Trad

esJu

ne

2017

2

Jun

e 2017Trad

es3

TRADESA monthly publication of thePacific Daily NewsJune 2017

PublisherRindraty Celes Limtiaco

INFORMATION CENTER

Executive EditorDana Williams

ADVERTISING

Advertising DirectorJae Fermin James

Creative Services ManagerRena Santiago

Special Sections CoordinatorLaura Maluwelmeng

Art DirectorCid Caser

Interested inconstruction?Call the GCA TradesAcademy at 647-4843or e-mail them at» gcatrades@guam.net

» www.gcatradesacademy.org

» www.facebook.com/gcatradesacademy

1 Student. Classes are only $80 per week plus textbooks. GCA Trades Academy provides everything

else. Call the GCA Trades Academy, 647-4842/3, formore information.

2 Employers. Many employers provide additionaltraining and development at the GCA Trades

Academy to existing staff in order to increase the skillsof the company’s workforce. Ask your employer tosend you to the GCA Trades Academy.

3 Scholarships. Several local companies andcommunity organizations provide scholar-

ship funds for craft training. Call the GCA TradesAcademy, 647-4842/3, for more information.

4 Apprenticeship. Registered apprenticeshipprograms are operated by both the private

sector and public sectors. Sponsors include em-ployers, employer associations and joint labor/management organizations. Program sponsorsand government programs pay most of the train-ing costs. Call the Guam Contractors Association,647-4840/1, for more information.

5 American Job Center. GCA Trades Academyis a training provider for the clients of the

American Job Center. Call American Job Center,475-7000/1, for more information.

Ways to payfor the GCA TradesAcademy classes

INSIDEJune 2017Message fromLeonie Sagun,Counselor, J.P. TorresAlternative SchoolPage 3

GDOE High SchoolsGraduate TradesStudentsPage 4, 5

Schedule ofClassesPage 6

In school year 2015-2016, JPTorres Alternative School(JPTAS) changed its focusfrom a behavioral school to acredit recovery school of-

fering students a “second chance”at graduation and obtaining theirhigh school diploma. The JP TorresAlternative School Credit RecoveryProgram provides students ages 17to 21 years of age, who are twoyears behind on their credits andare at risk for dropping out, achance in life and career. Studentswho qualify under these criteriaare referred by their school coun-selors, principals, vice principals,and parents. Many of them alsorefer themselves to the program.When students are given a choice toparticipate in our program theybecome more successful and arecommitted to obtaining their diplo-mas. Students who qualify underthis program go through an exten-sive enrollment and interviewingprocess to allow JP Torres an op-portunity to understand and get toknow each student personally andsocially as well as their educationalbackground.

This school year 2016-2017,JPTAS was awarded the status ofan “Accredited School” by theWestern Association of Schools andColleges (WASC). It was a proudmoment for all of us, mainly thestudents, because this gave them achance to graduate from ourschool, thus, allowing them to re-ceive their high school diploma,which many of them thought wasimpossible! We are so proud of ourgraduates and I would like to con-gratulate each and everyone ofthem for making it. For many ittook two years, but it was all worthit!

As a school counselor, my rolewas to ensure that they meet gradu-ation requirements of 24 creditsand 75 service learning hours. Butthis wouldn’t have been possible

earn their diplomas. Although,attendance is our biggest hurdlebecause of personal setbacks, thisdoes not stop our students fromearning their diplomas. We offermany avenues for them to get ontrack. We offer 9 credits in a schoolyear; we offer course by confer-ence classes for students who arehaving difficulty attending classesdue to circumstances; we offerschool to work programs to stu-dents who are working and cred-iting them for the hours they workand a personalized advisee-advisorprogram, which we call the “villagecircle” wherein teachers and stu-dents work together to ensure suc-cess.

This school year, we have beenfortunate to have the opportunity tohave our students attend GCATrades Academy through the GuamDepartment of Education andAHRD funding. We graduated 10students from the program andthey were all nationally certifiedand recognized during our gradua-tion ceremony. It took awhile forour students to get started underthis program, but thanks to Ms.Elizabeth Peredo for her dedicationand hard work in ensuring our stu-dents complete their course re-quirements to be nationally certi-fied, they can have a better futurewith our growing economy in theconstruction industry.

I would like to reach out to stu-dents who may qualify for thisprogram and are interested in join-ing our school and team of experts,and who feel they may need a sec-ond chance at life. Once you enterour program, you will be taking ajourney to success. It’s not going tobe an easy journey, but it will beworth it because you are worth it.

Leonie SagunCounselor, JPTAS

without the help of all faculty andstaff. I constantly nag my graduat-ing seniors as well as other stu-dents to ensure that they talk totheir teachers regarding theirgrades and how well they are doingin their classes. I was in constantcommunication with our teachersto follow up on their status espe-cially in passing their classes toearn the required credits for gradu-ations. Our office would also re-ceive phone calls from parents tocheck and follow up on their child’sprogress. Although, a majority ofour students are adults, we stillcontact our parents and they con-tact us regarding the academicprogress of their child. We want toensure that parents are involvedwith their child’s education eventhough their child is an adult. Thisallows the students to be more suc-cessful in their graduation.

Our students are very resilientand are motivated to graduate and

J.P. Torres school offers a second chance

Leonie Sagun

Trad

es

Jun

e 20

174

Jun

e 2017Tra

des

5

Twenty-two stu-dents graduatedfrom four GuamDepartment ofEducationhighschools this yearwith the help of

credits they were able to earnthrough the GCA Trades Acad-emy program. The group in-cludes ten students from thefirst-ever graduating class ofthe J.P. Torres AlternativeSchool, or the J.P. Torres Suc-cess Academy.

All 22 graduates have alsoearned NCCER credentials andare ready to enter into the Guamindustry. One of those gradu-ates is Mairon Timothy, whofilled out an application for aconstruction craft laborer posi-tion less than a week after grad-uating from J.P. Torres SuccessAcademy.

Timothy enrolled in theTrades program to help earn thecredits he needed to graduateand soon discovered he enjoyedthe carpentry field. At theTrades Academy, he developedskills from cutting wood to fix-ing benches and building tables,and earned NCCER credentialsfor Core Curriculum and Con-struction Craft Laborer LevelOne.

“I feel that I have a better fu-ture ahead of me because of theskills I learned at the TradesAcademy,” said Timothy. “Myplan now is to get a job so that Ican continue my education withthe Trades Academy and also atGCC.”

Fellow J.P. Torres graduatePrice Joseph also completed theCore Curriculum and Construc-tion Craft Laborer Level Oneclasses — skills Joseph is confi-dent will help him find a job.Like Timothy, Joseph has alsoapplied for a job as a construc-tion craft laborer.

“I joined the Trades Acad-emy program to catch up withmy credits and also because Iheard you could find a job afterhigh school. Since I wentthrough the program, I nowhave experience that employ-ers are looking for,” said Jo-seph, who plans to continuebuilding his skillset and experi-ence with the Trades Academy.

Tristian Kikuta, a GeorgeWashington Class of 2017 gradu-ate, is looking forward to get-ting a job and using his tradesskills and earning money to fur-ther his education with theTrades Academy and GCC.

“Nowadays I’ve been think-ing about building stuff nowthat I’ve touched up on carpen-try a little bit. I also learned a lotof basic safety, and touched upon welding as well. The skillsare handy to have,” said Hikuta.

Tiyan High School graduateAllan Uruman joined the Tradesprogram to earn credit towardsgraduating and also to help sup-port his parents and become apositive influence in the com-munity.

“I did mess up during schoolbut I got myself together be-cause I thought about whatwould happen if my parentsneeded help and I didn’t haveanything to support them with. Ialso took Trades because I’mMicronesian and the Microne-sians now, they have a bad

name. I want to show that not allof us Micronesians are bad insociety. I want to show that evenif you mess up in high schoolyou can change. It’s up to youhow you want to look at life,”said Uruman.

Many of the trades programstudents struggle with adversi-ty and must work two or threetimes harder to graduate, saysElizabeth “Liza” Peredo, GCATrades Academy Program Ad-ministrator.

“A vast amount of them wentto regular school during the day,

then took DOE’s Eskuelan Puen-gi classes after school, and thenstraight from there they’d go tothe Trades Academy for thetrade classes. Some of them ei-ther walked to the Trades Acad-emy from their home schools orwalked home from our schoolbecause they didn’t have trans-portation. Some of them evenhad jobs in the evening and tookthe Trades classes during theweekend. These students werecommitted to completing thecourses and graduating fromhigh school with NCCER cre-

dentials,” said Peredo.Now in its third year, the

Trades Academy program hasexpanded from offering onlythe Core Curriculum classes toinclude Construction Craft La-borer classes.

“We started with offering theCore Curriculum only and nowDOE and DOL moves them to-wards completing a trade (Con-struction Craft Laborer). Theonly change we see is with ourstudents. They are more matureand confident in themselves andthe work they provide. They are

amazing,” said Peredo.According to Peredo, the

Trades Academy is examiningthe possibility of moving to abigger facility in the next schoolyear.

Students interested in theTrades Academy high schoolprogram can seek guidance andassistance from a school coun-selor or contact the GCA TradesAcademy.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GCA TRADES ACADEMY

2017 J.P. Torres Success Academy graduates who participated in the Trades Program earning education credits and NCCER credentials pose with Liza Peredo, GCA Trades Academy ProgramAdministrator.

COURTESY OF JOSIE MOYER

Mairon TimothyCOURTESY OF JOSIE MOYER

Price JosephCOURTESY OF JOSIE MOYER

Tristian KikutaCOURTESY OF JOSIE MOYER

Allan UrumanCOURTESY OF GCA TRADES ACADEMY

Elizabeth “Liza” Peredo

Joey Topasna — Southern High School —Core CurriculumDustin Nededog — Southern High School —Core CurriculumDavin Taitague Meno — Southern HighSchool — Core CurriculumRobert Cruz — George Washington HighSchool — Core Curriculum, Construction CraftLaborer Level One, Construction Craft LaborerLevel TwoBrandin Garrido — George Washington HighSchool — Core Curriculum, Construction CraftLaborer Level One, Construction Craft LaborerLevel Two, Heavy Equipment Level One andcurrently on Heavy Equipment Level TwoKrisanto Crisostomo — George WashingtonHigh School — Core Curriculum, ConstructionCraft Laborer Level One, Construction CraftLaborer Level Two, Heavy Equipment LevelOne and currently on Heavy Equipment LevelTwoR-Heart Tok — George Washington HighSchool — Core Curriculum, Construction CraftLaborer Level OneRich Dok — George Washington High School— Core Curriculum, Construction Craft LaborerLevel OnePaul Rivera — George Washington HighSchool — Core Curriculum, Construction CraftLaborer Level OneTristian Hikuta — George Washington HighSchool — Core Curriculum, Construction CraftLaborer Level OneJoshua Arthur — George Washington HighSchool — Core Curriculum, Construction CraftLaborer Level OneAllan Uruman — Tiyan High School — CoreCurriculum, Construction Craft Laborer LevelOne, Title IX Student RepresentativeNicholas Roberto — J.P. Torres Success Acad-emy — Core Curriculum, Construction CraftLaborer Level OneShanice Reyes — J.P. Torres Success Academy— Core Curriculum, Construction Craft LaborerLevel OneMairon Timothy — J.P. Torres Success Acad-emy — Core Curriculum, Construction CraftLaborer Level OneRipson Santer — J.P. Torres Success Academy— Core Curriculum, Construction Craft LaborerLevel One, Construction Craft Laborer LevelTwo, Heavy Equipment Level One and current-ly on Heavy Equipment Level TwoLevi Cruz — J.P. Torres Success Academy —Core Curriculum, Construction Craft LaborerLevel OneEugenelynn Pangelinan — J.P. Torres SuccessAcademy — Core CurriculumDanelle Pangelinan — J.P. Torres SuccessAcademy — Core CurriculumBruce Lizama — J.P. Torres Success Academy— Core Curriculum, Construction Craft LaborerLevel OneAlonso Piyebulmal — J.P. Torres SuccessAcademy — Core Curriculum, ConstructionCraft Laborer Level OnePrice Joseph — J.P. Torres Success Academy —Core Curriculum, Construction Craft LaborerLevel One

2017 GCA TradesAcademy Program GDOE High SchoolGraduates

Class of 2017 grads earn Trades credits

JOSIE MOYERFOR TRADES

Trad

esJu

ne

2017

6 GCA Trades Academy ScheduleJUNE-JULY 2017

Jun

e 2017Trad

es7

Trad

esJu

ne

2017

8