Community invited to view 35 village flags for Rota, Tinian, and Saipan inspired by students of the Marianas on display during Taste of the Marianas festival
(Saipan, The Marianas – June 17, 2022) Residents of the Marianas have another reason to celebrate at the Taste of the Marianas Festival this weekend. The Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers (GCEA) is unveiling the new Marianas Village Pride (MVP) Marianas Village Flags at the opening of the Taste of the Marianas festival at the Garapan Fishing Base. The village flags are installed along the Beach Road side of the festival, and the community is invited to attend this free event.
The Marianas Village Flags are the products of a Marianas Village Pride art contest hosted by the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers in partnership with the CNMI Public School System and the Saipan, Tinian, and Rota Mayors’ offices. The islands’ villages were identified by their respective mayors and middle and high school students throughout the Marianas were invited to submit artwork and a short essay describing the essence of their villages. More than 800 entries were received, and 35 student works of art were selected to inspire the final flag designs.
“The Marianas Village Flags are the embodiment of village and hometown pride,” said Jerry Tan, Co-chairman of GCEA. “The Council realized that there was a need for village flags to showcase what makes each village so special. Students of the Marianas accepted the challenge and thoughtfully designed flags that captured the best of home and what makes their villages unique. Join us in congratulating the 35 student artists, and let us all celebrate our village pride.”
CNMI Public School System Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada said, “We, at the Public School System (PSS), continue to explore and promote various opportunities for our students to grow and learn not only within the classroom but outside of it too. With the support from our State Board of Education, student activities and engagement has taken the front seat in our goal to ensure that our PSS students are college and career ready.”
GCEA congratulates all MVP Village Flag Art Contest winners from Rota, Tinian, and Saipan: ROTA VILLAGES
I CHENCHON - PRINCESS C. BATO-ON
SINAPALO - SAYEMA A. SIDUR
SONGSONG - MIKAYLA P. MASGA
TINIAN VILLAGES
CAROLINA HEIGHTS - PEVIKA DELA CRUZ
MARPO VALLEY - MIYAKO SAN NICOLAS
SAN JOSE - LLOYD RIVERA
SAIPAN VILLAGES
AS LITO - TAYLOR JOHN HALLY
AS MATUIS - RANDY RABAGO
AS PERDIDO - SARIM OMAR
AS TEO - ARSYNL TAGABUEL
CAPITOL HILL - DA-HEE CLAIR KIM
CHALAN KANOA - REV DOCA
CHALAN KIYA - ERIC MAHINAY
CHALAN LAULAU - BWILITOMWAR ELIAS RANGAMAR
CHALAN PIAO - JULIE ANN CAPAYAS
DANDAN - MA. ISABELLE ACHAS
FINASISU - MELINA MAE FAIMAW
GARAPAN - CHARLIE WANG
GUALO RAI - ISAAC Y. HAN
KAGMAN - ROSEMARIE FAISAO
KANNAT TABLA - KRISTINA ACHAS
KOBLERVILLE - DESTINY CAMACHO
MARPI - JAPHET J. DINO
NAVY HILL - JEMIMA A. CORPUZ
OLEAI - HOPE ODOSHI
PAPAGO - JUSTIN WEAVER
PUERTO RICO - MARVIN CABRERA
SADOG TASI - JOZEL SANCHEZ
SAN ANTONIO - CHRISTANELLE MERCADO
SAN ROQUE - ANDREI ARELLANO
SAN VICENTE - MIKAYELA ARRIOLA
SUSUPE - SHERRY ZHU
TANAPAG - RAIANA FERDOUS
TAPOCHAU - KALISTA KLAVER
WIRELESS - ALLEN TAMBIGA
Dr. Ada added, “GCEA has become a perfect platform, among others, in the CNMI in supporting our initiatives in the school district. On behalf of the PSS family, I express our most profound appreciation to GCEA for promoting this lifelong opportunity with our students. It’s the partnership and collaboration with our community partners to ensure our success.”
GCEA thanks the leadership, administrators, and teachers of PSS for their support and the students of the Marianas who participated in the Marianas Village Flag contest. The Marianas Village Flags will be showcased during the Taste of the Marianas festival and will be displayed during the upcoming Liberation Day Parade. The designs can be viewed on the GCEA website (cnmieconomy.com) and Facebook and Instagram pages (@cnmigov.economy).
Media Contact:
Edna Nisola or Justine Nauta
Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers gceacnmi@gmail.com
GCEA MVP Marianas Village Flags Media Kit: https://bit.ly/MarianasVillageFlags