Tasi to Table has lined up many events for its 100-plus student participants this school year from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, and anticipates another successful year for the organization.<\/p>\n
That success was presaged by a meet-and-greet event that TTT held at Kagman High School last Oct. 2 for the organization\u2019s Saipan, Tinian, and Rota students.<\/p>\n
TTT president Gene Weaver said that student numbers at the meet-and-greet, as well as student participation this school year overall, surpassed his expectations. \u201cLast year, we hardly filled up [the cafeteria]. This year, it was packed. We more than doubled our numbers in some schools, and in other schools tripled our numbers. I\u2019m excited, and I\u2019m proud to be part of TTT and to know that we\u2019re doing something for these kids,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
TTT vice president Wayne Pangelinan said that TTT is \u201cstarting off very strong\u201d this year. \u201cWe\u2019re starting off very strong, and I hope our community sees what we\u2019re trying to do. [TTT is] not just for us, it\u2019s for the youth that\u2019s going to carry us in the future,\u201d said Pangelinan. \u201cIt\u2019s really about giving the kids opportunities to see what\u2019s available, and maybe they might get into these fields. And that\u2019s what we want. If we can get [even] one of these kids off to university doing what we\u2019ve taught them, we\u2019ve succeeded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pangelinan said that a part of this year\u2019s student program will feature a scientific focus, with Micronesian Environmental Services and the Northern Marianas College\u2019s Cooperative Research, Extension & Education Services being involved. <\/p>\n
Da\u2019Ok Academy teacher and third-year TTT adviser Joan Reyes said in an earlier interview that she looks forward to another year of being involved with TTT. The first iteration of TTT\u2019s eight-month student program was launched with a pilot program at Da\u2019Ok Academy in 2019. <\/p>\n
Witnessing firsthand the rapid growth of TTT over the last three years, Reyes said she enjoys the \u201cfeeling\u201d of seeing her students grow and develop through participating in the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just that feeling, that feeling that the kids grew, thanks to Tasi to Table, and I want to continue that feeling. …Besides the growth in student numbers, [TTT] is known now in the community, and we have a lot of support [now] from the government and private sector. \u2026 The kids continue to tell me, \u2018Miss, I\u2019m so glad I was a part of the program. I caught my first fish [through TTT]\u2019, and that\u2019s our main goal,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Also in an interview earlier this month, Heavenly Pangelinan, who is a Marianas High School student and first-time member of TTT this school year, said she is very excited to be connected to her culture through fishing. \u201cIt\u2019s my first time being in the program, and I\u2019m really excited because I just moved here and it\u2019s good to know that I\u2019ll be more connected with my culture,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
JP Merza, who is a Tinian Jr.\/Sr. High School student and a second-year TTT member, said that TTT taught him many things, but above all, it was through fishing that he learned patience. Merza was one of 12 Tinian students that participated in a four-month pilot program that TTT launched on Tinian last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve experienced so many things that changed me in a way. \u2026I never thought that fishing would be one of my hobbies, I thought it was boring at first. I used to lack patience, but fishing taught me that it\u2019s okay to wait, and [that] patience is a core value that will help us in our everyday lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tasi to Table is a program that seeks to instill the love of fishing and the sea among the youth while also allowing participants to earn elective high school credits through eight-month programs on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. During these eight-month programs, students will be exposed to lessons in sustainable fishing practices, boating safety, fishing rod and reel maintenance, and other fishing-related topics of interest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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