Math wiz is Ateneo de Iloilo’s new associate principal for SHS

ANOTHER mathematics educator joins the top-level administration team of Ateneo de Iloilo-SMCS.

Dr. Matthew Lasap, the former subject area coordinator of the Junior High School for seven years, was installed on April 24, 2020 as the new Associate Principal (AP) for Senior High School (SHS) for the next three years.

Dr. Lasap, a consistent honor student in pre-college years, fell in love with mathematics since he learned about numbers when he was a kid. He finished his Bachelor of Secondary Education (Mathematics) degree, summa cum laude, and most outstanding student at West Visayas State University (WVSU).

He also earned his degree in Master of Education (Mathematics) at the University of the Philippines (UP) the Visayas and finished his degree in Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education with Specialization in Mathematics in WVSU as a DOST scholar.

Dr. Lasap, 31, is married to a former fellow Ateneo educator, Mrs. Michelle Lima-Lasap. He hails from Tubungan, Iloilo.

11 years ago, he joined the Ateneo family fresh from college as a teacher in geometry, trigonometry, and advanced algebra in Grades 9 and 10. He slowly went up the ladder and was given more institutional leadership roles, including mentorship, committee memberships, and special assignments. His recent installation is a product of a community discernment (search) process where, in prayer, all faculty and staff participated in.

Starting school year 2020-2021, Dr. Lasap is tasked to collaborate with 22 SHS cluster coordinators and teachers plus 15 formators and learning support staff who will be directly working with him for the youngest unit in school with 400 16- to 18-year-old students in the fold.

He shall also be working in tandem with fellow APs Mr. Primo Escobañez (Formation) and Ma. Llane Cordero (Learning Support), and Integrated Basic Education (IBED) Principal Dr. Herman Lagon in the process.

As a person who loves maths and the sciences, he will be steering the SHS unit that offers Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM). His mathematical and technical expertise may help him design the SHS program that is responsive to the enhancement of the 21^st-century skills of students with the school’s formation goals as the core priority.

In light of the COVID-19 crisis, he is also expected to help formulate creative ways to deliver quality Ateneo education following the Contextualized Blended Learning Scheme (CoBlLeS) of the school.

Furthermore, Dr. Lasap was given a special mandate by School President Fr. Joseph Raymund Patrick Sanchez, SJ, to:

(1) stabilize the SHS course offerings and personnel,

(2) take care that the SHS culture is made more palpable, making sure that the culture is both Catholic and Ignatian, and

(3) intensify the work of integrating the SHS with our K-10 Basic Education Unit that we can finally fully realize our aim of being an Integrated Basic Education School.

Dr. Lasap replaced Mr. John Anthony Estolloso who was the Acting AP for SHS in November 2019-March 2020.

Before Mr. Estolloso, the position was held by Mrs. Arianne Agnes Lao (May 2018-October 2019) and Dr. Lagon, who pioneered the unit in 2015.

It is worthy to note that the present Academic and Formation Administration Team is now mainly pooled by math and business administration majors.

Aside from Dr. Lasap, AP for Curriculum and Instruction (K-10) Dr. Michel Guevara has also a degree in BSEd (Mathematics) at the University of San Agustin (USA) and finished his MEd (Mathematics) in UP Visayas.

Mrs. Cordero has a degree in BS in Mathematics major in Computer Science in University of Santo Tomas (UST) and an MBA degree in Jose Rizal University (JRU), while Principal Dr. Lagon is a licensed civil engineer, with MBA degree in University of Iloilo, and a Ph.D. in Science Education with Specialization in Mathematics degree in WVSU.

School President Fr. Sanchez earned his Engineering Management degree at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and MBA in UP Diliman. All had been math teachers and reviewers except for Mrs. Cordero who was a computer teacher before joining the TLA team.

Ateneo de Iloilo-SMCS is the only Jesuit, Catholic, and Chinese-Filipino basic education institution in Western Visayas. It started in 1958 with 9 students in a makeshift classroom in Gen. Blanco Street in Iloilo City.

It now has 2,200 students with 220 faculty, staff, and administrators in a 7.5-hectare complex at the Atria Park District area in Mandurriao, Iloilo City. It envisions a community that is committed to forming leaders who pursue excellence that is ignited by love and service. (Ripples)