Interim Education Commissioner Donna Flores, center, and Public School System staff participate in a roadside waving activity at Garapan Fishing Base on Monday.
Board of Education member Andrew Orsini, second right, with Public School System staff during a roadside waving activity at Garapan Fishing Base on Monday.
OFFICIALS and employees of the Public School System and the Board of Education on Monday held a roadside waving at 4 p.m. at the Garapan Fishing Base to celebrate the 35th year of PSS’s establishment.
It was in 1988 when Public Law 6-10, authored by then-Sen. Juan N. Babauta, was signed by then-Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio to transform the Department of Education as an autonomous agency, PSS, governed by an elected Board of Education. The law was enacted to conform to Constitutional Amendment No. 38, which was ratified by CNMI voters.
Interim Education Commissioner Donna M. Flores, BOE members Andrew L. Orsini and Dr. Dora Borja Miura joined employees and heads of all PSS divisions as well as principals, teachers and other school staff at Garapan Fishing Base for the roadside waving activity.
On Rota, BOE Vice Chairman Herman Atalig led the principals, teachers and staff of Sinapalo Elementary School and Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior Senior High School while BOE Chairman Antonio L. Borja was with Tinian Elementary School and Tinian Junior Senior High School leaders and other stakeholders in similar road-side waving events.
Flores said PSS and BOE want everyone in the community to join them and celebrate public education, “and all the wonderful things it does for our kids.”
Orsini said they also wanted to honor and recognize all the PSS staff on Rota, Tinian and Saipan. In addition, he would like to thank “everyone for all their efforts — thank you CNMI PSS,” he said.
“Over the past few years, there’s been lot of struggle but we’ll hang in there with all the good people of PSS because we want to go up and not go down,” Orsini said.
Today, Tuesday, Flores will announce the 2024 State Teacher of the Year who will represent the CNMI in the 2024 National Teacher of the Year competition in the nation’s capital.
