De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ) proudly congratulates selected members of the Science Institute and Astronomy Club for participating in the National Astronomy Week (NAW) held last February 22, 2025 at the University of the Philippines (UP) – Diliman Campus, Quezon City.
The following DLSZ students were part of this event:
Reese Reilly Albano (DLSZ 2027)
David Johannes Alvaro (DLSZ 2029)
Jeri Margaux Austria (DLSZ 2028)
Dylan Centeno (DLSZ 2027)
Jacob Enrico De Jesus (DLSZ 2027)
Joys Leirene Fernandez (DLSZ 2027)
Andrew Raymond Gasmen (DLSZ 2027)
Aldrei Carlo Hizon (DLSZ 2027)
Enrique Armando Ilas (DLSZ 2027)
Jun Jangao Kaga (DLSZ 2027)
Yun Ho Kim (DLSZ 2027)
Aireene Marie Lusung (DLSZ 2027)
Matthew Angelo Roallos (DLSZ 2027)
Juan Mateo Sim Villavicencio (DLSZ 2027)
Take-Off Bottle Launching Competition
In this event, participants had to design and build a rocket onsite within two (2) hours. Our DLSZ students for the Modified Payload category were able to secure the gold, outranking 12 other teams hailing from other schools. The team that bagged the gold consisted of Dylan Centeno and Aireene Marie Lusung. From a class project to a competition, the pair was able to successfully create an effective output, built around the lessons they have learned when they made bottle rockets as part of their Science Performance Task (PT).
Big Bang Astronomy-Themed Quiz Bee
DLSZ sent two (2) teams to participate, of which one passed both the written qualifier exam and the quiz bee, placing 5th during the championship round. Team B, which comprised of Juan Mateo Villavicencio, Jun Jangao Kaga, and David Johannes Alvaro, scored 7th out of 36 teams on the written qualifying exam. Team B passed to the next round, which consisted of a Jeopardy-style quiz. Out of 10 teams, DLSZ team B scored 5th, moving on to the final championship round. The quiz tested their knowledge on Cosmology, History of Astronomy, and Philippine Ethnoastronomy.
Take-Off! – Team Accuracy: Aldrei Carlo Hizon and Matthew Angelo Roallos 
Take-Off! – Team Distance: Reese Reilly Albano and Joys Leirene Fernandez 
Take-Off! – Team Modified Payload: Dylan Centeno and Aireene Marie Lusung (Champion) 
Big Bang: Team A (from left to right) Jeri Margaux Austria, Yun Ho Kim, Enrique Armando Ilas, and Jacob EnricoDe Jesus. 
Big Bang – Team B: (from left to right) Andrew Raymond Gasmen, Jun Kaga, Juan Mateo Sim Villavicencio, and David Johannes Alvaro. (4th runner-up)
This event is hosted by the UP Astronomical Society (AstroSoc). “Every year, UP AstroSoc celebrates National Astronomy Week (NAW) following Proclamation No. 863, s. 1992. Their organization launches activities that showcase both the field of astronomy and the organization itself. The activities aim to promote and improve science and astronomy education in high schools across the country.” (source: https://www.facebook.com/upastrosoc/)
The DLSZ Science Institute would like to give our sincere gratitude to their coaches, Mr. Ezrel Alucilja, Mr. Freddie Cabalo, and Ms. Jhuly-An Villanueva. From preparing reviewers preceding the event to sharing their knowledge and prior experiences during the actual competition, our students felt their support all throughout.
Congratulations to all participants! Animo La Salle!