HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — There are quite a few historic sites in the village of Humåtak, but only one made it to America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites list — Francisco Q. Sanchez Elementary School.
“I feel so happy about it, I am proud that F.Q. Sanchez was one of the historical sites endangered and it was picked,” Humåtak Mayor Johnny Quinata said. “A lot of us graduated from that school in elementary.”
Built in 1953, F.Q. Sanchez was the only elementary school in Humåtak until it closed in 2011. Since then the building has fallen apart.
“Today, the building is vacant, unusable, and deteriorating. Humåtak Mayor Johnny Quinata, the Guam Preservation Trust, and others are advocating for quick distribution of funds from the government of Guam so that the school can be restored as a centerpiece of the village’s cultural life,” according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
To celebrate, the Humåtak Mayor’s Office hosted an event Thursday morning to commemorate the selection of the elementary school’s inclusion in the endangered historic sites list.
“It was nominated by Joe Quinata, he’s the one that called me, he’s from the Guam Preservation Trust,” the mayor said. “We have a lot of historic sites in Humåtak; we have the school, the church, the library and we have a couple of forts. Out of all of these, the elementary school got picked for it.”
The elementary school was one of 11 national sites announced by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The sites represent a powerful illustration of expansive American history, according to the national organization.
Now that it’s listed as an endangered historic site, Mayor Quinata believes that funding will be available to preserve the site and get it back into shape for future use.
The closed F.Q. Sanchez Elementary School campus as seen Aug. 11, 2021 in Humåtak.
