From twisting, turning, to triumph, JHS students face Rubik’s Cube Challenge

| Gaile Villavicencio

With the clock ticking, the tense silence, and the scrambled colors, the Junior High School (JHS) Department held a Rubik’s Cube competition on November 27, 2025, at the Grade School Library.

As part of the SciMath Month celebration, this year’s event’s focus in on from speed alone to something deeper: how solving a Rubik’s Cube trains the brain in critical thinking, pattern analysis, spatial reasoning, and logical strategy—the very skills SciMath Month aims to promote in every learner.

The competition was divided into two categories: Grades 7 – 8 and Grades 9 – 10.

Participants used cube timers to measure how quickly they could solve the scrambled piece, as they raced for the fastest time completion.

According to Marcus Jace Lacson, a contestant from Grade 10 – Victorious, the Rubik’s Cube serves as more than a recreational puzzle. He emphasized how the practice strengthened his instincts for quick solution-making, which he believes could contribute to future innovation.

“The competition helped strengthen my instincts in responding quickly and finding solutions that could lead to future innovations,” Lacson shared, adding that the cube enhances creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

“With the help of instinct, you can easily resolve those problems and make them work in no time, just like solving the Rubik’s Cube in a speed of success,” he stated.

For many contestants, the competition was an opportunity to actively engage in a meaningful activity while showcasing their creativity, curiosity, and skills in Science and Mathematics.