Unoccupied HS campus eyed as Rota training hub

It’s been three years since secondary public schools on Rota were merged into one campus. This resulted in the other facility becoming unoccupied. The Public School System is now looking at possibly converting the property into a major training hub.
The State Board of Education decided to consolidate the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr. High and the Rota High School in 2011, creating the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr./Sr. High School. This resulted in the transfer of high school students to the junior high campus.

This has left the high school campus not fully utilized in the last two years except for its gymnasium and JROTC facilities and occasionally the cafeteria for some events.

In an interview, Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan disclosed to Saipan Tribune how the system wants to use the unoccupied facility.

“We still maintain that campus because it’s still our property and we cannot give that up. It’s a great campus and we try to maintain it. In the future, I’d like to see that facility become a career and technical institute for Rota or it could be a training center for our students,” said Sablan.

At present, among the functions that PSS allows on the empty campus are community events, parents’ meetings and workshops, and other educational-related activities.

Since Rota is being groomed to become a casino and gaming destination, Sablan believes that the unoccupied school campus could be a right venue to host such trainings for the island where many youths and students could benefit.

“Since there’s so much interest in the gaming industry, maybe we can turn that campus into a gaming institute where they can be trained. There are so many things that we can do with it to benefit the Rota community and not take it away from our students,” added Sablan.

Meantime, the commissioner said that preparations are ongoing for the consolidation of new middle schools in the new school year, which begins in September.

She disclosed that necessary staffing, including appointment of new administrators, as well as transfer of lateral equipment and instructional materials, are all set for the summer period.

Come Sept. 2, PSS will have new middle schools that include Dandan Middle School, Tanapag Middle School, and San Antonio Middle School. This project is the second phase of the PSS Middle School Consolidated Plan that started this school year 2013-2014.