GEARING up for the Marianas School Pride or MSP launch this Monday, the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers held a series of presentations to our public and private school leaders this past month. GCEA recently met with the newly installed MSP advisors and ambassadors, and I am thrilled by the overwhelming support and enthusiasm of our Public School System students, teachers, and staff who attended our pilot meeting.
When the council launched the Marianas Village Pride Campaign last year, the goal was to promote a sense of community pride within the villages and schools. It also coincided with the creation of the PSS Family and Community Engagement Program. The MVP campaign focused on improving the quality of life at the village level within which our public-school community belongs.
As for the PSS Family and Community Engagement Program, it has been a great success, and in its second year, it has branched off into the Marianas School Pride program to to help make schools better places to learn and thrive.
The MSP program is also bringing back meaningful activities that will build teamwork and a sense of ownership in schools. The campus beautification activities as well as the anti-littering and anti-vandalism campaigns will educate our students on the importance of our environment. Our children must take ownership and pride in their schools and communities.
Over 50 PSS students, teachers, and staff members attended the first MSP advisors and ambassadors meeting, and this demonstrates that they understand the importance of their roles in our community. I am inspired by their enthusiasm and service to their schools.
Cash prizes funded by education tax credits helped our schools accomplish much-needed projects or purchase supplies and equipment. Marianas High School won the grand prize of $15,000, and the school’s leadership maximized every cent to reinvest in the school and its students.
I encourage all schools to identify their MSP advisors and ambassadors as soon as possible as the official campaign will begin on Sept. 26. This is a fantastic opportunity for our schools. GCEA announced at the PSS Principals and Program Leaders’ Summit that the grand prize will be $10,000 for the winning middle or high school and another $10,000 for the winning elementary school.
As the council prepares to make its way to Rota on Sept. 30, our Rota public schools have already committed to a beautification project. I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr/Sr High School and Sinapalo Elementary School for submitting a campus beautification proposal. I am excited to see the before-and-after transformation.
I continue to encourage all our schools to join GCEA as they launch the campus beautification program, the Christmas decorating contest, and the mural contest which starts Monday, Sept. 26. The other contests will launch in October, and schools can earn points for participating. Student volunteer hours will also be matched with points.
When I attended the MVP awards ceremony in April, I was impressed by the overwhelming participation of our public school on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota considering that we were still coping with the pandemic.
On behalf of our Board of Education and the entire PSS community, I’d like to thank the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers and its partners for this commendable initiative. Your ongoing assistance in beautifying our community is consistent with PSS’s outreach campaign of community partnership and inclusion.
As we embark on a new school year, I hope that students recognize that we are dealing with many of the same issues confronting other communities around the world.
Our worldview should be that everyone is the same and can positively contribute to their communities.
I know that the past two years have been difficult for our students as they have adjust to the hybrid classes, so I hope that through the MSP program, our students can look forward to participating in activities that will boost morale and school spirit. At the Board of Education and PSS leadership level, we appreciate any assistance in restoring normalcy in our students’ lives, and GCEA has been the first to step forward and respond to our call for collaboration. Together, We Can!
For more information, visit the GCEA at cnmieconomy.com, on Facebook and Instagram (@cnmigov.economy), or contact them at gceacnmi@gmail.com/.
Alfred B. Ada, Ed.D. has been the commissioner of education since December 2019 and has continued to lead the Public School System through the challenges that have arisen since then.
Alfred B. Ada
