SAIPAN Southern High School educator Donovan Manibusan Tudela has been named the 2023 Public School System Teacher of the Year.
The 29-year-old mathematics teacher will officially represent the CNMI in the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, a teacher recognition program in the U.S. initiated by the nonprofit Council of Chief State School Officers.
The Board of Education also honored at the BOE office on Monday morning these four CNMI finalists: Jolene Aguon, science teacher, Kagman High School; Francis Mendiola, fifth grade all-content teacher, Koblerville Elementary School; Daniel Wollak, physical education teacher, Marianas High School; and Dr. Patrick Castillon, fifth grade all-content teacher, San Vicente Elementary School.
They received special plaques of recognition, gift baskets and cash prizes.
Herculean task
Tudela said he humbly accepts the PSS Teacher of the Year award.
“This was a journey for me and it sure is a herculean task,” he added. “This means a whole [lot] to myself, my family, most especially my colleagues, my school and, at the very core of everything, my students.”
Tudela said receiving the award “is a great honor and a great opportunity to represent our islands and also to show to the whole world that what we do here as a small island community can make a huge difference.”
Tudela received a special plaque of recognition and a perpetual trophy that will be displayed yearlong at his school.
This is the sixth time that the award went to a SSHS teacher. The previous CNMI-wide winners from SSHS are William DeWitt, Andrew Golden, Jonathan Cabrera, Dr. Dora B. Miura and Paul Miura.
Tudela is a member of the SSHS Class of 2011 who graduated in the top 10.
“I want to take this opportunity to be a voice for my students, to be a voice for the teachers, as well as to be a voice for the island community that education is going to evolve and that we are all going to be the best versions of ourselves so long as we try, we persevere, and that we have faith, and trust in each other that things are going to be okay because we are a resilient community,” Tudela said.
Asked about the “secret” to his success, he said: “There’s really no secret to my success. It’s just pouring my heart and mind into what I do; it’s my drive and my passion for what I do.”
He added, “I also want to attribute a lot of my success to my family, my administrators at SSHS as well as my colleagues, and my students for giving me a reason and a purpose.”
‘Very fortunate’
Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada, for his part, congratulated all the 20 teachers of the year on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
“We are very fortunate to have some very exceptionally committed, smart, talented and dedicated classroom teachers,” he said. “Each year for more than two decades now, 20 classroom heroes are recognized annually by our respective schools.”
Ada said, “Honoring them is an opportunity for our PSS family and our community to celebrate the hard work, commitment and sacrifices of our educators.”
The 2023 PSS Teacher of the Year Committee expressed appreciation to the members of the selection committee: Dr. Beylul Solomon, associate professor, Northern Marianas College School of Education; Shirley Sablan, president/chief executive officer, Pacifica Insurance Underwriters Inc.; Charles Cepeda, chair, NMC Board of Regents; Kathleen Keiko Yamagata, classroom teacher, Mount Carmel School; and Kaelani Demapan, member, board of directors, Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance.
Rigorous process
A four-part selection process took nearly five months to complete.
It began at the school-level where the nomination and deliberation process started in April. This was done jointly with the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association.
The selected school-level teacher of the year represented the school in the CNMI-level competition. All 20 school-level winners were screened and judged based on the National Teacher of the Year selection packet, which PSS has been using for many years now.
Next was an unannounced on-site visit and classroom observation conducted by the panel of judges.
Afterward, the selection committee chose the top five finalists, each of whom was interviewed by the judges.
As the CNMI awardee, Tudela will submit his entry/application to the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, which opens this week and ends on Oct. 30, according to PSS Teacher of the Year Coordinator Camacho.
The nation’s top four finalists will be announced in December, and the 2023 National Teacher of the Year will be announced at the White House in April.
Donovan M. Tudela, 3rd right, standing, is the 2023 Teacher of the Year of the Public School System. Also in photo are the four other finalists: Daniel Wollak, Dr. Patrick Castillon, Jolene Aguon and Francis Mendiola, Board of Education Chairman Gregory Pat Borja, right, and Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada, left.
The Board of Education members pose for a photo with 2023 PSS Teacher of the Year Donovan M. Tudela.
The five finalists for the 2023 PSS Teacher of the Year award are, from left, Dr. Patrick Castillon of San Vicente Elementary School, Francis Mendiola of Koblerville Elementary School, Donovan M. Tudela of Saipan Southern High School, Daniel Wollak of Marianas High School, and Jolene Aguon of Kagman High School.
2023 PSS Teacher of the Year Donovan M. Tudela with proud parents Roman Tudela Jr. and Aristona Manibusan Tudela.
2023 PSS Teacher of the Year Donovan M. Tudela with SSHS Principal Vince Dela Cruz who is holding the perpetual trophy.
