Saipan World Resort donates $10K to public schools

Officials of the Public School System led by Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan and Board of Education chair Herman T. Guerrero received yesterday a $10,000 donation from Saipan World Resort and the money will be used to expand the system’s career technology education program, which prepares the island’s high school students for various career options after graduation.

The amount is so far the biggest educational tax credit donation received by the system this year.

In a brief ceremony at the hotel yesterday, education officials received the $10,000 check from Saipan World Resort president and general manager Hyung Cho Kim, director Jake Park, human resource manager Miriam Seman, and sales manager Mike Babauta—who all expressed the company’s support for the mission and vision of public schools.

Sablan said the donation is a great Christmas present for public school students.

She said the money will be used entirely for the planned enhancement of the CTE program. She disclosed that the check will be added to the existing CTE bank account, which already has over $100,000.

According to Sablan, the planned enhancement and expansion for the CTE program will require $1 million to realize. She is optimistic that the target amount will be achieved by 2014.

CTE is the former vocational education program of PSS. It was expanded to offer more clusters, thus benefiting more students. Among the subjects offered under the CTE program are nursing assistantship, tourism and hospitality, computer technology, automotive, agri-science, business education, and culinary arts. These are available in public secondary schools and selected middle schools.

Sablan described the CTE program as a “very expensive” program that requires costly equipment and supplies. Most of the materials are also not found on island and must be procured from outside the CNMI.

“CTE is a very expensive program. We have to definitely invest in equipment and supplies and most often materials are difficult to purchase on island,” she told Saipan Tribune, citing as an example the medical tools and equipment for the nursing assistantship program and the culinary arts classes.

Saipan Tribune learned that PSS uses both local and federal monies to sustain the CTE program. However, because of the limited local resources for schools and the limited use of federal grants for this purpose, PSS continues to seek support from private groups and individuals to augment the needs of the program.

Sablan disclosed that they sustain the program through the CW fees (contract worker’s fees) provided to PSS and a portion from the federal consolidated grant each year.

“Under our proposal, it will cost $1 million for us to put in place all these things (expansion and enhancement) and we’re doing our campaign here in the CNMI. As of today, we have $100,000-plus in our CTE bank account and we hope to achieve the $1 million goal by next year,” she said.

Many students have already benefited since the implementation of the CTE program, Sablan said. She cited students who took part in the nursing assistantship program, who go on to pursue a nursing degree at the Northern Marianas College and then land jobs at the public hospital.

PSS’ culinary arts classes have also yielded positive responses as many students have been inspired to further their studies and return to serve the islands’ hotels and restaurants.

This year, Sablan said, PSS expanded its business education by offering finance and accounting classes in middle schools.

According to Saipan World Resort’s HR manager Miriam Seman, yesterday’s donation is just part of a series of donations that the company plans to do this year. Today, another donation is scheduled for the United Filipino Organization, which raises funds for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippines last month.

In a survey conducted by PSS two years ago, students in public high schools expressed interest in pursuing careers in health science, finance, and agriculture, food and natural resources, which are among the many clusters now being offered by the CTE program.