Reggie Mananquil, parent of Krista Mananquil, ’23

The Catalyst(TC): What do you think about the announcement to continue online distance learning until December? 

Reggie Mananquil(RM): We’re okay with it. I’m okay with it. There are many pluses and minuses. I do like the quality of education that Notre Dame Delmon is giving in terms of their online teaching cause I hear the teachers, and they are, they are excellent. They are wonderful, because I have seen her, her other her volleyball teammates, her cousins, from other schools, that’s they’re not getting as good of an education that they’re telling me. Then, compared to what I’m hearing at Notre Dame Belmont, hearing my daughter, the teacher speak, in the classes at Notre Dame Belmont. So I’m really okay with the quality of education of virtual learning the online learning that that my daughter is getting. I like that, that we don’t have to commute so much. We’re commuting from South San Francisco to Notre Dame, Belmont. And we all can be very, very busy at times. So I don’t want that. So I don’t miss that commute. What I do would like is that I’m which were compensated for that, because my daughter has like, the online workouts as soon as the on campus workouts now. So she is at least getting to see people. And I I hope that she gets to have some interaction with with people, even as a small group, because we haven’t had that for several months.

TC: How do you feel about paying tuition for online school?

RM: We understand the circumstances. Because the school might have to pay for pay for extra cleaning, extra preparation, extra equipment for extra extra cleaning for their their school facilities because of the pandemic, we understand that more and more audio visual equipment might be needed for online learning. So we understand that the quality of education that we’re getting online so good, is wonderful. I hear Miss Connelly or her history teacher. And I am I’m so pleased the biology teacher Dr. Srinivasan. She is so good that I’m really happy of the education I’m getting and I’m sorry if I’m leaving any other teachers out the graphics because I teacher, Miss Alger that I hear her and she’s are asking, how’s that? How’s everyone’s weekend? Did you guys do anything? She hope she really shows that she cares. So I really am happy. That of the of the of the of the staff that we’re getting.

TC: Would you prefer that your daughter is going to school on-campus right now? 

RM: What I prefer is we will follow the guidelines of what the school will follow, which is I do agree that safety first I do want her to go to school interact hybrid, when it when Notre Dame feels as if they’re ready. I do not want to assert myself demanding that my daughter goes to school. I hope that her volleyball, her extracurricular activities, continue her volleyball her swimming continues on with Notre Dame, because right now it looks like things are on hold right now. And I don’t blame Notre Dame, or, or the city of Belmont or San Mateo County or the state of California. For that reason, is that the that we’re all uncertain about what’s going to be happening. Yes, but but, um, my daughter is active that she she was doing and she was doing choir. She was doing volleyball. She was doing a swimming and all that is uncertain on hold and uncertain.

TC: How do you feel about your daughter going to school on-campus with others who might not be that careful with handwashing, mask-wearing, or social distancing? 

RM: I think from my end, I think my daughter would be careful. And I think the school from what I saw of the presentations that in a class or the the desks will be separate. That I feel okay with that. That, how do I feel that I think my daughter would be masking herself well enough to protect herself. I am concerned that well. If the instructions Well, if it’s an indoor that the especially that the the test would be separated. And it and I hope that the teachers can monitor well enough that social distancing pandemic precautions can be observed well enough.

TC: How has having your daughter stay home for school affected your home/work life?  

RM: I’m retired. My wife that she does work very close by. We were so busy with school. My daughter was and she was one of the first girls and Boy Scouts that she we have those meetings too, and she had her swimming and she had her club volleyball, that I’m glad that the pluses that were able to interact more. It took a little bit of an adjustment that I got, we hardly were we were we were so much out of the house that we didn’t interact. So the pluses that we were able to interact. A lot more took a little bit no adjustment. Um, and, again, the commute is I’m not as tired as I used to be that that it was it was a lot of work before. Now we’re staying at home.