Bank of Guam saves historic Mount Carmel stage

With a $25,000 donation, Bank of Guam recently provided much needed funds to save Mount Carmel School’s historic stage. 

Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, Bank of Guam President, chief executive officer, and chair of the bank’s board of directors, personally visited the school earlier this week to present the check to school officials. Leon Guerrero was accompanied by other notable bank officials, including senior vice president and chief financial officer Francisco M. Atalig, board member Frances L. G. Borja, and vice president and CNMI regional manager Merced “Marcie” M. Tomokane.  

“Bank of Guam has always done what it could to support our community, in whatever small way that we can,” Leon Guerrero shared with school officials.  “We are very happy to help bring this historical landmark back for the Saipan community.”

Mount Carmel School’s chair, Joseph L. G. Taijeron, was likewise very happy to receive the donation on behalf of the school.

“This generous donation will not only help rebuild the brick and mortar of our stage and solidify a historical landmark, it will also reinforce the school’s proud tradition of theatrical excellence and its dedication to the arts,” said Taijeron. “I humbly thank the Bank of Guam for making a pledge and then honoring its commitment.”

Joining Taijeron to thank Bank of Guam were school Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, Fr. Ryan Jimenez, incoming school board member Mark Rabauliman, school president Galvin Deleon Guerrero, director of Institutional Development John Blanco, business manager Keiko Yamagata, vice principal for Curriculum and Instruction Bobby Baldazo, vice principal for Student Affairs Ida Bahillo, and Student Council president Maria Fe Andrea Lazaro.

The “Save the Stage” Campaign

Since the 1950s, the school’s stage and auditorium had hosted several historic events in the growth of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Throughout the 1960s, while under U.S. trusteeship after World War II, the islands held important meetings with visiting United Nations officials in the auditorium. Eventually, both the CNMI Covenant and Constitution would be signed in same auditorium. The stage has also been the home of the longest continuously running performing arts program on island, the school’s annual Christmas pageant.

Over the years, however, the stage fell into disrepair, forcing the stage to close in the early 2000s. Upon returning to the school as its president in 2012, Galvin Deleon Guerrero, a 1991 AlumKnight and known performing arts producer, worked with other AlumKnights to launch a “Save the Stage” campaign. The campaign was divided into five phases, the first of which was to provide minimal repairs to at least make the stage usable for the annual Christmas pageant.  

Several fundraising events followed, including an AlumKnight production of Jane Martin’s Talking With, a Drive-In Student Film Festival, the MCS Theatre Club’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and an online fundraising drive for AlumKnights’ participation in the 2014 Tagaman and Saipan Marathon. With these fundraisers and several donations from AlumKnights, the school was able to complete phase one of the campaign, thus making the stage available for the recent 2014 Christmas Pageant.

With phase one completed, phase two remained, which is the critical phase to actually renovate the stage into a professional stage with theatrical flooring, a functional backstage area, and proper sound and lighting equipment.  Bank of Guam’s donation will fund the entire second phase of the campaign, which the school anticipates will be completed before the start of the next school year, 2015-2016.

Bank of Guam’s Leon Guerrero challenged other local businesses to do their part. “We call on others on island to also help,” she said.

The three remaining phases of the “Save the Stage” campaign will convert the current open-aired auditorium into an enclosed, air-conditioned area with a refurbished roof retrofitted with acoustic paneling for theatrical shows.