Previous Story
EXCEPT FOR TINIAN JR./SR. HIGH SCHOOL
PSS graduations will all be drive-thru
Ada to graduates: ‘Always do the right thing’
Despite earlier appeals from Public School System students for a traditional graduation ceremony, all schools, except for the Tinian Jr./Sr. High School, will have to make do with a drive-thru graduation this year.
Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada shared this yesterday, adding that June 11 will be the last day of school, but then will be back by Aug. 18.
Kagman High School will be holding its graduation ceremony next Wednesday, May 26,; Dr. Rita H. Inos High School on Thursday, May 27; Marianas High School on Friday, May 28; Da’ok Academy the following Thursday, June 3; and Saipan Southern High School on Tuesday, June 8. Tinian Jr./Sr. High School graduates will have their ceremony next week, Tuesday, on May 25.
“This is a graduation that is one of its kind ever. Your story has been written. Congratulations and move on. Always remember three things. First, always pray. Second, read, and third, do the right thing, always do the right thing,” Ada said, extending his well wishes to the Class of 2021 graduates.
In addition, looking back at the school year that is about to end, Ada said that, based on their survey, the students have responded well, and are liking the “one day remote learning, and four day face-to-face” system, and that he is contemplating proposing that this “blended learning” method be continued.
“More and more research are also coming out, and even our own actual research here in the CNMI, that the special education population, they are responding more. Students are responding more in remote learning than they were with face-to-face,” Ada said. “I attribute that to the autonomy, they have the freedom to be themselves, and not having anybody watching over them or being with them. They just like that space.”
Ada said that they will be opening up the “face-to-face” for K-8, but for high school they are looking at doing the blended “one-day remote, four-day face-to-face” setup.
To comply with COVID-19 protocols on social distancing, PSS transitioned to blended learning last February, where students had both remote and classroom instruction.
