‘Get educated, come back and serve your community’

ROTA—Students of Rota’s Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior Senior High School, joined by sixth grade students of Sinapalo Elementary School, held their annual youth summit last May 17. The summit, initiated by the school’s Youth Advisory Panel, saw presentations and activities designed to improve the school climate, elevate students’ voices, and increase after-high school readiness.

The youth summit was initiated in 2008 as a flagship program of the Youth Advisory Panel under the Office of the Commissioner of Education.

This year’s largest gathering saw the participation of the chief state school superintendent, Education Commissioner Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho, who, along with all the other speakers, gave the students the opportunity to be part of the discussion as they listened to life experiences different from their own but are essential to building their leadership skills, and ultimately, will guide them in their future choices.

The daylong summit on May 17, held within the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior Senior High School campus, included presentations by various clubs, organizations and PSS programs. They were by AmeriCorps on Team Building, Youth Advisory Panel-Healthy Eating, YAP-Making Right Choices, Asian Invasion-Team Building, STUCO-Team Building, YAP-Education and Career Success, JROTC-Team Building, Healthy Relationship, National Honor Society-Team Building, Digital Citizenship, Budgeting, Mental Wellbeing, Natural Helpers (Saipan)-Team Building, Elvira Mesngon-Team Building, YAP Sinapalo Elementary School-Team Building, Division of Youth Services-Team Building, Sources of Strength OR Patch (Saipan), and Project Prom.

They were also joined by Rota Mayor Aubrey Hocog, the first student representative to the Board of Education, Sen. Donald Manglona (Ind-Rota), and visiting members of the Guam Visitors Bureau on a familiarization tour to the island and accompanied by members of the media and social media influencers.

Camacho gave Rota’s students a glimpse of his past. He shared his life’s journey, and how the importance of education can help share one’s attitude and behavior towards life.

“I was told at an early age that it is important to get educated, that I needed to go to school to learn many things in life, and to eventually succeed in everything that I do. It was my grandfather—an old man who never received education during the Japanese period—who encouraged me to focus on my future and that started by going to school to learn,” Commissioner of Education Dr. Camacho said in his remarks before the island’s more than 300 students, from 6th to 12th grade.

“I took to heart what he told me. Like a little kid from the community of San Roque in Saipan, I studied hard. My grandfather was right: go beyond and dream big.”

The education chief’s grandfather is Gregorio T. Camacho, the first commissioner of San Roque Village on Saipan and the first Parent-Teacher Association president of San Roque Elementary School, which was later renamed in honor of his late grandfather.

Camacho believes that Rota’s public school students are the island’s future and education will always be key to success.

“Get educated. Go beyond what you can learn by exploring what education can provide and give you. Then come back home and serve the community,” he told the Rota students.

“Your education leaders, me included, your school principals, classroom teachers, counselor, librarian and everyone in this community will continue to work together to make sure that our school, Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr. Sr. High School and Sinapalo Elementary School, and all other schools on Tinian and Saipan, will continue to deliver that quality education.”

The education chief added, “The future that I see in you is what drives us your educators and supporters of public education.

Camacho reiterated that the school district continues to implement initiatives and programs that cater to the growing need of students for their after-high school choices. These include Career and Technical Education-related program curriculum that is being taught early, some in middle school and in high school, and the Cooperative Education Program, that allows early workforce exposure through on-the-job training for high school students, among others.

“Your PSS leaders, with the support of the Board of Education, will continue to provide the support needed by our students. And, as PSS students, you are going to be designing your future and the future of this beautiful island.” (PR)