Tinian community celebrates Easter 2015

The Tinian Loves to Read Initiative was launched last Friday, April 3, at the Children’s Park with Mayor Joey Patrick San Nicolas reading out loud to the children during the Easter celebration. After the reading, the mayor asked the children, “Does Tinian love to read?” and the children responded jubilantly with a loud “yes!”

The 15th Tinian Municipal Council, in collaboration with the Office of the Mayor, Tinian women, Gineftao I Manmo’na (GIMM), the Tinian Jr./.Sr High School National Honor Society, Art Club, as well as other members of the community assisted in making this year’s Easter Egg Hunt happen. Having revitalized the Children’s Park in the Feb. 21 Phase I Cleanup with the U.S. Air Force, several in the community later expressed high hopes in using it as one of the venues for the reading sessions.

One of the younger participants of Tinian’s 2015 Easter celebration at the island’s Children’s Park has his face painted to resemble the Easter Bunny last Friday. (Photos by DEBORAH FLEMING)

The petting zoo of the 2015 Easter celebration was an instant hit.

A young girl takes part in beads-making activity.

Several children enjoy watercolor painting with their parents close by.

Tinian Mayor Joey Patrick San Nicolas, right, is assisted by Zania Fleming, left, in the reading session. The 2015 Easter celebration coincided with Tinian Loves to Read Initiative.

Over 150 children and parents attended Tinian’s 2015 Easter celebration.

Other activities for this year’s Easter Egg Hunt included face painting, beads, drawing and water-color painting, zoo petting, and various other games with over 150 children and parents in attendance. At 10am, the field was opened for egg hunting and almost all the children were able to find plastic eggs with candy treats or money in them.

Several of the children expressed how much fun they were having. “I’ve never tried painting before, so I really like that it was part of today,” expressed 8-year-old Lad S. Palacios as he dipped his paintbrush into the paint tray.

“Even though I didn’t find any eggs today, I liked that there were games and that we could play in the park,” said Jianna C. Cruz, as she happily hands one of the staff a butterfly drawing she had finished painting.

Equally touching was little Jarry Su when he meekly offers one of the two eggs he had found to one of the volunteers after overhearing she didn’t partake in the egg hunt. “It was so much fun today—thank you!” yelled Brayden S. Iglecias as he sprinted back to his waiting parents when the festivities drew to a close.

It was indeed a beautiful sight to behold in seeing so much participation and collaboration come together in making one of this year’s Easter Egg Hunt a great success for the children and the entire community. When the community comes together, the children and the family benefits. This lesson needs to be at the forefront at all times the guiding principle for our community. (PR)