ON Saturday Oct. 14, 2023, the Saipan Southern High School Manta Ray Battalion, along with the battalions from Kagman High School and Marianas High School, were up bright and early from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. to take the initiative to assist the community by thoroughly cleaning up the Chalan Kanoa cemetery in preparation for All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days on Nov. 1 and 2.
Despite experiencing Typhoon Bolaven recently, we were still able to have over 150 cadets come out to assist the community, showcasing the great motivation and dedication of the cadets. The schools were split into three groups as they worked together to clean their designated areas.
C/SSG Roberto, Jeremiah stated that “it was a very enjoyable experience since I was able to see my friends and work with them to clean up the cemetery.”
C/SSG Mad, Niana said: “Definitely more fun than I had expected! I got the chance to build a stronger bond with two of the other cadets in my company. I enjoyed that we as the younger generation had the opportunity to clean our community’s cemetery. All in all, it was great and a refresher after the whole week without school.”
For C/SFC Deblois, Jamie, “The cemetery cleanup was such a great experience and opportunity to connect with others while being able to clean up and beautify our community as well as having the chance to meet new people and give respect to the people that have died so it was overall a great way to spend a Saturday.”
Towards the end of the cleanup, the cadets managed to fill up over 70 bags of numerous weathered wreaths, damaged candles, old flowers, trash, and other debris covering several graves. All three battalions received certificates of appreciation from Mount Carmel Cathedral for their tremendous work on thoroughly cleaning up the Chalan Kanoa cemetery.
We would like to thank all of the cadets for coming out and supporting our community!
