Head Start students get early Christmas from Saipan Soccer School

Christmas came a few days early for over a hundred students at the Joaquina M. Rabauliman Head Start Center in Garapan/Chinatown when the Saipan Soccer School management and staff visited the young learners yesterday.

The event kicked off with a demonstration of soccer drills by visiting coaches Wai Wo “Jacky” Lee and Kwok On “David” Tsui of ChelseaFC Soccer School in Hong Kong. The students, ranging in ages from 3 to 6 years, were fascinated as they watched the two show off their skills.

Following the exhibition, the coaches along with the school staff engaged the students in a race to pass the ball to their teammates, with parents and teachers sharing in the excitement by cheering them on.

Santa Claus and his elf also dropped by, giving away gift packs and a chance for the children to have their picture taken with him. Cameras clicked nonstop as Santa handed out gifts containing coloring books, crayons, puzzles, stickers, and pencils to children who took turns sitting on his lap for that perfect Christmas snapshot.

Saipan Soccer School staff Mae Ito said that both students and coaches spent a week preparing to ensure that everything was ready for the Head Start kids.

“It felt good wrapping all the presents but felt so much better seeing the smiles on the children’s faces. We wanted to end the year on a positive note and I feel that by doing this activity, we did,” Ito told Saipan Tribune.

School president Jerry Tan said that community involvement through outreach programs is part of Saipan Soccer School’s mission and their visit to the Head Start Center is the first of the many community projects they intend to do at least quarterly.

“This is the Christmas season and we thought that reaching out to the kids, bringing Santa and giving them gifts should be very special to them. Especially at our soccer school, we like to focus with the youth. We decided to take Head Start and just do our small part to make their day special,” said Tan.

Tan encouraged children to be healthy and be part of Saipan Soccer School to learn more about the sport.

Head Start’s Nakita Braganza said yesterday’s event fits their goal at the center, which is to provide the kind of environment that children need to grow and develop. She said they told the children in advance of what was going to happen, which got them “really, really excited.”

The soccer drills, on the other hand, matched their outdoor time, which incorporates a wide range of activities in the open air. “Because of that, we can now do an activity involving soccer,” said Braganza.