Tasi to Table leadership, students preparing for a year of activities

Tasi to Table has lined up many events for its 100-plus student participants this school year from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, and anticipates another successful year for the organization.

That success was presaged by a meet-and-greet event that TTT held at Kagman High School last Oct. 2 for the organization’s Saipan, Tinian, and Rota students.

TTT president Gene Weaver said that student numbers at the meet-and-greet, as well as student participation this school year overall, surpassed his expectations. “Last year, we hardly filled up [the cafeteria]. This year, it was packed. We more than doubled our numbers in some schools, and in other schools tripled our numbers. I’m excited, and I’m proud to be part of TTT and to know that we’re doing something for these kids,” he said.

TTT vice president Wayne Pangelinan said that TTT is “starting off very strong” this year. “We’re starting off very strong, and I hope our community sees what we’re trying to do. [TTT is] not just for us, it’s for the youth that’s going to carry us in the future,” said Pangelinan. “It’s really about giving the kids opportunities to see what’s available, and maybe they might get into these fields. And that’s what we want. If we can get [even] one of these kids off to university doing what we’ve taught them, we’ve succeeded.”

Pangelinan said that a part of this year’s student program will feature a scientific focus, with Micronesian Environmental Services and the Northern Marianas College’s Cooperative Research, Extension & Education Services being involved.

Da’Ok Academy teacher and third-year TTT adviser Joan Reyes said in an earlier interview that she looks forward to another year of being involved with TTT. The first iteration of TTT’s eight-month student program was launched with a pilot program at Da’Ok Academy in 2019.

Witnessing firsthand the rapid growth of TTT over the last three years, Reyes said she enjoys the “feeling” of seeing her students grow and develop through participating in the program.

“It’s just that feeling, that feeling that the kids grew, thanks to Tasi to Table, and I want to continue that feeling. …Besides the growth in student numbers, [TTT] is known now in the community, and we have a lot of support [now] from the government and private sector. … The kids continue to tell me, ‘Miss, I’m so glad I was a part of the program. I caught my first fish [through TTT]’, and that’s our main goal,” she added.

Also in an interview earlier this month, Heavenly Pangelinan, who is a Marianas High School student and first-time member of TTT this school year, said she is very excited to be connected to her culture through fishing. “It’s my first time being in the program, and I’m really excited because I just moved here and it’s good to know that I’ll be more connected with my culture,” she said.

JP Merza, who is a Tinian Jr./Sr. High School student and a second-year TTT member, said that TTT taught him many things, but above all, it was through fishing that he learned patience. Merza was one of 12 Tinian students that participated in a four-month pilot program that TTT launched on Tinian last year.

“I’ve experienced so many things that changed me in a way. …I never thought that fishing would be one of my hobbies, I thought it was boring at first. I used to lack patience, but fishing taught me that it’s okay to wait, and [that] patience is a core value that will help us in our everyday lives,” he said.

Tasi to Table is a program that seeks to instill the love of fishing and the sea among the youth while also allowing participants to earn elective high school credits through eight-month programs on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. During these eight-month programs, students will be exposed to lessons in sustainable fishing practices, boating safety, fishing rod and reel maintenance, and other fishing-related topics of interest.