The new signs installed by the Saipan Fil-American Lions Club are seen in this combination of photos. Contributed photos
CCLHS program director Jonas Barcinas said there are 11 categories for kindergarten to 12th grade students who will showcase their proficiency in speaking, writing, and singing in the local languages, as well as in traditional dances.
For this year’s event, Barcinas said they added a dual language proficiency category for middle and high school students.
“The dual language proficiency category aims to promote our students who can speak Chamorro and Carolinian,” he added.
The overall winners in each category will participate in the University of Guam’s annual Chamorro language competition on March 9-10, Barcinas said.
He added that the annual performing arts competition in the Commonwealth “aims to encourage students to learn to value the indigenous languages spoken here in the CNMI regardless of their ethnicity. The competition also gives them the opportunity to demonstrate what they are learning in the classroom with their teachers.”
He thanked the teachers for preparing their students for the event. “We will highlight the students’ growth, and their understanding of the value of learning their native languages. [In the future], we want to see a larger number of our students speaking the local languages with their peers, parents, friends, and family members,” Barcinas said.
He encourages parents to get more involved in their children’s education.
“It is our responsibility as adults and community members to organize activities that can be powerful and meaningful for our students to engage in. We want to give these students that opportunity to expose themselves through this educational competition because many members of the young generation of today don’t really speak their native languages. We hope that through this event, students will realize just how beautiful, unique and valuable our indigenous languages and cultural heritage are,” Barcinas added.
