USS George Washington Navy spends two days in two public high schools

Two days, two schools, two worlds

Last August 12 and 13, 2009, Nangka High School in Marikina and Tipas National High School in Taguig City welcomed 70 navy personnel from the USS George Washington that docked in Manila Bay for a week-long goodwill visit in the Philippines.

Students, teachers and administrators eagerly received the navy volunteers and helped them settle in as they were given their assigned tasks. The volunteers were as enthusiastic as the students to work and get to know each other. In a short span of a day, volunteers were able clean the grounds, paint the libraries, build bookshelves for, and repair broken chairs enough for 1 classroom; but more importantly, they were able to learn about public education in the Philippines, spend time with the students, share their own experiences with the youth, and even inspire the students to follow their own dreams.

This event was organized by Pathways to Higher Education and Children’s Hour Philippines, Inc. as part of the Sharing the Light Project (STL). STL is an initiative of Pathways to rehabilitate 50 public high school libraries, provide training for their librarians, and implement a reading program in all beneficiaries nationwide.

We would like to thank the US Embassy and the US Navy for supporting the Sharing the Light Project, and spending time in the schools. We would also like to acknowledge the assistance of DepEd Marikina and the Office of the Mayor. We would also like to thank Nangka High School and Tipas National High School for their hospitality during the activities.