By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

OLEAI Elementary School was once again named the overall winner of the Parade of Books competition which saw the participation of over a hundred students from public and private schools.
Organized by the Saipan Rotary Club, the contest objective is to promote literacy and reading among students.
This year’s competition, held at the multi-purpose center in Susupe, drew eight schools.
Oleai was awarded $700 and a trophy for its presentation of “The Wizard of Oz.”
The students garnered 142.5 points from the judges.
Glenn Muna, Oleai Elementary School principal, said the prize money will be used to buy more books for their library.
“This is our second time to win and we’re very happy,” he said.
He said the students practiced for two weeks.
About 35 students from kindergarten to fourth grade were part of the OES presentation, Muna said.
Winning the second prize of $500 and a trophy was the group of Kagman Elementary School students who presented “Show and Tell.” They garnered 137.9 points.
Next came Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School for “Magic School Bus” which earned the students $300 and a trophy.
The GTC cast got 131.3 points.
The fourth placer, which was awarded a one-year subscription to the Reader’s Digest magazine, was San Vicente Elementary School which presented the “Ginger Bread Man.” The school got an overall score of 128.5 points.
The Rotary Club says all participants were judged according to the following criteria: closeness to the timeframe of five minutes; costume depiction; enthusiasm of the participants; vocal clarity; and overall adherence to the theme.
Consolation prizes of $100 each were awarded to the other participating schools — Mount Carmel, San Antonio, Saipan Community School and Garapan.
The Rotary Club’s president, Judge Juan T. Lizama, said they were satisfied with the turnout of the event.
He said Northwest Airlines served as this year’s major sponsor.