BSI helps prepare for NMI’s hosting of educational confab

Educators, researchers, and advocates from over the globe will descend on Saipan next month to attend the 40th Pacific Circle Consortium annual conference, an event hosted by the Public School System, Northern Marianas College, and Research Triangle Institute International.

The PCC will be held from July 4 to 7 and is expected to draw over 300 delegates from Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, several Pacific Islands, the United States, Vietnam, Canada, Latvia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Russia, Nepal, and Ecuador.

The organizing team has identified Saipan Southern High School to be the conference, exhibit, and post-conference venue. SSHS has already started preparing for the conference by partnering with Best Sunshine International, Ltd.’s Corporate Social Responsibility team taking the lead in rehabilitation and restoration of several school facilities.

“As part of the logistics committee, I needed to make sure that the rooms were ready. When the Best Sunshine’s CSR team came to assess the school, they wanted to know what were some of things we needed help with as far as getting the school ready for the conference. They are going to get all of the rooms ready and prepare them for the conference itself,” SSHS principal Martha Kintol said.

The conference is held annually and it is a venue for education leaders and researchers, and advocates to share research, ideas, and programs.

To date, over a dozen of classroom have been restored and prepared by BSI’s CSR team. The CSR team is expected to complete their work in the coming days.

“It is our pleasure to assist PSS in preparing for the upcoming Pacific Circle Consortium in which the CNMI will host this year. Different countries host this conference every year since its inception in 1977. CSR executive director Geri Dela Cruz separately said.

“This is an opportunity for us to showcase the CNMI, and our work at SSHS is being completed with the help of our hardworking teacher who continue to spend time prepping their classrooms for the start of the new school year,” Dela Cruz pointed out. “Similar to MHS, we have alumni from SSHS that are doing work on this project. They feel great giving back to their school.”

The CSR team has offered to help Kintol and her team at the event by providing volunteers and assisting with the food set up as well as providing water for the guests.

“It wasn’t just prepping the rooms, the CSR team asked if we needed assistance during the time of the conference and they are willing to help us with the mirienda for the participants,” adds Kintol.

“One of the strategic goals of PSS is working with our parents and community partners. I really feel that BSI CSR team has really been a huge community partner by having us know that if we need help we can reach out. I know that they have extended a lot of their support to other schools. I truly appreciate everything that the partnership has brought to our students and school. I’m really looking forward to an even stronger working relationship with the BSI CSR team,” the school leader noted. (PR)