Kumon recognizes exceptional students

MANILA, Philippines - Kumon Philippines recently recognized more than 2,000 of its students in separate ceremonies welcoming them into the organization’s Advanced Student Honor Roll (ASHR), a citation accorded by Kumon to learners who have surpassed their school grade level in terms of completing their worksheets. With the theme “My Journey to Completion: A Pursuit of Excellence,” this year’s Kumon’s ASHR Gold Awardees and Program Completers from across the country gathered in two separate ceremonies celebrating this milestone of excellence.

More than 850 ASHR Gold Awardees and 45 Program Completers from Visayas and Mindanao converged at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in recognition of their achievements. The event also commemorated the support and love of the awardees’ parents and instructors. The ASHR Gold Awardees were recognized for completing Kumon lessons that are three years ahead of what they are studying in school.

Shanelle Jae Ong of the Dumaguete Learning Center shared her experiences on behalf of the other Kumon completers during the ceremony saying, “Later, you will realize that Kumon can help in a lot of different ways and help you improve not only in terms of your academics but also mold your behavior as a person. At first, I thought that Kumon was mentally exhausting but now that I have completed both the reading and mathematics programs, I’m proud to say my time management skills have improved immensely.”

On the other hand, more than 1,000 students, parents and instructors from across all Kumon centers in the National Capital Region and Luzon attended the two-day ASHR awarding ceremonies last Nov. 14 and 15. Held at the Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the festivities were led by KAO president Akira Hamanaka who encouraged the honorees and their families to strive for further self improvement.

“When these children grow to be adults they will fully realize the importance and purpose of what the Kumon method aims to nurture in them, primarily confidence and independence,” Hamanaka said. “We at Kumon are proud that many Filipino parents have found the value of what our organization instills in these children and that they chose to collaborate with us as we help develop the Philippines’ next generation of leaders,” he added.

Rahina Prue Siena, the Philippines’ youngest Reading program completer, shared her one-of-a-kind journey to the recent completers and ASHR Gold conferees. She said that more than just a list of successful students, the ASHR also embodies the hard work, perseverance and sacrifice not only of the students who have successfully completed and surpassed their Kumon goals but also of their parents and their instructors. “Having seen how my mom would spend most of her free time rummaging through books to help me complete my reading list, I felt all the more confident in completing my worksheets on time because she was very supportive of my Kumon journey,” Siena said.

Kumon Philippines president Noirihiro Nakamura continued to challenge the ASHR Gold awardees and program completers : “These commendations are only the beginning of what we at Kumon envision to be a very bright future for them.”