By Trina A. San Agustin
Variety News Staff

CLIENTS and staff of the Department of Youth Affairs are celebrating the completion of the construction of their new Liheng Famagu’on School with its four classrooms and one teacher’s lounge, according to DYA director Chris Duenas.
“We are very happy here to open up our brand new school ‘Liheng Famagu’on’. This is a partnership with the Guam Public School System,” Duenas said. “It (education) has been going on for many years here at DYA but as a result of typhoons Pongsona and Chatan, the former school was destroyed. It had concrete walls but did not have concrete roofing.”
The $269,000 funding for the school construction came from Compact-Impact funds given by the governor’s office to DYA.
“We broke ground almost a year ago in April 2006. We had some design changes which worked out well. We now have a completely new building at the same price of $269,000,” Duenas added.
The school is attended exclusively by the young people at DYA to allow them to continue their education as they would in a normal school outside the DYA fence.
Duenas told Variety that the DYA school is just like a regular GPSS school.
“It’s actually a lot better given the fact that class sizes are a lot smaller. There are four classrooms in this school. It has a science room, an arts and crafts room, and two classes for general studies. It also includes a teachers’ lounge,” he added.
The Liheng Famagu’on is a part of the GPSS Special Education Program with GPSS teachers educating DYA’s clients. As of yesterday, DYA has 27 students, according to Duenas.
“We have different grade levels here so the teachers can teach whatever grade level the young people are in when they are in their home school,” said Duenas.
The teachers’ pay and some of the education materials are funded by GPSS. DYA funds the maintenance of the building, utilities, some of the materials, and equipment.
“What is really unique and what we were able to incorporate is a 100 percent back-up power generation. This building is outfitted with typhoon shutters as well. So I can tell you that if we have a storm, the school can be up and running the following day,” Duenas said.