got by Eunice M. Barcenas and the 5^th Place was tied by three groups led by Guile Andrea R. Enriquez, Jean Christlyn P. Asuncion and participants from Grade 11 STEM.