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Schools

Photo Gallery: 'No history, No Self. Know History, Know Self'

"Transcendence" stage show connects Filipino students with their history.

's Filipino Heritage Studies students shared their history and untold stories of struggle through the "Transcendence" stage show Wednesday night.

The highly anticipated show has quickly become part of the legacy of Filipino Heritage Studies, an ethnic studies class taught by teacher Ivan Viray Santos at Loganβ€”the only high school in the nation with an ethnic studies department, according to school staff.

Every year at the end of the first semester, Santos gives his students the option to either create a show at the end of the year based on what they learned, or to continue with the usual lectures. This year, the Filipino Heritage Studies class of 2011 accepted the challenge of putting together a show for the community with the aim to not only share what they learned in class, but to share their stories.

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β€œWe wanted to teach to the community what our class is about and give them the message that we got out of the class," said student Aira Cequena.

The students' message? 'No history, no self. Know history, know self.'

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"Transcendence" consisted of skits, spoken word pieces and songs inspired by students' experiences and some of the struggles they face as Filipino immigrants or Filipino Americans. They also incorporated into their show the history of the Philippines and the people, along with present-day global issues to bring their show full circle.

Still, they did not want "Transcendence" to just be a history lesson, students said.

β€œWe wanted to show how the past still affects the future and how these things [we learned] still happen now," student Bridget Panopio said. "We all struggle the same, so we really wanted to share our story.”

The students of Mr. Santos' Filipino Heritage Studies class came together and produced an inspiring show and stayed true to their class motto: β€œWe have our struggles, we have our fears, we shared our laughs and our tears, but in the end we come together, in our hearts, united forever.”

See "Transcendence" in photos in the gallery above.

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