Leadership and the Southrdige Admirals All Aboard 2010-10-15

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