Island Snapshots – September 2019

By Contributing Author

Posted on Sep 11 2019

: EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR-Each of the numerous CNMI government agencies’ employees of the year pose for a group photo with Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and other department officials during last Saturday’s Labor Day celebration at the Garapan Fishing Base. (Marc A. Venus)

: ‘DESTINU PERU’ Saipan International School students perform on ukuleles at Peru’s Children’s Hospital, where they entertained the children and medical staff. The trip was part of the SIS “Destino Peru” program. The students went to Peru for 26 days. Their itinerary included five cities: Lima, Cuzco, Puno, Arequipa, and Nazca. (Contributed Photo)

: ‘DESTINU PERU’ The Saipan International School delegation, 10 students between grades nine and 10, experience river rafting and zipline adventures in the valley of Lunahuana. (Contributed Photo)

: ‘DESTINU PERU’ This is the eighth group from Saipan International School that have traveled to Peru under the Destino Peru program, which was founded by Mili Saiki in 2005, as a language immersion opportunity for upperclassmen taking Spanish. (Contributed Photo)

: ‘DESTINU PERU’ The Saipan International School students visit Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in all of South America and, at 12,500 feet above sea level, one of the highest in the world. (Contributed Photo)

: ‘DESTINU PERU’ The Saipan International School delegation visits Cottolengo. (Contributed Photo)

: CULTURAL HERITAGE MONTH Gov. Ralph DLG Torres signs the proclamation Thursday at the Office of the Governor’s conference room declaring September as Chamorro and Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month, to provide opportunities for the CNMI’s indigenous population to showcase their unique cultures and traditions, to educate and inspire the younger generations on the importance of the indigenous ways of living. (Iva Maurin)

: SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM-CNMI Office of Youth Affairs partnered with the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality-Coastal Resource Management to stress the importance of saving turtles at a recent outreach. To start the school season in a fun way, staff of the CNMI Office of Youth Affairs dressed up as cartoon characters last Tuesday to welcome the children who were going back to school. (Contributed Photo)

: FIELD OF HEROES-Community, government officials, first responders, and law enforcement officers surround Gov. Ralph DLG Torres at the American Park theater after the proclamation of the week of Sept. 9 as Field of Heroes Recognition Week. (Iva Maurin)

: CAR SERVICE GIVEAWAY Pacifica Insurance marketing coordinator Samantha Sikayun, right, presents Emily Barcelo, left, with a car service gift certificate. Barcelo will be entitled to the Gold Service package at Joeten Motor Co., which includes free oil change, adjustment of tire pressure, 28 multi-point inspections, and other services. Pacifica Insurance Underwriters, Inc. is giving away free car service maintenance gift certificates to 45 lucky winners throughout 2019 to mark its 45th anniversary. For more information about this car service giveaway log on to www.pacificains.com/45years. (Contributed Photo)

: PLASTIC SCOURGE-Photo taken in Guam shows a hermit crab that has found a home in a plastic bottle cap. The people of CNMI will be joining the simultaneous cleanup among Micronesia Island communities this Friday, Sept. 13, during Micronesia Cleanup Day, to help address garbage that harms marine life on the island. Meanwhile, the annual International Coastal Cleanup will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (L. MAURIN)

: REMEMBERING 9/11-Tomorrow, the CNMI community will be celebrating the “2019 We Will Never Forget: Field of Heroes” ceremony at the American Memorial Park at 5:30pm. The ceremony will be preceded by the Freedom Walk, which would begin at 5pm at the Garapan Fishing Base and would end at AMP. (Iva Maurin)

: NEW MTEC BOARD MEMBER The Marianas Tourism Education board of directors welcomes new board member and interim Northern Marianas College president Frankie Eliptico, far left, at their meeting on Sept. 5, 2019, at the Marianas Visitors Authority office in San Jose, Saipan. From left, Eliptico, board member Glenn Policare, MTEC chair Vicky Benavente, vice chair Wendi Herring, board treasurer Robert “Ryan” Yulo, and board members Naomi Nishimura and Rose Ada-Hocog. MTEC fosters community understanding and support of the visitor industry; educates the public, especially students, about the value, social benefits, and economic contributions made to the community by the visitor industry; and instills, improves and promotes the hafa adai-tirow hospitality spirit throughout the Marianas. (MTEC)

: INDIGENOUS HEALING-Local healer Rosa Salalila explains the passing of traditional healing knowledge to Miss Marianas Shannon Sasamoto while preparing a local detox medicine. Salalila was one of the Chamorro artists featured at the Indigenous Affairs Office’s mini-cultural expo last Saturday at the IAO office in Garapan. (Iva Maurin)

: 45TH ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY: To mark its 45th anniversary, Pacifica Insurance Underwriters, Inc. is giving away free car service maintenance gift certificates to 45 lucky winners throughout 2019. In this photo, Pacifica Insurance marketing coordinator Samantha Sikayun, right, presents Jose Manibusan with a car service gift certificate. Manibusan will be entitled to the Gold Service package at Joeten Motor Co., which includes free oil change, adjustment of tire pressure, 28 multi-point inspections, and other services. For more information about this car service giveaway log on to www.pacificains.com/45years. (Contributed Photo)

: MICRONESIA CLEANUP DAY-Armed with trash bags and glovers, volunteers from different government agencies and private organizations, picked up litter in the different parts of the island as part of the first ever Micronesia Cleanup Day. (Iva Maurin)

: DORE GRADUATE: Roque Sablan Norita, in green robe, shows his certificate of completion from the U.S. District Court for the NMI’s Drug Offender Re-entry Program during a group photo with Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, DORE team members, and previous DORE graduates, during a graduation ceremony in the District Court last Sept. 10. Norita is DORE’s seventh graduate to date. (Ferdie De La Torre)

: STORMWATER RUNOFF-Heavy stormwater runoff brought by the torrential rain from a tropical depression on Sunday flows directly into the Saipan lagoon in Garapan. (Iva Maurin)

: COASTAL CLEANUP-A volunteer picks up trash at Pau Pau Beach as part of this year’s International Coastal Cleanup last Saturday. Saipan volunteers spent the morning of Sept. 21 cleaning up the island’s coasts of debris, trash, and micro-plastics. (IVA MAURIN)

: COME OUT AND PLAY-School children get to exercise and play at the Mental Health Fairs going around the schools on the island to promote mental health awareness. (IVA MAURIN)

: 45TH ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY To mark its 45th anniversary, Pacifica Insurance Underwriters, Inc. is giving away free car service maintenance gift certificates to 45 lucky winners throughout 2019. In this photo, Pacifica Insurance staff member Jacky Teregeyo, right, presents prize winner Viani Dela Cruz, left, with the car service gift certificate. Dela Cruz will be entitled to the Gold Service package at Joeten Motor Co., which includes free oil change, adjustment of tire pressure, 28 multi-point inspections, and other services. For more information about this car service giveaway log on to www.pacificains.com/45years. (Contributed Photo)

: NEW PARTNER The Airstream is now a proud NMC ProaPerks partner. All card-carrying members of the ProaPerks program can avail of a 10% discount on all food and non-alcoholic beverage items. (Contributed Photo)

: 45TH ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY-To mark its 45th anniversary, Pacifica Insurance Underwriters, Inc. is giving away free car service maintenance gift certificates to 45 lucky winners throughout 2019. Pacifica Insurance marketing coordinator Samantha Sikayun, right, presents prize winner Sailicia Nanpei, left, with the car service gift certificate. Nanpei will be entitled to the Gold Service package at Joeten Motor Co., which includes free oil change, adjustment of tire pressure, 28 multi-point inspections, and other services. For more information about this car service giveaway log on to www.pacificains.com/45years. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

: ALLY WEEK-Kyle Thorne, president of the Marianas High School Pride Club, shares with the audience at the Office of the Governor conference room how powerful words from an ally helped him in his journey of discovering himself, at yesterday’s proclamation of Sept. 23-27, 2019 as CNMI Ally Week. (Iva Maurin)

: NEW ANTI-BTS DOGS-Division of Fish and Wildlife director Manny M. Pangelinan, center, conratulates Kevin Lee T. Kapileo, Joshua Joseph Diaz Lizama, and Leonora Aldan Blas for completing the CNMI Brown Tree Snake Canine Handler Training Program by the Division of Fish and Wildlife yesterday at the DLNR compound in Lower Base. Also in the photo are Wendy, Keith, and Travis, DFW’s new BTS dogs. (Iva Maurin)

: MANAGAHA-BOUND-Young members of the Carolinian/Refalúwasch community peer at Managaha Island from the ferry they were on last Saturday as they sail to Managaha Island to take part in the Chief Aghurubw commemoration. Every September, the CNMI celebrates the life of Chief Aghurubw, and the journey of the first group of Carolinians that settled in the Northern Marianas 204 years ago. (Iva Maurin)

: ‘CLIMB HIGHER’-More than 200 employees of CNMI government agencies recently participated in Northern Marianas College’s Climb Higher Seminar, which provides information about workforce training programs, degree programs, financial aid, and other professional development opportunities. The event was organized through a collaboration with the Civil Service Commission-Office of Personnel Management. (NMC)

: CENSUS OFFICE-Acting governor Arnold I. Palacios makes brief remarks at the opening of the CNMI Census Office yesterday. (Erwin Encinares)

Contributing Author

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