UNC appoints Gurnot, Sibulo as new SHS principal, assistant to principal

FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY

FORMER ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL for Academics (APA) Ernesto Gurnot and GAS Learning Supervisor Arvin Sibulo have been appointed as the new

University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) Senior High

School (SHS) principal and assistant to the principal, respectively, last June 1.

“Somehow, I already anticipated the extension of my service in UNC, especially now that we are in this ‘new normal’. But I did not expect that the principalship would be offered to me. Ms. Ronde San Jose is still capable of leading the SHS Team. However, her expertise and service are more valuable in other areas to provide better service to our stakeholders,” Gurnot shared. Unlike the new principal, Sibulo did not expect the said promotion since he thought that there had been a mishap in the dissemination of meeting invites but eventually, he accepted the challenge. “I think, what I’ve felt at that time is a mixture of different emotions but I’ve never acknowledged it right away because I was surprised… She (Ma’am Divine) and Sir Romy even told me that I am very young but they chose me because they know my capabilities and they know how I work,” Sibulo narrated.

Who is Principal Gurnot? After a year of serving as the assistant principal for academics of the same department, Gurnot told us that his major accomplishment was leading the SHS Department in the transformation and development of the learning materials for the distance learning modalities (flexi-tech and flexi-kit). “I remember that the learning facilitators and learning supervisors were on a very tight schedule to produce the needed modules. But we were able to deliver and submit everything on time. This effort shows that everything is possible if we work together as a team,” he said.

During his tenure as the APA, he observed the lack of engagement of the department with the learners, that’s why the SHS faculty attended a series of webinars and invited resource speakers from different institutions to share their expertise on how to facilitate classes in this ‘new normal’. In addition, the SHS Academic Team is revisiting and revising the modules to help the learners cope with their studies too.

“Since the learners are learning from their homes, we will further strengthen our partnership with our parents and guardians. This partnership is one of the keys to ensure that everyone makes it in a nurturing environment. We will involve parents and guardians in the learning process of the learners, and we will continue to have constant communication with them,” Gurnot said ensuring that ‘everyone makes it’ amidst the pandemic.

The new principal also shared that his experience in running the LINC Curriculum, his leadership skills, and six years of experience in delivering and designing learning experiences in a constructivist environment are his advantages for the said promotion.

“The discussion regarding my extension of service in UNC started back in 2019. Back then, it was a 50-50 decision whether or not I would stay because I was in Manila. Eventually, I said yes and accepted the position because there are still many actions and plans that need to be accomplished to improve how we do things,” he said.

It is also evident that the new principal is way younger than the former principals but Gurnot wanted to break the usual connotation that someone young can’t lead several people, as for him, the SHS Department.

“Age is just a number. Experience and leadership play an important role in leading a team… I am grateful to my mentors, who shared their wisdom and honed my skills,” he said.

Who is Assistant to Principal Sibulo?

Same as the new principal, the new assistant to the principal also shared the same sentiments in terms of age not being a qualification for someone to be promoted in the said position.

“When I had the meeting with Human Resource, they said that I was chosen because of the good feedback they received about me... One has the right character and attitude for us to attain work opportunities. Another qualification that I think is included would be the ability to easily work with other people. We are in a university and the office of the Senior High School Principal is working closely with the other departments for us to achieve our goals and serve our purpose,” Sibulo said.

He also served as the GAS Learning Supervisor for a year under the Social Sciences Domain where he shared the difficulties they experienced in creating the modules due to some connectivity issues. Sibulo is one of the people assigned to train the SHS faculty on how to use the Blackboard LMS.

As the new assistant to the principal, he will assist the implementation of the LINC curriculum of the department, ensuring that learning supervisors are doing regular classroom observations, coaching and feedback sessions.

“I can also assist in monitoring and evaluating the performance of SHS academic and support staff. There are also items wherein there is a need for me to coordinate with other departments and offices… I am also expected to perform duties/responsibilities which may be assigned to me by the SHS principal. I need to work very closely with Sir Ernest to ensure that the department can operate and achieve our targets,” Sibulo explained.

On existing concerns

The Pantograph took advantage of the opportunity to ask the SHS Principal about their plan and reactions to the results of the recently given survey to 101 students, which includes the high percentage of students who are unsure if they will still enroll by next year in the university given the distance learning set-up.

“The SHS Academic Team is planning to improve the delivery of the courses this coming school year. This planning will include some adjustments to how we facilitate synchronous and asynchronous sessions.