January 26th – January 29th was a great time for basketball in Chuuk, as former professional Coach Tom Newell visited Chuuk along his tour through Oceania in order to promote the sport of basketball and assist in setting a base for future success within the state.

 

                      

 

 

Mr. Tom Newell has a long history of coaching basketball, a skill that has taken him all over the world including time in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Greece, Japan, China, Korea, Russia, and the list goes on and on. He is now an sports ambassador for the U.S. State Department teaching coaches and players about the game of basketball.

To find out more about him, check out his website: http://www.coachtomnewell.org/

 

In his time in Chuuk, Coach Newell was incredibly busy making motivational speeches to local students and youth as well as running basketball and coaching clinics to share some of his vast knowledge with the local communities.

Coach Newell ran basketball clinics at:

• Penia Sene
• Xavier High School
• Chuuk High School
• Berea High School
• College of Micronesia
• Saramen Chuuk Academy

He also ran a coaches clinic during the morning at Truk Stop for any local coaches that were interested in attending.

 

The final way in which he helped establish the grounds for basketball in Chuuk was the creation of the Chuuk Coaches Association which will be responsible for the governing of the sport and local coaches.

 

Thank you Coach Newell for your visit and assistance in establishing the great sport of basketball here in Chuuk!

Akoyikoyi School recently received a certificate from the Federated States of Micronesia Department of Education as a 3-year accredited school. During the 2013-2014 school year, accreditation teams sent out by the DOE traveled all over the state of Chuuk to inspect and check in with every public school currently operating. These committees were tasked with looking at everything from the facilities and locations of these schools to the teacher/student attendance and class lesson plans. Each of these categories was then judged on a 1 to 4 scale, 4 being the best possible score. Schools that earned an average 3 or 4 rating earned a 3-year accreditation, and schools earning a 2 average were granted a 1-year accreditation during which time they are expected to make improvements to the school.

Chuuk is often looked upon negatively, and one of the biggest reasons for this is due to the abysmal state of education there. The recent accreditation process backed this up, as very few of the public schools were deemed functional, with Chuuk High School being the only secondary school to receive a 3-year accreditation. At the elementary level, the outlook was even more grim. Out of the 64 public elementary schools, Akoyikoyi School is the ONLY elementary school to have been granted a 3 year-accreditation.

We are very proud of this recognition for the hard work that the teachers and administrators have been doing and see it as affirmation for the direction in which we are heading. Special gratitude goes out to Elder Crisp of the Latter Day Saints who provided consultation in preparation of accreditation, as well as Will Marshall and Clark Graham for their hard work in putting everything together.

 

One thing that can be a challenge necessary to overcome in running a successful school is low expectations. A way in which this has been addressed has been through a strong relationship with Xavier High School on Weno, Chuuk. As the preeminent high school in all of Micronesia, Xavier High School is the ultimate goal for any elementary student to strive for in gaining the best possible education. [Read more…]

The following letter was sent by Clark Graham on January 4, 2015 to Dr. Rachel Wong, Director of the Department of Human Services (DHS) for the State of Hawaii advocating for decent health care for citizens of the Compact of Free Association entities. [Read more…]

Our mission is to help Chuukese children gain a strong academic, social, and physical foundation to allow each child to pursue his/her life ambitions and to lead healthy and productive lives, bettering themselves, their families, and their communities.

Our organization is dedicated to the health, education, and well-being of the children and youth of Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. We do this through two non-profit programs – The Akoyikoyi School and The Keitani Graham Memorial Foundation. [Read more…]

Akoyikoyi School relies on the generosity of friends and benefactors. This month the children were overjoyed with a gift of school supplies delivered by local representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Kinisou Chapur to the Crisp family for sharing the story and pictures on the Crisp Adventures blog. [Read more…]

Is this the future generation of Aperture users …?

Why we should spend more time educating the not so privileged ones… thankfully as I discovered recently in Chuuk, Micronesia, there are some people out there who do just that.

We finally arrived in Chuuk. Now where is Chuuk you might ask? Chuuk is located about an hour and 45 min. flying time slightly south and east of Guam, at approximately 8 degrees north latitude and 152 degrees east longitude, and is part of Micronesia. Otherwise know as TRUK LAGOON, Chuuk is best known for the huge fleet of 2nd World War ship wrecks now resting at the bottom of the ocean in the famous Truk Lagoon. Arnold my I.T. staff & friend and I are on assignment for one of our clients, Truk Lagoon Dive Center and Truk Stop Hotel. [Read more…]

Congratulations to Xavier High School for winning the first annual Keitani Graham Interscholastic Track & Field Tournament among the public and private high schools in Chuuk State. We are grateful to the Interscholastic Sports Commission (ISC) for naming this annual high school track & field meet, probably the largest in all of Micronesia, to this son of Chuuk. [Read more…]