SAES’ toy-decorated tree wins top prize in PDM contest

 San Antonio Elementary School’s Christmas tree decorated with colorful toys-including a life-size Optimus Prime-all made of recyclable materials was adjudged the winner of the 6th Christmas Tree Decorating Contest.

Garnering a total of 364 points from eight judges, San Antonio bested 15 elementary schools in the annual competition hosted by PDM Promoters, Inc.

The winning school took home the grand prize of $5,000 worth of education tax credit from RNV Construction, Inc. during a program at Paseo de Marianas on Dec. 15.

“It’s a great collaboration between the parents, the students, and the teachers,” school principal James Sablan told Saipan Tribune shortly after the announcement of winners. “They all chipped in and helped out to decorate it.”

In coming up with ideas for their tree decorations in line with the theme “Green Christmas for the Children of the Marianas,” Sablan said they thought about what children love to receive during holidays and came up with toys.

The result was a vibrant and well-decorated Christmas tree featuring not just the Transformers icon but other children’s toys like carts and trucks made of 5-gallon and small water bottles, biscuit containers, empty detergent and softener bottles, bento boxes, and other recyclable materials.

Did they expect to win the contest? Sablan said no. “I told them to just enjoy it. Whatever place we have, let’s be happy about it.”

The winning group celebrated their victory in advance, as Sablan said they already hosted a barbecue appreciation party on Constitution Day or Dec. 8 for those who were involved in the contest.

School staffer Olive Bateman, in a separate interview, noted that parental involvement was key to their success. “It was really a labor of love from everyone.”

Sablan said they are looking at using the prize money to purchase outdoor benches for the students. “That’s the idea, but we’ll probably sit down and figure out what’s the best way to use the money for the school.”

With their win, Bateman said they want to join next year’s contest. “This early, we’ll already start planning and collecting recyclable materials,” she added.

Other winners were Green Meadow School, second prize winner with 358 points; Koblerville Elementary School, third prize with 343 points; Golden Harvest International School, fourth prize with 342 points; and Oleai Elementary School, fifth prize with 332 points.

A consolation prize of $500 was each given to Joshua Generation International School, Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, Agape Christian School, Tanapag Elementary School, Dandan Elementary School, Grace Christian Academy, Garapan Elementary School, Saipan Seventh-Day Adventist School, Kagman Elementary School, William S. Reyes Elementary School, and Brilliant Star School.

Winners of the 5th My Holiday Greetings to our Visitors Drawing Contest were also announced Thursday. For Rota, they were Sinapalo Elementary School’s Seiya Hayashi, first place; Mariette Barcinas, second place; and Vilma Taimanao, third place.

Winners for Tinian were Tinian Elementary School’s Kenya Barcinas, first place; Juschery Castro, second place; and Isa Reyes, third place.

Drawing contest winners received $50, $30 and $20, respectively. All participants will also receive gift kits from PDM Promoters.