Camacho is Tanapag Elementary School’s most outstanding teacher

A 36-year-old mother of three was named Tanapag Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year.

Veronica Camacho was selected by her peers to represent the school in the Public School System-wide search for the CNMI’s Teacher of the Year for school year 2011-2012.

A kindergarten teacher, Camacho joined the Tataga family in 2006. This is her sixth year and the first award she got from her Tanapag family.

Saipan Tribune learned that prior to joining Tanapag, she spent three years at Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, starting out as a teacher aide and eventually becoming a classroom teacher. Camacho was hailed GTC’s Teacher Aide of the Year and Teacher of the Year awardee in the years she spent with the school.

“It’s very surprising that I was selected for the honor and I am very happy because I have lots of good colleagues who are very helpful in meeting the needs of our students,” she said yesterday.

When asked what satisfaction she gets from mentoring children, she said: “As soon as they leave the classroom every day, I know they learned something from me..and I feel proud and satisfied every time I hear them sharing what they have learned from school. Just seeing the progress in them is really a big success for me.”

Named Teacher Aide of the Year was Lucia Lieto, who is with the school’s special education program. The 49-year-old employee has been with the Tanapag school for 18 years now. This is her third time to be recognized with the award, the last one being in 2006.

“I love working with children and seeing them grow is truly rewarding for a teacher.because you know that you’re making a difference in their lives,” she said.

Antonio Kikuo, the school’s longtime school aide, was honored as the Support Staff of the Year. This outstanding employee has been with PSS for more than 10 years now.

He first served the system as assistant for the CCLHS program for three years until he moved to Oleai Elementary School as its school aide for three years. This year is his fourth at Tanapag Elementary School where he has been twice selected as its Teacher Aide of the Year, the first time in 2009.

\“I feel honored but at the same time, I was not really expecting to win [any award],” he said.

Tanapag bestowed its Instructor of the Year award on Yoana Achen, who has been with the school for over 20 years. She was first assigned at the CCLHS program as a teacher aide until she obtained certification and became an instructor. She has been twice named the school’s Teacher Aide of the Year. This year marks her first time to be recognized as its Instructor of the Year.

“I am happy and proud of myself,” she said, expressing her gratitude to her peers for the recognition. Achen has been instrumental in bringing numerous recognitions to the school from different language competitions.

“I am a strong believer in our culture.and I will continue to preserve and promote it to our students,” said this mother of six.

Named Maintenance Staff of the Year was Juan Somol, who has been working for Tanapag for 20 years. This is his sixth time to be given this recognition since joining the Tataga family in 1991. Tanapag praised the 54-year-old employee for his creativity and resourcefulness, which brings substantial savings to the school by doing repairs and fixing minor problems.

Tanapag also hailed Elena R. Parico as its Librarian of the Year. This outstanding employee has been with PSS for nine years now, first as librarian at Hopwood Junior High School where she spent six years and won the school’s Support Staff of the Year award twice. This year’s award is her first from Tanapag since she started working for the school in 2008. Parico also served as school librarian in the Philippines for 19 years prior to joining PSS.

Joining the school’s lineup of education awardees is Shimiko Montgomery, who was bestowed the Councilor of the Year award.

Tanapag Elementary School educational awardees gather for a group photo yesterday. From left are Maintenance Staff of the Year Juan Somol, Teacher Aide of the Year Lucia Lieto, Instructor of the Year Yoana Achen, Teacher of the Year Veronica Camacho, Librarian of the Year Elena Parico, Councilor of the Year Shimiko Montgomery, and Support Staff of the Year Antonio Kikuo.