Public schools open today with new themes

Public schools throughout the CNMI will officially open today, with yearlong themes to help build student spirit, morale, camaraderie, and achievement.

“Our school theme this year is ‘Paving the Road to Success.’ This is for all the teachers and students,” said Garapan Elementary School principal Leila C. Yumul.

“Garapan Elementary School is looking forward to starting the year to meet all the needs of our [children]. Our teachers and students have our full support by making sure they are well taken cared off,” added Yumul.

“Paving the Road to Success” starts with the new school materials that GES has in store for its teachers and students.

“This year, we are just really excited because we have new curriculum materials that were purchased for the school district. Our teachers are very excited to get the planning started,” she said.

“Teaching with new resources and having undergone professional development for several days actually helped us on how to implement the new materials and how to gain some support services. We are focused on instructional support for our students and just moving from there,” Yumul added.

GES is the largest elementary school in the Commonwealth.

For Marianas High School, the largest high school in the CNMI, this year’s theme is “Aspiring to Greatness.”

“My message to all our students is that there will be some changes and such are in the name of student achievement and student improvement,” said MHS principal Cherlyn Cabrera.

At MHS, she said the school aims to provide the best education to students, the best opportunity for them, and that it really shares the parents and students’ desire to reach their dreams.

“Dream that they can finish high school, that they can get to college, that they can get scholarships, can join military, and can get work. Be anyone they want to be,” added Cabrera.

Last year, MHS was able to send many of their graduates to off-island colleges and universities with accompanying scholarships.

“We just have so many successes from our Class of 2017 so we hope to increase the number of successful students this year,” said Cabrera.

In related news, the Northern Marianas College will host a free information session tomorrow, Aug. 17, 2017, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in Room D-1 at the college’s As Terlaje campus. For more information about the information session and/or applying to NMC, contact the Office of Admissions & Records at 237-6770, email oar@marianas.edu or visit www.marianas.edu.