“Thank You, Thames!”: An Online Christmas Community Gathering

by: Amidala Mallari, Thames Undergraduate Student

Earlier today, Dec 18, 2020,  the student organizations of Thames International, led by the Business Leaders’ Society, successfully hosted “Thank You, Thames!: A Christmas Community Gathering”, in celebration of this year’s holiday season. 

Despite having restraints on how one could celebrate the holidays in the new normal, the organizers ensured that the true spirit of Christmas is remembered, as the program was filled with activities that spark joy, love, and gratitude. Officially starting the event was BLS President Yana De Villa’s opening remarks, saying that even now, each one of us has something worth being grateful for, as we are all safe and alive. This was followed by Thames International President Joel Santos as he thanked all professors, students, and staff for their unwavering dedication in teaching, learning, and giving effort despite their own personal matters and hardships. According to him, by giving back and looking beyond ourselves, the community will surely make it through these times. 

Moving forward, everyone was encouraged to compose “Thank You” notes for the members of the community, expressing their gratitude to them during this challenging year. Excitement aroused from the audience as they participated in several games prepared by the Thames Entrepreneurial Network and Thames Sports and Fitness organizations. Afterwards, the room was left mesmerized by the amazing  performance of Jennien Jose, Thames Communicators President. The program then proceeded to its main highlight, which is a gift-giving drive launched by the Business Leaders’ Society as a way of extending the community’s appreciation for the unending hard work of the school’s utility personnel. Concluding the program was the presentation of the community’s rendition of 12 Days of Christmas, with several members from the faculty, administrators, students, and staff singing harmoniously together signifying that the Thames Community strongly remains as one, despite the challenges faced in this tough year.

Members of the community shared their positive and welcoming feedback for the school’s first virtual Christmas gathering. For Ms. Jessica Baldoza of Student Services, “Although I’m still missing the usual Christmas party, the love and presence of Christmas was present in the virtual celebration—and that’s good enough.” For Mr. Alan Parma, Thames International Professor,  “Thank you for the online Christmas party. It was nice to see everyone together, teachers, admin, and students alike. I had fun during the various segments, and I think everyone did as well. I felt like the organizers were also trained to conduct online classes, using external tools like Padlet and using a combination of slides and pre recorded videos. Good job on keeping it moving and keeping it around 1 hour.”

Now, as this time of the year kicks in, let us remember that the real essence of the holidays is rooted in giving to others and showing our gratitudes, may it be in small or big things. Again, we thank you, Thames, and may this tradition of using our opportunities to help the communities we belong to live on, Christmas season or not. 

Thames International takes pride in having a tight-knit community that aims to mold pathfinders who are concerned about the holistic improvement of society. Find out more about our tight knit community here.

You can also watch Thames International’s Christmas Community song below, where members of the school community did a cover of “12 Days of Christmas” to send out a message of hope for everyone, especially in this very challenging year 2020.