This year’s theme was “Fantasea,” and 14 junior and high school teams participated in the whole day event at the Hyatt Regency’s beach park.
SSHS and SCS won gifts, souvenir items, plaques and a cash prize of $300 for each team.
In the high school division, the SSHS Manta Rays were also adjudged as the most spirited group and this year’s recipient of the 2008 Star Fish Award.
Coaching SSHS for the first time, teacher Anna Elkins said they devoted only one day to practice for the contest.
“I am just absolutely proud of my team because they successfully defended the title,” she said. “The members are amazing and I was not truly surprised of the honor as all of them got the talents and have natural abilities.”
One of the team members was a member of the school’s winning squad last year, one is in the ceramics class, and two are attending the after-school art classes.
The SSHS team this year was composed of Meco Sablan, John Babauta, Nisho Torres and Madisa Onni.
“It feels great to be the champion again,” Torres said, adding that team work and cooperation were the key factors to their success.
SSHS has been joining the competition for four years now.
This year, its entry was titled “King Poseidon” — the king of sea turtles.
Placing second in the high school division was Tinian High School for its “brain coral” entry while Grace Christian Academy’s “mermaid” was named the third best entry.
Tinian received $200 and gift items while GCA took home $100 and gift items.
In the junior division, Saipan Community School won the grand prize for the third time.
Its team this year was composed of James Ko, Justin Poon, Isa Tudela, and Anna Zhu.
According to teacher-coach Debbie Winkfield, the group diligently practiced for four weeks for the competition.
“We had experiences in the past went our work fell down in the last hour of the competition so to make sure that the team knows what to do when it happens again, we did a lot of practice and we’re happy we did it again because the team worked really hard,” she told Variety.
Winkfield said every year, the school selects new members for the team to give other students the opportunity to join the competition.
Ko, a team member, said the competition was a “good experience.”
“This is my first time…and it was a lot of fun. I am proud of my team,” he said.
Rota Junior High School finished second in the junior division, Ladera International School won third place while Hopwood Junior High received the Star Fish Award.
Organized by the non-profit group, Light in the Eve Foundation, the competition aims to raise the environmental awareness of the youth and other members of the community.
Foundation president Teresa Kim-Tenorio said they were satisfied with the turnout for this year’s event.
“We had another successful event this year…and we’re very proud of the teams and all the efforts they put into their creations. We’re truly impressed and pleased with the turnout,” she said, adding that more than half of the team members were participating in the event for the first time.
“Their enthusiasm and drive were amazing,” she said.
Kim-Tenorio also thanked the event’s sponsors and members of the public who witnessed Saturday’s event.
