(PSS) — The commitment and dedication of each and every service member who works for the Public School System extends beyond the front lines, whether in peacetime or on the battlefield.
On Friday, education officials designated May 12-16 as PSS Service Members Appreciation Week.
For nearly 15 years, PSS has dedicated time to honoring service members who serve as classroom teachers, instructors, program personnel, and in other roles.
Since 2012, when there were about 20 military personnel in the public education workforce, the number of service members has increased significantly. Today, 60 individuals from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force are serving in 20 public elementary, middle, and high school campuses across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, as well as in various programs and services that support classroom learning.
They are heroes to the children, parents, and school community they serve, education officials said.
The highlight of Friday’s proclamation signing event was the moment when each service member was individually acknowledged to loud applause from students and education officials.
The service members read the proclamation in Chamorro, Carolinian and English.
Supportive families, BOE
Commissioner of Education Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho said it is both an honor and a source of pride to know that service members in PSS are supported by the Board of Education — whether in peacetime or in combat.
He said it is also deeply meaningful that “we continue to pay homage to all service members who stand ready to defend our Constitution alongside our flag.”
Camacho is a decorated, retired U.S. Army lt. colonel with 21 years of active-duty service. He holds the distinction of being one of the highest-ranking service members to have served in PSS and the Commonwealth government.
In his remarks on Friday, Camacho also expressed appreciation to the families of service members.
“We want to make sure that we honor the families of our service members who support their spouses and sacrifice their time together, as families, to be able to accomplish the mission and to be able to come back home alive,” Camacho said, reflecting on how, during his years of active duty, he served with and led soldiers in combat in Iraq, among other deployments.
“Let us continue to celebrate and appreciate the sacrifices of our brave men and women who continue to pave the way for us to enjoy the freedom we have today,” he added.
Great contributions
For BOE Chair Aschumar Kodep Ogumoro-Uludong, honoring service members is especially meaningful for his family.
“I want to thank you for your service to our country, to our communities, to our citizens, and to all your work here in our Public School System,” he said.
“Earlier this year I happened to visit my dad’s sister in Guam. She lost her husband in the Vietnam War. He was…the first Micronesian helicopter pilot. She had shared with me the story when she was in college and he was in Vietnam. They were writing letters back and forth, very consistently. And [my aunt] reminded him through letters by sending him a piece of the [soil] of the country he was fighting for,” Ogumoro-Uludong said.
“It really reminds me of the sacrifices that we out here in the islands make for the United States… with some disparities, and we are all aware of some of those disparities. But despite that, you all are very committed to your service to the country. With that, thank you very much. We appreciate you,” he added.
Teaching service and leadership as students transition to high school and participate in the JROTC program is one of the successful contributions of service members to PSS through the PSS Leadership Corps Program, which was created in 2012 as a middle school pathway.
“I am very impressed [with] how the Leadership Corps works in our schools,” Ogumoro-Uludong said.
Deep sense of commitment, loyalty
The level of dedication and loyalty that service members demonstrate after their active duty, particularly in cases like working for PSS, is unmatched, according to BOE member Maisie B. Tenorio.
She noted the devotion and passion displayed by PSS service members in various roles, including those within the Board of Education.
“I feel sort of unqualified to speak in front of service members because I feel that you have such rich knowledge and experience that I could learn from, that we could all learn from,” she added.
“I hope one day that we can create some kind of event where you are up here sharing with us the lessons that you’ve learned and the strategies that you have developed over the years in your time as service members that have touched the lives of our students,” Tenorio said.
“But I will share that what I have learned from my own family members who are service members, and from working with service members — such as former BOE chair and retired Sgt. Maj. Herman Atalig, former BOE Chair Greg Borja, and our current commissioner of education, Dr. Camacho — is that there is a deep, deep sense of commitment, loyalty, and service,” she added.
“It makes sense to me that because of that deep sense of loyalty and service, you would then dedicate it for the rest of your life — as long as you continue to serve, whether currently or on your next adventure. You have chosen to dedicate your lives to our children, and I’m deeply grateful, with so much admiration and respect for all of you,” Tenorio said.
Service members who continue to serve the country through their dedication and commitment in public education were honored Friday during a proclamation signing dedicating the week of May 12-16 as Public School System Service Members Appreciation Week. The event was held in the Marianas High School cafeteria and was led by Board of Education Chair Aschumar Kodep Ogumoro-Uludong, BOE member Maisie B. Tenorio, Commissioner of Education Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho, and Associate Commissioner for Administrative Service Eric Magofna.
PSS photo
Commissioner of Education Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho, a retired Army lt. colonel, recognizes the PSS service members who are with the U.S. Army.
U.S. Marines who are also educators of the Public School System.
Public School System educators who are also U.S. Navy members.
Kevin De Torres of the U.S. Air Force works for the Instructional Technology and Distance Education Program of PSS.
