Ridge sept10 issue1.indd - PAREF Southridge School
Ridge sept10 issue1.indd - PAREF Southridge School
Ridge sept10 issue1.indd - PAREF Southridge School
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
6<br />
S<br />
CAM PUS N EWS<br />
Magister<br />
BY JOSEF SINGSON AND GINO GUEVARA<br />
Since 1988, <strong>Southridge</strong> has awarded the highly acclaimed Magister X to<br />
teachers who have served the school for ten years, hence the name. This school year<br />
2010, both awardees have something uncommon to past recipients; their relationship<br />
with <strong>Southridge</strong> spans more than the usual decade. Mr. Adolfo Nisperos, present HS<br />
Principal, joined the <strong>School</strong> in 1993, and Mr. Gerard Benjamin Fortunato, Intermediate<br />
<strong>School</strong> Coordinator for Personal Formation, taught in the high school right after his<br />
college graduation in 1988. Both men are veteran teachers who are just now being<br />
inducted into the school’s own version of the Hall of Fame—Magister X.<br />
Mr. Nisperos is a graduate of BS Education<br />
Major in Math from the University of the Philippines<br />
Diliman. He has also earned an MA in Industrial Relations<br />
from the same university’s <strong>School</strong> of Labor and Industrial<br />
Relations (SOLAIR). His stint in <strong>Southridge</strong> has included<br />
teaching a variety of subjects: Science, Social Studies, even<br />
Filipino, and of course, Math. He served the school as the<br />
Department Head of Math, and is presently the High<br />
<strong>School</strong> Principal. Of course, Math continues to be his<br />
passion, and he translates Lion King’s Hakuna Mathata<br />
into “No worries in Math!”<br />
He fi rst came to <strong>Southridge</strong> way back in 1993 upon<br />
a friend’s recommendation but he stayed only for a year. He<br />
transferred to UP Integrated <strong>School</strong> in Diliman, Quezon<br />
City where he remained for three years, and then went to<br />
work in <strong>PAREF</strong> Northfi eld in Quezon City for another three<br />
years. In 2001 he returned to <strong>Southridge</strong> where he has since<br />
stayed.<br />
During my interview with Mr. Nisperos I asked him what<br />
factors keep him staying in <strong>Southridge</strong> and what in the school impresses<br />
him the most? He answered that <strong>Southridge</strong> has always been known for the<br />
good formation given to students and teachers, especially its professional and<br />
spiritual guidance. One thing he notes is that the school makes for a much easier working<br />
atmosphere given that all students and teachers are male. From his fi rst moments in the<br />
school, he had the impression of clean and well maintained facilities.<br />
Captain at the Helm<br />
S<br />
BY LANCE KATIGBAK<br />
When you listen to Joey Magalona speak about education,<br />
you can see the passion burning in his heart through<br />
the twinkle in his eyes and through the cerebral way<br />
by which he approaches the subject. This is a man who<br />
is dedicated to delivering quality education every step of the way and<br />
is willing to give it his expertise and his all to ensure that students and<br />
teachers alike get the standard of education they deserve. The best part?<br />
This man is <strong>Southridge</strong>’s new Executive Director.<br />
Mr. Magalona was born and raised in Bacolod City as the second<br />
of ten kids. After an elementary and high school education in La<br />
Salle Bacolod, he received his degree in Industrial Engineering from<br />
the University of the Philippines Diliman, and a Masters in Business<br />
Economics from the University of Asia and the Pacifi c.<br />
After stints in Volkswagen, Rota Italia, and an<br />
attempt at starting his own frozen food product business<br />
(which is still responsible for producing the longganisa of<br />
Pancake House today), Mr. Magalona fi nally ended up in<br />
IBM, where he worked for twenty years.<br />
Although it may seem like his IBM job and his new role in<br />
<strong>Southridge</strong> are on opposite poles of the corporate strata, Mr. Magalona<br />
contends that they are actually very similar. As Head of Employee<br />
Development in IBM, he was responsible for the training programs of<br />
the knowledge workers, a moniker for the employees of the company.<br />
Clearly, education is a fi eld in which he is adept and comfortable.<br />
“In IBM, we would get talent, train them, and transform them<br />
to become leaders in society,” he recollects, “The mindset there was<br />
of bringing out the best in people, and equipping them adequately to<br />
become effective contributors in society.” It is this same mindset which<br />
he wants to bring to the <strong>Southridge</strong> community.<br />
The <strong>PAREF</strong> community is nothing new to our new executive<br />
T H E R I D G E<br />
I also asked him what he enjoys most from teaching in<br />
<strong>Southridge</strong>. He said that he enjoys learning new things<br />
from students, and also, letting the students learn<br />
from him. According to him, this two-way learning<br />
process makes for a day’s work that’s more enjoyable<br />
than following a normally monotonous daily routine<br />
in some other offi ce. How long does he plan to stay?<br />
He replied that he would stay as long as the school<br />
wanted him, and as of now, he believes that he is still<br />
needed in the system.<br />
Some hobbies that he does in order to keep<br />
himself sane from all the stress in being a teacher<br />
are watching movies, reading, playing table tennis,<br />
and jogging. Some people that he looks up to and<br />
admires are: Gandhi, for his patience, Galileo<br />
Galilei for his scientifi c mind, and lastly, Paolo<br />
Coelho an amazing Brazilian author.<br />
Many see the task of education diffi cult, not<br />
everyone has the patience and ability to guide and<br />
nurture groups of fast growing boys. However, there<br />
are men who have these qualities, and surely Mr.<br />
Fortunato is one of them.<br />
Coming from a non-Education background, how did he come to <strong>Southridge</strong>? Mr.<br />
Fortunato completed his BS Medical Technology in Cebu, and joined <strong>Southridge</strong> in 1988 as<br />
a Chemistry, Biology, and Algebra teacher. A fortuitous shortage in the English department<br />
led the school to request that he handle a 1st Year English Composition class; that in turn led<br />
<strong>Southridge</strong> to appreciate his innate love and facility for the subject matter. And although he<br />
continued to teach other subjects throughout the years—Philosophical Anthropology and World<br />
History among others—well, he regards having grown up in <strong>Southridge</strong> as an English teacher.<br />
He considers these days to be his second round in <strong>Southridge</strong>. Where had he been during<br />
those “missing years”? Well he fi nished a Masters in Educational Management at the University<br />
of the Philippines while taking charge of Study Centers and the <strong>PAREF</strong> Springdale <strong>School</strong><br />
in Cebu. Nowadays he continues to study, writing a dissertation for a PhD in Education at<br />
UP Diliman.<br />
Why does he continue to study? He said, “The teacher is the fi rst learner, and I want<br />
to be a good teacher.” How does he keep his sanity in the SR environment? “Tennis, biking,<br />
books, friends, and prayer,” was his reply. Why stay in SR? “Sounds corny, but I do believe<br />
in the <strong>Southridge</strong> mission and vision. I’m not willing to die for it, but I am willing to live for<br />
it.” He goes on further to explain <strong>Southridge</strong>’s relevance to contemporary Philippine society,<br />
including government.<br />
So we see Mr. Fortunato in the corridors and greet him as a friend. I’ve heard students<br />
admit, “Mr. F? He can be strict, but we’re really lucky to have him.” It has take ten long<br />
years—since 1988—to admit and publicly acknowledge it, yes, he is truly a Magister X.<br />
director. He was fi rst introduced to <strong>Southridge</strong> in 1990, when asked to<br />
facilitate a workshop for the <strong>PAREF</strong> Head Offi ce, and, in his own words,<br />
he “fell in love with the school” due to its home-school collaboration<br />
program. “It’s like having a company planning with the customers!” he<br />
enthused. That same workshop formulated the Vision and the Mission,<br />
which the school uses today.<br />
Despite originally not being interested in taking the position of<br />
Executive Director, Mr. Magalona took over Mr. Danny Reyes last<br />
summer. He took the lead and jumped into action immediately, heading<br />
a planning workshop for the teachers and the staff.<br />
“We want to be able to fi nd out what other schools are doing and<br />
fi nd the best practices and implement them in <strong>Southridge</strong>,” he said,<br />
“A key role in leading the school to newer heights means being able to<br />
improve existing practices and make them predictable and repeatable,<br />
so as to be able to set a higher standard which other schools will have to<br />
struggle to live up to.”<br />
Mr. Magalona brings a 6-point agenda to the table. Teacher<br />
Formation is at the top of the list. After all, better teachers mean better<br />
students. Right under that is Delivering Quality Education; if the<br />
school succeeds in that, then it will have fulfi lled its chief responsibility<br />
as a learning institution. Also in the list are: Reaching Out to Alumni,<br />
Transforming the Human Resources Department, Delivering the <strong>PAREF</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> Difference Excellently, and, of course, Repairing and Upgrading<br />
<strong>School</strong> Facilities. Everything that happens in <strong>Southridge</strong> within Mr.<br />
Magalona’s tenure will be the result of one of the items on the agenda.<br />
Although all of his plans may be a bit overwhelming at fi rst,<br />
Mr. Magalona is really a simple man with simple goals. He wants to<br />
be remembered as a man who paid more attention to the teachers,<br />
encouraged the involvement of the fathers, continued forming alumni,<br />
and, most importantly, trained students to become future leaders of the<br />
country. His defi nition of a good leader: a man who has integrity and<br />
honesty, loves his country, and is an honorable and patriotic citizen.<br />
This is <strong>Southridge</strong>’s new leader, the captain at the helm of the school.<br />
This is a man who left a lucrative career in IBM to be able to turn young<br />
boys into real men of integrity. This is a man who is ready to give his all<br />
into raising the bar in education all over the country. This is Mr. Joey<br />
Magalona.