The financial aid workshop, which is free to the public, will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 18, in the Fiesta Resort’s Hibiscus Hall. Financial aid specialists will be personally assisting participants in filling out federal financial aid forms and scholarship applications so that those planning on attending college can maximize the aid they can receive from various local and federal sources of scholarships. The workshop will also feature presentations from current college students and prominent college graduates.
The financial aid workshop is sponsored as part of the College Access Challenge Project, which aims to increase college enrollment and retention among the CNMI’s public high school graduates. The project will also be awarding direct financial aid in the form of need-based grants and tuition and fees assistance to qualified participants. The grant will be complemented by academic support services, which will include tutoring, personal counseling, and a variety of educational activities and workshops to prepare students for success in college.
Administered by NMC, the project will draw from the expertise of the college’s staff, other students, and local financial aid representatives. NMC staff will also assist students with admission and financial aid applications.
The CACP is funded by a federal grant under the U.S. Department of Education.
Students learn how to be street smart
(Marpac Inc.) — Life on the streets takes on a whole new meaning when you’re a firefighter/paramedic. The streets are where the crashes occur…where poor choices have played out…where teamwork is a must…where split seconds can save a life.
It’s these kinds of life-changing experiences that create the backdrop for a dramatic, gripping program called Street Smart that was presented to Saipan students on Dec. 3 at Kagman, Saipan Southern and Marianas High School. Street Smart takes teens into the real-life drama experienced by firefighter/paramedics as they work to save the lives of youth who have made poor choices when it comes to underage drinking or using illegal drugs.
Presented in a classroom setting, a team of two certified paramedics walks students through what happens at a trauma scene using the medical equipment they employ daily in their jobs. From taking a pulse, to loading the victim onto a backboard, to simulating an IV-line being inserted, students can see and feel what it’s like to try to save a life.
And what it’s like to be the victim. They learn the stories behind the crashes, they hear the choices that individuals were given, and they see irresponsible actions played out.
Street Smart is sponsored by Marpac Inc., the local Anheuser-Busch wholesaler, and Anheuser-Busch as part of the company’s commitment to fight underage drinking and drunk driving.
“Many of our employees in Saipan are parents, and we’re committed to helping our young people stay safe,” explains Joey T. Garrido, resident manager of Marpac. “The paramedics’ real-life stories have a powerful, long-lasting impact that we hope will encourage students to be responsible about the choices they make.”
Street Smart engages students rather than lecturing or preaching to them. Using factual information, actual medical equipment and demonstrations involving students, the paramedics provide a real-life look at the consequences of irresponsible actions. In addition, students learn to recognize EMS procedures, which may reduce anxiety if they are ever involved in trauma experiences. This is beneficial not only to the patient, but to first responders, rescue, and Emergency Room personnel.
Street Smart is presented by members of Stay Alive From Education, a non-profit organization created by firefighter/paramedics in Miami-Dade County, Florida, dedicated to reducing teen injuries and fatalities.
Street Smart is one of more than two dozen community-based alcohol awareness and education programs sponsored by Anheuser-Busch and its more than 600 independent wholesalers across the country to help discourage drunk driving and underage drinking and promote responsible drinking among adults who choose to drink.
To learn more about these efforts, visit www.beeresponsible.com.
Yap linemen receive US certification
COLONIA, Yap (Department of Youth and Civic Affairs) — After years of training, five employees of the Yap State Public Service Corp. received their U.S. Department of Labor Certification as linemen.
The five trainees have all successfully completed the requirements for the Class 8 lineman course.
It marks the first time for any employee in any state in the FSM to receive journeymen certification as linemen.
The training program is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of the Interior/Office of Insular Affairs, the U.S. Department of Labor, the College of Micronesia-FSM, the Yap State Public Service Corp. and the Pacific Lineman Training LLC.
Its aim is to train line workers to the standard required by the USDOL.
Yap State Public Service Corp. general manager Faustino Yangmog said he was very proud of the achievement of the five individuals and challenged them to continue their work with the utility corporation to “provide the best service to Yap.”
Harry “Spike” Speicher, head trainer for Pacific Lineman Training, along with partner, Chris Middleton, has been working with the employees through many years of training.
“It’s a really, really great accomplishment for these guys to receive their certification,” he said. “It takes the whole staff at YSPSC to make this day possible.”
He said these linemen were able to restore power to the entire island of Yap after Typhoon Sudal in only 21 days.
A feat he described as “incredible” due to the fact that they had no outside assistance.
Grilly Jack, vocational training coordinator at the College of Micronesia, expressed his delight at their accomplishment and stated to the newly certified linemen, “You are needed…your community, state, and company need you.”
The linemen are Steven Ken Libmad, Steven Ken, Charles Laman, Florentino Ruwowyoch, and Hilary Figir.
Six other trainees have also completed Class 7 training and are expected to be certified in Class 8 lineman training in March 2009.
Chacha Parent Literacy Night
(COJHS) — Chacha Ocean View Jr. High School will have its first Parent Literacy Night today, Dec. 18, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
All COJHS parents are requested to attend this event. Students can come with their parents.
For more information, call 237-3921 or 664-4100.
Water contamination in lower Dandan
(CUC) — E. coli bacteria were found in portions of lower Dandan, Holiday R., Independence Lp., Natibu PI., water supply on Dec. 17, samples collected on Dec. 16 confirmed the presence of these bacteria.
These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems.
Do not drink the water without boiling it first.
Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water.
Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice.
Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes.
Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.
They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
For more information, contact the Division of Environmental Quality at 664-8500 or the CUC lab at 322-5140.
