Every child deserves the best education possible. With an abundance of public and private schools on island, parents must wrestle with finding the best place for their children.
The Saipan Seventh-day Adventist School remains an excellent choice for parents looking for education that provides students with individualized attention. Operating two campuses – a Child Development Center in San Jose and a Kindergarten to 9th Grade campus in San Antonio - the SDA School has existed in Saipan since 1982. Next year grade 10 will open at the San Antonio campus.
SDA education was first established in 1872 and has successfully thrived since. Today there are 5,417 SDA schools operating in 205 countries across the world, ranging from preschool age to university level.
Here on Saipan, the SDA School provides quality education through a low student/teacher ratio. With 103 students total and 14 staff members, each child is treated as an individual. Teachers get to know the families well which helps them better meet the educational needs of the students. In addition, teachers use a variety of teaching techniques, including hands-on activities, to reach the needs of each child.
Smallness creates a safe, comfortable, family environment. “At SDA the classes are small and there’s more one-on-one with the teachers. I like our school because everyone is familiar with everyone else, so the older kids can take care of the younger ones,” says 8th grader Nicole Ichihara, who has been a student at the SDA School for the past four years.
In addition to a friendly atmosphere conducive to learning, the SDA school focuses on quality education with high academic standards. Teachers challenge students to do their best and encourage responsibility. The school requires that every student have a C- in every class to participate in extracurricular activities such as basketball, volleyball and drama (REAL Christian Theatre). In addition, the SDA School focuses on holistic learning – reaching the mind, body and spirit of each student.
“If a student enrolls in our school and is below grade level in basic skills, it is our goal to catch that child up to speed,” states school principal, Barbara Maycock. “We don’t want any child to simply slide through our school. It is our goal to first install basic skills, next to challenge their skills, and as a result, install a love for life-long learning,” Maycock continues. The SDA School provides free after-school tutoring for any child needing extra attention.
In addition, the SDA School cares about the needs of families and right now provides free after-school care for students up to 4:30 pm. Next year this program will extend hours to provide care up to 5:30 pm., Mondays to Thursdays.
To continue providing quality education the SDA School has plans to re-locate its two separate campuses to one central location and expand to grade 12. World-renown Filipino fashion designer, Renee Salud, is joining efforts with the SDA school to produce a fashion show fundraiser – “Fashion Cares by Renee Salud”- to jumpstart the funding efforts. The fundraiser is scheduled for October 2007. Salud spent time at the school last month sharing his artistic talents and his inspiring life story with the SDA students.