700-plus students to duke it out in Chamorro language competition

Over 700 students and 70 teachers and coaches from various schools in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are participating in this year’s annual CHamoru language competition as part of the University of Guam’s Charter Day activities on its 60th anniversary.

As in the past competitions, 215 UOG CHamoru language students are assisting, according to a statement yesterday by Chamorro language instructors at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences of the University of Guam.

This year, the competition is called Inachá’igen Fino’ CHamoru 2012. Inachá’igen’s base form in CHamoru is igi that means “to beat, to excel, to challenge.” The Inachá’igen Fino’ CHamoru 2012 theme is I Fino’ CHamoru: Setbe, Såtba yan Sostieni, The CHamoru Language: Serve, Save and Hold on to.

This year, the competition is two days, Monday, March 12, 2012, from 2:30pm to 7:30pm at the UOG CLASS Lecture Hall, and Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at the UOG Fieldhouse from 7am to 3:30pm.

The Inachá’igen categories on Monday are: elementary school spelling and storytelling, and middle and high school oratorical and poetry recitation. On Tuesday, students will compete in: elementary school children’s choir; high school proficiency, dramatic cultural interpretation, song with dance and male and female singing; and middle school chant and choral reading. All winners will be announced after each competition except for drawing and essays. These will be judged earlier and winners will be announced on Tuesday.

There are 29 participating schools and one CHamoru language club in this year’s competition in 19 categories. The elementary school categories are: K-2 and 3-5 Spelling/Dinilitreha, 3-5 Storytelling/Umestoriha, K-2 and 3-5 Drawing/Yiningnga’, and K-2 and 3-5 Children’s Choir/Koron Famagu’on.

Students in the middle schools will compete in the following categories: Sinangan/Oratorical, Rinisådan Po’ema/Poetry Recitation, Tinige’/Essay, Tinaitai Koru/Choral Reading, Lålai/Chant.

The high school categories include: Oratorical/Sinangan, Rinisådan Po’ema/Poetry Recitation, Male and Female Singing/Låhi yan Palao’an na Kákanta, Song with Dance/Kånta yan Baila, Dramatic Cultural Interpretation/Inentetpeten Kotturan Egge’, and Proficiency/Profisiente.

Inachá’igen Fino’ CHamoru 2012 sees two first time participants: Andersen Elementary, a DODEA school, and the Manantigu Club – Tini’an Island.

Returning participants from the elementary schools are: Carbullido, Truman, Guerrero, San Miguel, Merizo, Ordot-Chalan Pago, Talofofo, Upi, and Wettengel. From the middle schools are: Astumbo, Inarajan, Rios, Untalan and Oceanview.

All five Guam Department of Education schools are participating. Additionally, Mt. Carmel and St. Francis from the Catholic schools on Guam and the CNMI schools that come this year as one large group under the name Gurupon CNMI Public School System consisting of students from various CNMI schools from Sa’ipan, Tini’an and Rota at all grade levels. (UOG)