Circle your calendars for NMC Charter Day

The Northern Marianas College is set to mark 25 years of existence when it celebrates its Charter Day from March 31 to April 1 at the NMC campus in Fina Sisu.

The NMC Charter Day committee said the event would be more grandiose than in previous years because the college would be celebrating its 25th founding anniversary.

During a briefing held at the Student Activity Center, Students Activities and Leadership director Edwin K. Propst said the committee is targeting to exceed last year’s participation of 5,000 plus.

He said that, due to the overwhelming response of the community, the committee is promising a fun, fun weekend.

For the third time, Charter Day will hold the much-awaited Marianas Idol competition where participants as young as 15 can join. Propst said the singing competition is open to all and not only to NMC students.

A cash prize worth $1,000 is in store for this year’s Marianas Idol, courtesy of Pacific Trading Co. Contestants from Rota and Tinian will also participate in the singing contest.

There will also be the Battle of the Bands, which will gather the best of the best bands in the CNMI.

“Of course there will still be the Miss Pugua,” said Propst, adding that the Charter Day celebration is not complete without the hilarious competition. “But this year there will be no Battle of the Bikinis,” he said.

The car show has been dropped this year, said Propst, due to the parking requirements during the celebration. He added that there would only be 30 booths available for the event, the more reason interested parties should reserve immediately. He said the cost of the booth registration fee would be $100 for student organizations; $150 for non-profit organizations in the CNMI; and $200 for commercial entities.

NMC Finance and Procurement director Raaj Kurapati said the committee has sought the assistance of the NMC Foundation, led by president Jerry Tan.

Kurapati said the foundation has already pledged $12,000 for the realization of the event.

Kurapati said the event is again an opportunity to bring NMC students and employees together with their families and friends, and to promote the college as a premier educational institution in the Commonwealth.

He added that participants from Tinian and Rota NMC instructional sites would also join the celebration.

Among the prizes to be given away during the event is an XBox 360 videogame console worth $750, said Propst.

This year’s sponsors include the NMC Foundation, PTC, Pepsi, and Gatorade.