High School Dome: Private vs. Public

By Bernard Rivera
MV Teen Reporter

The bell rings and students rush to their next class, which is a pretty basic high school experience.
What makes it different for most students is whether they are attending public or private schools.
In this special feature of High School Dome, MV Teen takes a closer look at a public school, Kagman High School and a private school, Grace Christian Academy.
One Family
Located in upper Navy Hill, Grace Christian Academy has been serving the CNMI for 20 years. From kindergarten to high school, an average of 430 students have graduated from its Christian-based learning institution.
“We are all so close with one another. It isn’t just the students, but the teachers and the faculty as well. Here in GCA, the student teacher relationship is extremely close,” said GCA Senior Raneeza Cano. “Whenever my friends and I have parties, we usually invite some of our teachers. We’re that close. We are like this one big happy family. I guess that’s the reason as to why I love being in this school.”
Growing Numbers
Sitting on a corner of Kagman III, Kagman High School was first built to accommodate only 600 students.
With its growing number of 770 students, it is quite a challenge for the administration to keep an eye on all of the students.
KHS Principal Alfred Ada, however, plans to change that, by making a few changes on how the school’s policies and regulations are enforced.
“Mr. Ada is very tough! He is strict with all the rules, and that’s new for every one of us, students and the faculty alike. We are not used to this kind of change. Also, he’s always around,” said KHS student Heather Arriola. “He would be out there in the field with the students, he isn’t just sitting in his office.”
“He listens to our issues, and tries to work with us. He follows the rules like he expects us to do. That’s why I respect him,” she said.
One on One
On GCA’s campus at the journalism and photography class, there were at least seven kids.
With such a small class size, students receive direct attention from their teachers and have learned to work as a close-knit group.
Creative Activities
Over 30 students enter one of Leila Staffler’s English classes at KHS. Every Tuesday, Staffler encourages her students to create a skit representing their vocabulary words from the lesson of the day.
The activity became a hit, with all the students participating and having fun.
“When I was a kid back in class, it was usually very boring. I wanted to change that with my teaching,” said Staffler.
Positive Experiences
GCA creates an environment that encourages academic excellence and shares positive life lessons to its young adults.
“One day during class, I was teaching the students about how life truly is—indicating how every single person out there is as special and beautiful. I told the students about the positive things in life, then one of them said that ‘No one has ever said that to me before. I had never had someone say nice things to me.’ She was crying, along with my other students. That day was an incredible, emotional and a memorable moment in my life,” said Ian Dionson, a theater teacher in GCA.
Ready for the World
Ada says that he would like his students to be prepared for life after high school.
“I felt when I was back in high school, enrolled in a private school, I felt I wasn’t ready for the outside world,” said Ada.
“I felt as though that I was really sheltered within my surroundings when I got out into the real world. I didn’t expect how it truly is. I want to change that expectation with my students and make them ready. I want them to understand the real world, and to just make them feel safe, those are my challenges, my goals in my life,” he said.

Joining school clubs a plus for college

By Bernard Rivera
MV Teen Reporter

Juniors and seniors preparing to enter colleges in the U.S. may have to beef up the number of school and community groups they assist in if they want to get into their dream academy.
Although CNMI students applying to colleges in the U.S. face heavy competition from mainland students due to the wide range of academic and civic opportunities there, local students have gained equal footing when it comes to diversity.
“College admission offices are looking to build more diverse graduating classes. They want students who will bring personality and diversity to a class. They want confident, competent and well-roundedindividuals?” said Dr. Chase Algaier, instructor at Marianas High School.
Diversity may add a plus sign for CNMI students, but one other major factor is academic achievement and local students are performing quite well.
“The best students in the CNMI can compete on an even footing with the best students anywhere. The best students in the CNMI scores on AP exams, are the best in their competition in JSA debates, and go to some of the best public and private schools in America?” said Dr. Algaier.
To get into America’s top universities, such as those in the Ivy League, CNMI students will have to show impressive academic and social achievements while in high school.
“To get into Ivy League schools, students need outstanding high school careers. They need great grades in challenging classes, well-developed extra curricular resumes, and strong SAT and AP Test scores?” said Dr. Algaier.
The nine Ivy League Schools in the U.S. are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Purdue, and Yale Universities.
One high school senior has her sights set on American University at Washington D.C, and Virginia University, being that both have strong law schools, which she is planning to major in.
“It’s probably going to be easy for me to enter into any college or university that I want to apply to?” said Jennifer Benavente, a senior and top academic student at Saipan Southern High School.
When students look for the right university, they must look for what majors a college has and also on their faculty and student ratings?” said Algaier.
“Students should go to a school’s web site and read their school’s vision and mission statements.”