SSHS Interact Club adopts Dan Dan bus shelter

Members of the Interact Club of Saipan Southern High School pose at their newly-repainted bus shelter in Dan Dan. Club members spent the past three weekends removing graffiti, picking up trash, and painting the bus shelter in front of Dan Dan Middle School. Students were joined by members of the Rotary Club and parents of the Interact members in repainting the bus shelter. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

The Interact Club of Saipan Southern High School adopted a bus shelter in Dan Dan, just in time for the start of the new school year.

Club members spent the past three weekends of their summer break removing graffiti, picking up trash, and painting the bus shelter in front of Dan Dan Middle School. Students were joined by members of the Rotary Club and parents of the Interact members in repainting the bus shelter.

“We wanted to help beautify our community and create a safe space for students who use the bus shelter for catching the bus to school,” said club president Jessie Reyes.

Geneline Camacho, an SSHS teacher and Interact Club adviser, also said, “Our club wanted to take on a project that helped our students [at the Public School System]. We wanted to adopt a bus shelter that was used by students from our school. We worked with the Public School System-Office of Pupil Transportation director, Sean San Nicolas, who helped us identify a bus shelter that fit our needs.”

Asked about plans on maintaining the bus shelter throughout the school year, Reyes said, “We plan to come at least once a month to collect any trash in the area and paint over any graffiti we find. Our hope is that other students that attend Saipan Southern will take pride in the efforts of one of their school’s clubs and help us keep the bus shelter free from vandalism.”

Greg Borja, the Rotary Club of Saipan’s director of New Generations (Youth Services), said, “It is wonderful to see our students living up to the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self.’ Two of Rotary’s Areas of Focus are: 1.) Promoting Basic Education and Literacy and 2.) Supporting the Environment, the work done at the bus shelter, and its planned maintenance will provide a safe place for students to prepare themselves for a day of learning. The Interact of Saipan Southern High is an inspiration to our other youth clubs, as they each wish to adopt a bus shelter that serves their individual school.”

The Interact Club of Saipan Southern High School is one of four Rotary youth clubs sponsored by the Rotary Club of Saipan, including interact clubs at Marianas High School, Kagman High School, and Saipan International School. Interact clubs were created to bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of “service above self.” The interact clubs on Saipan are part of 14,911 interact clubs found worldwide across 145 countries.

For information on how to get involved in Interact, contact your school or send message to the Rotary Club of Saipan Facebook page. (PR)