No grand celebration this year for Education Day

Due to financial constraints, the Public School System and the Board of Education will just highlight the achievements and progress of its students and teachers this Education Month without the traditional grand celebration.

Charlotte Camacho, Education Day committee chairperson and principal of Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, told Saipan Tribune that the announcement of the overall winners will also be done at a later date, after the designated Education Day on Nov. 23.

However, individual schools will still hold special events at their campuses where education awardees will be presented to parents and community members, Camacho said.

She said that PSS has been doing the celebration without fanfare for two years now due to the limited resources and funding for public schools.

Also, no monetary awards will be given to this year’s overall winners except for the overall Teacher of the Year awardee who will be given the opportunity to travel to the U.S. mainland to participate in the national competition and meet with U.S. President Barrack Obama.

This year’s award categories include Teacher of the Year, Teacher Aide of the Year, Administrative Staff of the Year, Maintenance Support Staff of the Year, Principal of the Year, Vice Principal of the Year, Counselor of the Year, Instructor of the Year, Librarian of the Year, and Related Services Provider of the Year. PSS honors its outstanding employees in various categories each year.

According to Camacho, November has always been a special occasion for all educators on the islands because it’s the season when teachers and school staff are honored for their contributions toward the education of students.

Camacho also announced yesterday the winners of the essay, logo, and theme contests conducted by PSS last month.

Hailed winners of the logo competition are 9th grader Nina Valerio of Marianas High School, first place; 8th grader Patrick Agustin of Hopwood Junior High, second place; and 9th grader Milagro King of MHS, third place.

For the theme contest, adjudged first place winner is 5th grader Jerlyn Singeo of Oleai Elementary School with her entry, “Education: Shaping our life, our world, and our future.” Named second place winner is Dayna Cabrera, 5th grader from William S. Reyes Elementary School; and third placer Autumn Camacho, 4th grader from GTC.

For the essay contest, two students bagged the first place award: WSR sixth grader Stephen Carino for the elementary level and Hopwood’s 8th grader Hannah Hofschneider for the secondary level.