The proclamation “recognizes the sacrifices of the parents who chose and continue to choose to send their children to Catholic schools, and acknowledges the outstanding commitment of the teachers, administrators, and other personnel who provide excellent education in the diocese of Chalan Kanoa.”
In an interview, Mount Carmel School public relations officer Victoria Deleon Guerrero said each year, the CNMI joins the national celebration of Catholic Schools Week whose theme is, “Learn, Serve, Lead, Succeed.”
Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios speaks before signing the proclamation designating Jan. 26 -Feb. 2, 2020 as Catholic Schools Week. Also in photo are Mount Carmel School students, MCS president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero, MCS chairman of the board Ben Babauta, and MCS vice principal Barbara Merfalen.
She said the mission of Catholic schools such as MCS is to educate the whole person so they can “see with Christ’s eyes.”
“That mission carries on through not just our students but with our alumni as well,” Deleon Guerrero said.
Besides MCS, Sister Remedios Early Childhood Development Center and Eskuelan San Francisco de Borja on Rota are the Catholic schools in the CNMI.
Mount Carmel School students pose with MCS president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero, MCS board chairman Ben Babauta, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, and MCS vice principal Barbara Merfalen. Photos by Lori Lyn C. Lirio
In 1951, Our Lady of Mercy Kindergarten was established. It later became the Sister Remedios Early Childhood Development Center. In 2016, the center relocated to Mount Carmel School which was established in 1952.
In 1985, the Catholic Church on Saipan was elevated to a diocese and subsequently set up a Catholic Education Office.
In 1989, the people of Rota established Eskuelan San Francisco de Borja.
