By Alma L. Tingcang
Quite a feat for a young lady who believes in the
adage, “A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins!”
International arts tilt
Winning the first prize in the 2014 Peace and Cooperation
School Award with the theme, “The Family: Rights and Future, Tradition and
Modernity” given by the Peace and Cooperation Foundation based in Madrid, Spain
came totally unexpected to this visual arts teacher.
Joaquin Antuña, Peace and Cooperation Foundation
president and founder, awarded the
certificate and cash prize for Ms. Ernadel V. Reyes of Zamboanga del Sur
National High School for the Teacher and School Category, to Ms. Ruby
Fernandez, representative of the Philippine Embassy in Spain.
The artist
Ms. Ernadel
Villaruz-Reyes, Special Program in the Arts – Visual Arts (SPA-VA) teacher from
the Zamboanga del Sur National High School, Pagadian City bested 33 other
participants from the different countries and was the only Filipino who joined
the competition.
Though personally
invited during the awarding ceremony, she was unable to attend in view of her
masteral studies, which gave her a headway on the tilt. Ernadel recently
graduated Master of Arts in Education Major in Cultural Education as a National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) scholar from La Salle University in
Ozamis City.
This is the second
international award that she received; she also won the 2013 Peace and
Cooperation School Award with the theme, “Art as a Universal Language –
Creativity for Peace” as coach of the winner in Drawing with Written Message,
from the same sponsor in Madrid.
She is married to
Ronyl L. Reyes of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) with whom she
has two kids, Ledanre Lynor “Girl”, 5, and Maria Evelicia “Lady,” 3 years old.
DepEd support
Before she joined the international competition, the
Department of Education (DepEd) regional office selected her, basing on the
teacher who always wins in the visual arts competition. “I really thank them
for all the support, my principal, Mr. Roberto Bibanco and my co-teachers for
pushing me and believing in my talent as an artist,” she said.
Joining the
competition
There were a lot of contents and requirements for the
competition. She was asked to discuss her activities in the classroom, her way
of teaching to which she responded that the first thing to do is discuss the
elements and principles of art before the hands-on activity. “So instead of a
verbal interaction, my activities in the classroom were all documented,” she
modestly said.
How she explained the diverse
culture of our tri-people - the Christians, Muslims and Lumads - drew their
attention because it is simply amazing to engender unity in diversity as vividly
presented in the paintings. She embarked on a culture-based lesson integration
in visual arts because this creates an awareness of the people about Pagadian City’s
cultural treasures and assets aimed at developing art appreciation and cultural
preservation.
“The content of the students’ work centers on Filipino
culture, particularly the Pagadianon
culture, explaining the artwork one by one. I’m glad to coach my students because
I believe it is my greatest contribution to their learning,” she said warmly.
Bloodline
“At a very young age, my mom said I was already into
drawing. My uncles, aunts and relatives were visual artists. That might have
made a great influence in my life,” Ernadel recalled.
“Painting is my mission work, so I consider myself a
missionary. I am also totally involved
in my community,” she explained.
Bishop Emmanuel T. Cabajar of Pagadian Diocese, a
visual artist hiself, has inspired this young artist through his paintings.
Together, they do mission work in the churches. Ernadel offers her talent for free,
teaching the kids how to paint and getting sponsors for the materials the kids
need like brushes, paints and others.
She gets all the support and inspiration from her
husband, her family, parents and in-laws so there is no reason that she cannot
focus on what she loves doing: teaching and painting.
Looking back
“As a young artist, I had that innate concept which I
did not realize was the most basic theory in teaching visual arts to my
students, even to those who did not know how to draw,” Ernadel recalls. Applying
it later, she discovered they were the most important, most basic principles like
using shapes and letters.
It’s all in the family
“My two kids are also artists. It’s because I am an
artist, and I have a very supportive husband. I designed our house and my
husband saw to it that I would have a place to display my artworks. So I will
be pressured to paint this summer,” she said smiling.
Asked if she finds it hard to transfer her talent to
her students, she replied, “In my first
year of teaching, it was hard for me because I set a very high standard.” Her
students would often cry so she did several researches on the elements and
principles of art, how to discuss the theories behind, and how to make it
easier for the students.
In fact, she submitted a book to her principal, Mr.
Roberto Bibanco entitled “The Teaching
Strategy” which is very ideal and easier for the students to understand. Group dynamics and peer teaching are the best
strategies, according to Ernadel.
“Starting with the basics is the theory of color, how
to combine and use color. Actually, drawing is easy, what is difficult in
painting is how to use and combine colors. However good your sketch is, if you
do not use it well, the outcome would not be good,” she said.
One family
“The content of the competition was very easy for me
because I have a happy, loving and supportive family. In our SPA class, we
belong to one family not by blood but being one in our passion as artists. To
my students, I am their elder sister or mom.”
Ernadel also encourages her students to earn through
their talents like doing face painting so they can help their families and earn
extra income.
“It is my hope that students will enhance their talents
and skills in visual arts,
develop a sound mind and body by participating in
visual arts activity in the class like painting, sculpture, and mixed media,”
she expounds.
“What is important is for my students to become more creative,
reflective, innovative, civically-engaged and culturally-aware because this is
where the diverse cultures come together in unity, the Chistian, Muslim and
Subanen. This way, they do not just
paint, but they have an appreciation of the different settlers and cultures in
Pagadian City,” Ernadel added.
“My students also excel that is why we have joined
international competitions. Learning never stops because it is constant and the
winning part is an added bonus,” Ernadel declared.
She is the only lady member of the Mindanao Artists
Association but she is proud to be given respect among her peers in the like of
Chester Mato, Dr. Jose Armin Virata and Pastor Jerome Castillo. “I don’t
experience any discrimination,” she proudly says.
Losing is part of winning
Ernadel received an award in college as a university
winner in painting, yet many times she also lost. But guided by the principle
never to quit because, “A winner never quits and a quitter never wins,” she
does not feel disappointed when she loses in a competition. Instead, she considers
it a challenge to the point of interviewing the winners, learning from them
and from her mistakes as well.