Spelling Bee/Trip to Guam on Business

     On March 3rd, 2012 was the annual regional spelling bee in Guam at the Sheraton Hotel.  I have so many pictures to share that once again I will let them do the talking by describing their importance below the picture.  I traveled to Guam to support my student Ms. Tiglao in her efforts to win the Spelling Bee.  I must share my gratitude toward the Tiglao family for having been so supportive of both their daughter and myself while in Guam.  They met me at the airport Friday night when I arrived and led to the hotel.  They even blessed me through helping with meal expenses.  It brings joy to my heart to know that teachers play a special part in the lives of their students and to know that their families are appreciative.  Without the Tiglao family my experience in Guam would not have been as stress free as it was.  I pray that the photos both from my trip, the bee itself, and the sightseeing I did will be informative for those wanting to taking part in such things themselves someday.  Enjoy the pictures and explanations... don't forget to click on the picture for an enlarged image.

This is a picture of Ms. Tiglao being required to spell her first word, which was "magnolia." The Scripps Spelling Bee had 74 schools participate this year.  The first student to drop out of the competition failed to spell the word "discipline" as they forgot the "e" at the end.  For those who have not gone to a spelling be before, when a speller misspells they put the microphone down on the pillow and step off the stage to have a medal placed around their neck and are allowed to sit with their family.   As the bee progressed the words became harder.  The following are words my students had to spell correctly for each round:  2nd "libretto", 3rd "infinitesimal", 4th "kielbasa", 5th "globular" (at this point the words were no longer on the study sheet and were from the unknown portion of the pronouncer guide) , 6th "iambist" (at this point there were only ten students left in the 6th round), the last word she attempted to spell was "cicada" (which she misspelled but managed to take fourth place overall and thus earned a $50 certificate and medal etc).  She did remarkably well and should be very proud of herself despite her desire to win first place and go to Washington D.C. The final two competitors were both from Saipan!  A girl from Cha Cha Junior High School won the overall competition in round 15 by spelling the words "biliousness" and "Ichabod" two in a row correctly. It was a very intense hard fought battle.

Me with the whole Tiglao family in support of Ms. Tiglao's achievement of being in the top 5!

At the bee there were a lot of refreshments for the students (for free) for everyone else it cost $1.

View from inside the Sheraton Hotel, Guam

During my exploration of Guam's Highway #1 I went on an off road and found this Japanese Buddhist Shrine Monument that is a peace memorial for the Japanese spirits that are trapped at the base of Mt. Matagi (more like a small knoll).  At this location a Japanese garrison was cornered by American troops.  To the right of the memorial there are stairs leading down to a series of highly fortified caves/bunkers.  It was at this spot on August 11, 1944 that the troops led one final charge to their death after their commander, General Hideyoshi Obata, committed suicide after one last transmission to the emperor stating, "I shall be the bulwark of the Pacific Ocean." Below the monument are bones of the fallen Japanese that are periodically found around the property. The white spire is to symbolically represent two palms praying.

These are one of the two sets of stairs.  It definitely needed some repair and upkeep.  The other set to the far right not visible in this picture were well kept.  Not sure why this set was not... At the bottom of the stairs there is actually a water collection reservoir the Japanese would have used and it is still collecting to this day even though the pipes that once transported the water are now gone. 

A picture of one of the four heavily fortified cave bunkers.  If I had brought my headlamp for exploration I probably would have gone inside.  Anything was better than being eaten alive by the mosquitoes.  In front of the entrance is a small shrine paying respect to the fallen.  There is a Buddhist chapel of sorts on the property and inside are many of the relics people have pulled out of these bunker/caves over the years.  The bones that are periodically found in the jungle surrounding this sight have their place below the monument above.

This is the pathway at the memorial where the massacre occurred.  I took this picture with panoramic going straight up to show the height of the bamboo surrounded the whole area.  I am not sure if that was planted before or after the war, but they were very tall and they made an especially eerie sound clinking together in the wind.  I wish I had taken a recording of it, but it was an unnerving sort of feeling.  Not to mention you wondered if a piece would snap off and fall on you.

While in Guam I had to stop at Two Lovers Point, which has a cheesy local legend and a beautiful overlook of the ocean at sunset. This is a place where tourists can take pictures inside the heart.  Without  wide angle lens it is a little tricky to get the whole phrase in there.

When Kara and I go to Guam over Spring Break I will bring her here and we will pay the $3 per person they charge to go view the ocean at sunset from the platform.

A view of the ocean artistically.

Artistic View #2

Artistic view #3

Artistic view #4

Links to articles relating to the spelling bee (if the links become obsolete I apologize in advance to viewers of our blog):

 Information about the Top Ten from the Pacific Daily News:

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20120304/NEWS01/203040325/Saipan-girl-wins-bee?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

Other Links from the PDN with Spelling Bee Galleries

http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=M0&Dato=20120302&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=203020805&Ref=PH

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20120303/NEWS01/120302023/VIDEO-Watch-replay-today-s-2012-regional-Spelling-Bee?odyssey=mod|breaking|text|Frontpage

http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=M0&Date=20120303&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=203030801&Ref=PH&Item=0&odyssey=mod|mostpopphotos

Saipan time is also Guam Time:

Bees and Basketball

Dear Friends, Family, & Readers:

            I thought I would take a break from writing about exploring and share some of the latest from our life around Saipan Community School.  On February 3^rd, our school had its annual Scripps Spelling Bee competition.  As the English teacher, I am responsible for planning/organizing it.  There is a fair amount of copying involved in the planning process, but everything else is well planned already by the Scripps organization.  They have a great website that has every resource a person could ever need in order to run a spelling bee.  Our school allows grades 1-8 to compete.  We do an elementary (grades 1-5) spelling bee first, and this year a fourth grader won.  Afterward, we had a short bathroom break.  Then it was time to start our junior high spelling bee.  The winner of the elementary spelling bee is then allowed to participate and compete against the older kids.  When the competition was all said and done with our overall winner was Ms. Tiglao (an eighth grader) who had won the competition the previous year while in seventh grade.  Our little fourth grader, Tommy, ended up being the runner-up!  It just goes to show you that good spellers can be of any age.  Ms. Tiglao will now go on to the regional competition in Guam.  Last year, I allowed one of the parents to use my ticket to see their daughter perform; however, this year I will be going to see the competition for myself since it is my last year.  I have always wanted to see a spelling bee competition. Mrs. Tiglao said it is exactly as you see it on TV; I am looking forward to that. 

            Another thing that has been going on is Saipan Community School’s basketball season.  My wife and one of her co-workers are coaching the girls team and it is a rebuilding year.  As with all rebuilding years, it is sometimes tough to watch the games, but my wife is having a good time.  Coaching is always something she has wanted to do and I admire that.  I have attached photos from the spelling bee, boys basketball, and of course girls basketball events.  I hope you enjoy the pictures, remember to click on them if you wish to see them a bit larger.  Below I have attached a devotional I wrote after thinking about how basketball could relate to God, feel free to read it is you have time or need a break time with God. 

The junior high spelling bee students holding on to Tommy the fourth grade phenom. I hope you can tell which one is me in the picture haha

I love the color in this photo and it shows Kara's dedication to the girls. This was taken just before their first game of the season.

Kara giving the girls a pep talk before their first game is about to start.

One of my eighth grade students making his way toward the opposing team's net.

 

Bunching

It can be very easy in basketball to end up bunching together, and it is perhaps

even easier in other sports.

            When my wife was coaching a middle school girls basketball team, she told me one night about how she was trying to teach them zone and/or player to player defense. I could not help but imagine that Christ has the same issue with his followers. This essay is not about which form of defense is better or easier to learn.  This essay is about how to move as a team in order to see God at work among the players on the court.  Christians often have a problem with “bunching” because the environment bred by Christianity today matches our perception of the status quo. The status quo of Today is one that is self-serving, but it makes us feel as though we serve others.  An example of this would be going to church on Sunday, but forgetting to serve others in various ways throughout the week in our own “zones” of influence.  Some people refer to this phenomena as a Christian “bubble.”  We must take ownership as believers of what is perceived by those in our churches as a bubble.  The problem with every bubble is that talking about it leads to the eventual loss of that bubble’s flimsy structural integrity, a pop.  

            In basketball, zone defense is a great way to move players around while keeping the same structural integrity and effective defense.  The issues that face churches change daily because Satan knows how to twist the truth. When the ball is passed from one player to the next or the player with the ball moves to another position, it is important for the defense to know their zone and adapt to the situation regardless of the height of the individual.  In a church the same may be true.  In churches, the issue might move from one zone to another but as a church we must know how to adapt and keep unity.  In his prayer for believers, Jesus mentions how important unity is to the relationship with his Father and among believers saying:

              “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their
              message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me I am in you. May they 
              also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the 
              glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May 
              they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved 
              them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23 New International Version)

Without unity there is every kind of discord because Satan can sense weakness as easily as an opposing forward can see a break in man to man coverage and go for a lay up or a dunk. If a team has unity, opposing players will know that your team is of one heart and mind. The gap will shrink at and instead of bunching up players will box up.  Jesus had to be one with his Father because any separation would have led to Jesus being vulnerable to sin. We all know, however, that he never sinned and remained faithful in obedience by death on the cross.

             In the above verses, Christ tells us that if we are not united with Christ the end goal of sharing the saving knowledge of Christ is impossible just as scoring a goal or having possession of the ball is impossible on the court. In order to be open for a pass, a player must not be bunched up, but open and ready.  The same can be said of Christians and God’s game plan. If we are open to receiving whatever God has for us we will be in the open and not bunched up, stuck, and uncertain of where to move next. Jesus alludes to this idea of unity and being bunched up in a sort of self imposed prison of thought by sharing wise advice such as, “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25).  I know all verses in the Bible are good for teaching and instruction, but this particular advice is given in three of the four gospels, which leads me to  believe it is maybe worth mentioning (Mrk 3:25 & Luke 11: 17).  A team is a sort of kingdom and realm of its own…perhaps more importantly it is like a family.

            The signs of discord from bunching in a church related setting are similar to what you see on a basketball court and may include uncertainty, ball hogs, confusion, and even sadness due to the state of affairs. I find it ironic that basketball hoops are symbolic of Christ and should remind the players not to bunch. All a player has to do to remember to keep unity is remember the team objective is a goal/basket.  That basket can come from anyone, but in order for it to occur the ball must first find its way through the halo with white netting.  That halo is a sign of unity.  If a team is off by just a couple centimeters the ball is going to fall away from the hoop and the ball will be in the enemy’s hands.  May we all be able to work as a team, not bunch, and be open to whatever God has planned for us.

Questions for Discussion

1. How does Romans 15:6-7 relate to this question of community both in church and on the court?  What does this verse say the reason for unity is?  (note: think about God and not yourself)

2.  In the above devotional there is mention of a team being like a family.  If this is true, how does 1^st Corinthians 1:9-11 relate to unity?  (note keep in mind that in v.10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family)

3. Does unity have something to do with mutual submission?  If so, how is that achieved in church and on the court?

4. See the following verses for perspective on living with others and having unity:

2^nd Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 2:2/2:5, and 1^st Peter 3:8.

Saipan Time is also Guam Time:

Spelling Bee & Other Thoughts

Dear Friends, Family, and Readers:

After celebrating Chinese New Year in style with friends I thought I'd share some random thoughts and photos with you. The thoughts and pictures are on God's creation, school, and Chinese New Year celebration with friends. I'd like to start with how this school year has been going as we have hit the home stretch.

As the year is almost complete (or at least the 3rd quarter...) I have had some time to reflect. I just finished working on the spelling bee at school, which wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I have attached a short video I took of the spelling bee for your enjoyment. The final result was that one of my seventh grade girls won the competition at our school. She will now compete in Guam in March. I may or may not be going as both of the students parents are hoping to go and I told the principal it really did not matter to me whether I go or not. I was glad that he asked me. I simply replied that if the parents were o.k. acting as her coach at the Bee, I was fine with that. I also feel like it would save the school a little money. I will let you know what happens when it gets to that point.

As for the rest of my school year. I am working on teaching the students the writing process and MLA format as we near the end of the year. I could have included writing throughout the year, but I feel as though this is a good way to finish up the year...a culmination so to speak of all the information they have assimilated this year from their grammar books.

As for the rest of what I've been thinking about...well, I can't help but think about how great God is to have brought us to Saipan. I don't say that to upset those of you in the middle of winter, but in all honesty when I was in middle school I never imagined that I would be on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I am also astounded by God's beautiful creation. I have attached a few pictures of the sunset tonight on Saipan. I will at some point get a more beautiful sunset picture as there are often purple and pink sunsets, I just have to get out on the right day and capture it. I'm sure I will post many more sunset pictures later in the year.

I hope you enjoy everything. Enjoy! Ciao,
Grant