Good Luck Dale! 03-01-04

"I'll see you soon", and with that, I bid my former teacher and current friend goodbye as I headed for a business meeting off-island, and he (Dale), prepared to leave Guam for the nicer beaches of Saipan.

It's been almost 3-weeks since I've updated my now infamous (if you ask the SJS BOT), website ... and believe me, I've heard from quite a few of you out there...

"Have you given up?" asked one email ... while another was more to the point "Don't get lazy on us!" ... the truth is folks, I've purposely laid low so that we all had some time to reflect on issues that have passed.

Dale's sudden and (now) obvious dismissal as upper school principal, can no longer be explained as a convenient "retirement" by the executive members of the BOT and Jorge. Try as they might, they could not, fool those who knew better, that Dale would never willingly leave the school that he so loved and nurtured for 26 years of his life.

So what now? What have we learned? Further, what has the headmaster and the SJS BOT learned from this incident?

First of all, we have learned how close this community that we call SJS can be. Those students who attended in the past and as most recently as last year, have all written their disapproval of the treatment of Dr. Jenkins by the current SJS administration. We spoke out to protect and defend our fellow SJS brother in need. For that, we can all be proud.

Meanwhile, the SJS BOT denied, waivered and even may have deceived us, by their explanations as well as their 'lack' of explanation. The common theme was that they "couldn't say" ... but in reality, it should have been phrased "it's none of your business."

Well, a clear message was sent to the SJS BOT by the very community it claims to represent ... "It is our business! And we want to know!" Hopefully, Jorge and his BOT members realize they should not and cannot operate in a isolated manner. That no matter how 'private' the school as a business may be, it is still a very 'public' school if their actions will affect the children that they teach and serve.

By now, many of you closest to Dale, know that he is the new principal of Saipan International School. All of us who know him and Kedel, are relieved that they will be somewhat close by. And however painful it will be not to see him in his goofy tie-and-slacks at the Upper-Tumon property (that would be St. John's School, for those of you confused by that statement), we feel pride and optimism, knowing that he and Kedel will be helping our neighbors in Saipan at a great school known as Saipan International School.

The real tragic irony in this whole story is that, in their haste to remove Dr. Jenkins, Jorge and the BOT did little planning (for example, still no formal tribute to Dr. Jenkins) when it came to their actions. At the very least, they showed little foresight. Had they taken the time to THINK, maybe they would have seen the writing on the wall and avoided so many of the problems that plague them currently. Massive distrust by the SJS community, an exodus of department heads, staff and teachers, upset parents and disenchanted seniors.

One can only speculate that they viewed Dr. Jenkins a distraction in their new goal of converting SJS into a powerful and attractive 'International School' offering in the Pacific region (Don't believe me? Then why are we suddenly advertising SJS as a 'INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL' in two of the most recent PDN ads? I've never in my life heard SJS referred to as an International School...)

So instead of working with him and asking him to do the same, they simply removed him from the picture.

But karma can be absolutely poetic.

Now that Dr. Jenkins is in the care of Saipan International School, it can be assumed that strategically, it makes sense for the BOT of Saipan International School to begin plans of developing a high school there.

And if successful (no doubt it would be, since Dale is very experienced in this area — he founded the SJS high school!), Saipan International School can become a more attractive destination than St. John's School, for international businessmen looking to send their children to an elite ENGLISH-SPEAKING school nearest to them.

Saipan for starters, has a more friendly 'immigration' system than Guam. And since Guam is considered U.S. territory and therefore under the watchful eye of the U.S. Homeland Security division, it may be difficult for many foreign families to visit or send their children to Guam. It can be assumed that if Saipan has a solution, it would be a very natural and convenient choice.

The Government of Saipan, reeling from bad press due to their 'manufacturing' sweat shops, may see this as a great opportunity to convert Saipan as a mecca for education. Saipan can offer all the amenities that Guam can offer (including U.S. funding), without the U.S. government's interference. All in all, it's a great situation for Saipan to be in.

The Morita fund, and other such charitable projects that SJS currently cherishes, may move its money in the next several years if Saipan International School offers a competitive product with less headaches (no church or BISHOP's to appease).

Other INTERNATIONAL businesses may opt to help Saipan International School especially if the Saipan Government is 'pro' education and since Saipan offers tremendous advantages (maybe Nike and other companies branded 'sweat shop' supporters will donate millions into Saipan's educational institutions).

Yes, karma can be poetic and in this case, may be deadly to the future of SJS, especially if its vision is to offer enrollment to the international markets to increase its financial stability.

But it's too early to say that the optimistic outlook for Saipan will happen for sure. All we know for sure is this — Saipan has one heck of an educator and school builder in Dr. Jenkins ...

As for St. John's, well... the leadership is still questionable. But from what I've seen so far, it pales in comparison to what we used to have.

Dr. Jenkins may have had his faults as any human does, but as an educator he always put the priority of the children first to his own needs. Jorge needs to prove to me, the faculty/staff, the SJS student body, several hundred parents and several thousand alumni, that he can do as much.

So far, Jorge has shown us nothing other than how to create havoc, mistrust and confusion. Let's hope that things settle down for you, BUBBA — not for your sake, but for the sake of the children, teachers and alumni that still calls St. John's its neighborhood.