Education Day now half-day event

The Public School System will hold this year’s Education Day for only half the day, in contrast to previous year’s celebration.

Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School principal Charlotte Camacho disclosed during a recent principals’ meeting that the principals and PSS officials agreed to hold the Education Day on Nov. 22 for half the day only.

Camacho, who was last year’s CNMI Teacher of the Year, said they agreed to make it a half-day event to provide ample time for teachers to prepare and go home for the Thanksgiving holiday the following day.

“We want people to get back to their families,” she said.

Another reason is because PSS will hold a banquet celebration the night before Education Day to honor this year’s CNMI Teachers and Teacher Aides of the year. Camacho said the banquet would be dedicated to the honorees.

The PSS Human Resource Office is now arranging for the venue and funding for the event. PSS director of finance Richard Waldo, who attended the meeting last week, had pledged to the school principals that he would “find the money” to support the event. Camacho said that PSS would announce the final venue and other details of the event soon.

Camacho was named the CNMI’s Teacher of the Year for 2005 during a drizzly Education Day festivities held at the driving range of the Laolao Bay Golf Resort last year.

William DeWitt of Saipan Southern High School was named first runner-up; Teresita Reyes of Oleai Elementary School was second runner-up.

Camacho topped the 20 qualified teachers, although only 17 met the final qualification deadline for last year’s award. She has been with the PSS for over 10 years now. An early childhood education major, she graduated from San Diego State University and has been a kindergarten and first grade teacher.

She has been very active in community outreach involvement that includes forensic competitions, book fairs, interscholastic academic challenges, walkathons for a cause, fundraising for charity, and community vigils for heightened social awareness and consciousness, among her extra-curricular engagements.

In addition to the prize from the Executive Award on Excellence, Camacho also received a cash prize from Joe Ayuyu of McDonald’s Saipan, and a privilege card from the Laolao Bay Golf Resort.

Camacho joined fellow awardees across the nation in a national conference early this year in Dallas, Texas.