Special Program in Journalism - STNHS

𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧!

Congratulations to the Top 30 learners who passed the Special Program in Journalism Admission for School Year 2026-2027. Welcome to the leading campus journalism school in Davao del Norte!

Meanwhile, all qualified Grade 7 SPJ learners, together with their parents, are advised to fill out the enrollment forms and participate in the Brigada Eskwela on June 1, 2026, at the SPJ Department at exactly 8:30 a.m.

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 | Student journalists under the Special Program in Journalism share their insights and experiences. Whether you aspire to become a broadcaster, a writer, a cartoonist, a photojournalist, or a layout artist, SPJ is ready to hone your skills.

Ready to be part of the growing SPJ community? Take the admission test scheduled tomorrow at 8 a.m. at the SPJ department.

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗗𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 | The Special Program in Journalism of Sto. Tomas National High School announces the admission for School Year 2026-2027. The department emphasizes that all applicants, as well as their parents and guardians, must read the instructions carefully.

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺:
The Recommendation for Admission must be completed and submitted by the former class adviser, journalism coach, or school paper adviser. Parents or guardians are not permitted to write the recommendation. Download the form through this link: https://bit.ly/SPJRecommendation. Submit the completed form via email [email protected] before the admission test on May 13.

Check the poster for more information.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗣𝗝 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲!

The Special Program in Journalism proudly presents the 3rd Batch of Maroons, who will finally march today, March 31, during the 11th Moving Up Ceremonies. The department extends its immense gratitude to the school administration, faculty, parents, guardians, students, and all stakeholders who stood with us through thick and thin in realizing Department of Education mandates.

Spearheaded by Karl Jose Ibarrientos, Grade 10 Gazette adviser, this yearbook serves as a compendium of success stories and limitless dreams.

Click here https://tinyurl.com/DigitalYearbookSPJ or scan the QR code to view the Digital Yearbook.

𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗧𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡
SPJ 10 students showcase TV broadcasting skills

The Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) Grade 10 students of Sto. Tomas National High School delivered an impressive TV Broadcasting Final Performance, showcasing their skills in scriptwriting, reporting, and live production.

Through a simulated broadcast, students took on roles as anchors, reporters, developmental communication specialists, graphic artists, videographers, and technical directors. The performance reflected their training in both journalism and media production.

Teacher-specialist Bernadeth Clarin emphasized that the students’ training served as a vital avenue for building self-confidence. She noted that while the process was challenging, proper guidance and consistent practice enabled the students to carry out their roles.




via Alexandrea Arena, SPJ 10

𝗦𝗣𝗝 𝟵 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀

Showcasing skills in communication and teamwork, the Grade 9 Tribune of Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) students held their final Radio Broadcasting simulation under the guidance of their specialist, Bernadeth Clarin.

The simulation featured four groups, with two groups named SPJ Waves Express representing the English category and two groups named Kampus Balita representing the Filipino category.

This activity gave the students a chance to apply what they learned and further develop their skills in broadcasting.

via Gian Carlo Bernaldez and Monique Sacare, SPJ 9

𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘
SPJ students serve as assessors in EoSY reading test
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Promoting school community engagement, 30 students from the Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) served as assessors during the End-of-School-Year (EoSY) Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) posttest among Grade 7 students from the regular curriculum on Monday, March 2.

‎According to Sophia Lacorte, Grade 9 SPJ student, this initiative can help build the Tomasian community by emphasizing the value of reading and strengthening students’ ability to comprehend written texts.
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‎"I believe this initiative would contribute meaningfully to building the Tomasian community, highlighting the importance of reading and improving people's ability to understand written text," Lacorte said.
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‎Moreover, she added that if students applied what they have been taught, they could use it as a tool for academic and personal success.
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EOSY Phil-IRI Posttest is a critical DepEd assessment tool used to evaluate student reading progress in English and Filipino, measuring development in fluency and comprehension among students.

By Francen Postrano, SPJ 9

Congratulations, Catherine Jude Royo, SPJ alumna, for clinching this most coveted award in campus journalism.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿-𝗶𝗻-𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳, 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗠. 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗼, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗨𝗽 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁!

A storyteller with purpose.
A leader with vision.
A journalist forged in years of ink and conviction.

Since 2016, Catherine Jude Royo has found her calling in campus journalism, with a desire to amplify the voices of the student body and narrate the struggles, hopes, and triumphs of her community.

Her first steps as a writer for her elementary school publication laid the foundation for a remarkable path filled with achievements and leadership. In her formative years, she clinched Third Place in Feature Writing in the Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC), qualified for the Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) in 2019.

During the pandemic, she became part of the pioneering batch of the Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) at Sto. Tomas National High School (STNHS). Under her leadership as the Editor-in-Chief, The Grower made a distinguished debut in the 2023 Division and Regional Schools Press Conferences, where it was honored as the Best School Paper in Davao del Norte and acclaimed as one of the Best School Papers in Davao Region. In the following years, The Grower continued its winning streak, clinching First Place in the DSPC 2024 and RSPC 2025, consistently qualifying for Regional and National levels, and solidifying its reputation as one of the leading campus publications in the region.

Her excellence in feature writing has been proven through a consistent record of achievements across various press conferences. She earned Second Place in Feature Writing during the Davao del Norte Interscholastic Press Freedom Contest 2023, followed by Second Place finishes in both the Division and District Schools Press Conferences (DSPC and DisSPC 2024). Her strong performance continued at the RSPC 2024, where she ranked among the Top 10 Finalists. In 2025, she secured First Place in Feature Writing (DSPC 2025) and Fifth Place in the same category (RSPC 2025). Later, she won Second Place in Feature Writing (DSPC 2025) and was hailed as the Most Outstanding Campus Journalist of Davao del Norte.

She also showcased her proficiency region-wide when she contributed her feature article “Slice of Passion” to the Department of Education (DepEd) Davao Region’s advocacies. She earned the opportunity to serve as a Female Story Presenter for Diri sa DepEd Onse Season 4, Episode 15. And finally, she wrote articles for significant regional events, including the Davao Regional Athletics Association (DAVRAA) Meet, the Regional Science and Technology Fair (RSTF), and the Regional Inclusive Education Celebration (RIEC) in 2025.

Beyond the newsroom, she extended her commitment to people-centered storytelling through active participation in community outreach programs. She took part in The Grower’s outreach initiatives for the Ata-Manobo community in Talos and the Ata community in Maguintalunan. These experiences deepened her understanding of indigenous struggles and strengthened her resolve to use journalism as a tool for representation, awareness, and social responsibility.

For almost ten years as a storyteller and leader, Royo has continued to make waves in journalism and inspired fellow students far beyond her titles and accolades.