[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 17, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1320-E1321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING THE CNMI PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM ON ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 17, 2013

  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, public education in the Northern Mariana 
Islands was transformed twenty-five years ago with the enactment of 
Public Law 6-10, the Education Act of 1988, creating an autonomous 
Public School System, overseen by an elected Board of Education, and 
administered by a Commissioner of Education. Establishment of a Public 
School System, outside of the executive branch of the Commonwealth 
government, coincided with a new period of political maturation, 
economic expansion, and population growth in the Northern Marianas; and 
the intervening years have proven the wisdom and value of this 
decision.
  Twenty-five years ago, the Public School System comprised just over 
6,000 students throughout 14 schools. Since then, PSS has grown 
dramatically. Student population is now 10,646, 75 percent greater. 
There are now 19 schools. Kagman High School, Chacha Ocean View Middle 
School, Kagman Elementary School, Saipan Southern High School, and 
Sinapalo Elementary School have all been constructed to better serve 
our students. And there are now 900 PSS personnel across the islands of 
Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
  As PSS has grown in size, so have the achievements of our students. 
These future leaders of our community regularly participate in national 
scholastic competitions, winning awards for their acting talent, debate 
skills, spelling abilities, and science acuity. Their successes are 
testament not only to students' efforts, but also to the school system 
that supported them and helped shape their minds.
  Just this year, the Marianas High School Aeronautical Dolphins won 
the national Real World Design Challenge here in Washington, DC. Each 
student on that team was awarded a $50,000 college scholarship.
  For each of the past three years, PSS students have been recipients 
of Gates Millennium Scholarships, which pays for up to eight years of 
postsecondary education. This year alone three students from our small 
island community were awarded these scholarships. That is an amazing 
accomplishment--and a tribute to the efficacy of our public schools.
  The Saipan Southern High School Manta Ray Band and Marianas High 
School Choir have both received national recognition for their musical 
talents. Last summer, the Manta Rays were chosen to perform in the 2012 
Summer Olympics in London. They participated in the London Celebration 
Music Festival, as well, and brought home a silver medal.
  These achievements--academic and extracurricular--were made possible 
through the extraordinary and cumulative efforts of a group of 
individuals whose dedication knows no peer: the leaders, teachers, and 
staff of the Public School System. From science teacher to physical 
education instructor, maintenance employee to bus driver, each of these 
individuals makes their contribution to the educational success of our 
youth.

[[Page E1321]]

  They are led by a Commissioner of Education, appointed by the Board 
of Education. Six men and women have served as Commissioner, each of 
whom has left an indelible imprint on PSS and the lives of its 
students.
  The first Commissioner, Mr. Henry Sablan, led the organization 
through a period of transition from a Department of Education organized 
under the Office of the Governor to an autonomous public education 
system answerable to an elected Board. Dr. Elizabeth Diaz Rechebei then 
shepherded the school system for two years, followed by Mr. William S. 
Torres, who served for six years and initiated a move towards regional 
accreditation.
  Dr. Rita Hocog Inos, in whose memory the junior and senior high 
school on the island of Rota is named, served as Commissioner of 
Education for eight years and implemented the SAT10 testing program and 
standards-based assessment for students, as well as the PRAXIS highly 
qualified teacher initiative for instructional staff. Dr. David Borja 
then led the system for two years, followed by our current 
Commissioner, Dr. Rita A. Sablan.
  Dr. Sablan has, since assuming her role in 2008, focused tremendous 
attention on student academic achievement and guided the organization 
through a period of declining financial resources and increasing 
performance standards.
  Thanks to the cumulative efforts of these six leaders, and their 
thousands of colleagues over the years, our students are performing 
better than ever on SAT10 tests, standards-based assessments, and on 
STAR reading and STAR math assessments. That performance is reflected 
in the 60 percent of graduating high school seniors who go on to 
college. Another 30 percent choose to serve our country in the armed 
forces. And 10 percent join the workforce.
  Please join me in saluting those elected officials who, twenty-five 
years ago, recognized the value of an autonomous education system in 
the Northern Mariana Islands and enacted the Education Act. Also, join 
me in celebrating the many who built upon that foundation. The 
prescience of those leaders, and the hard work and dedication of the 
members of the Board of Education, the Commissioners, and the thousands 
of instructors and staff has brought us to the present-day successes of 
our Public School System.
  Each and every individual who contributed to this achievement 
deserves the esteem and gratitude of the people of the Northern Mariana 
Islands.

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