Governor re-launches Adopt-A-School initiative

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In a memorandum issued this past Wednesday, Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga re-launched the Adopt-A-School Program, an initiative started by the previous Lolo Administration, providing support and other needed services for both public and private schools.

The Lemanu-Talauega Administration announced in June last year, that the “impactful initiative” of this program by the previous administration will be continued in the current administration.

But the quarterly clean-ups under the Lemanu-Talauega Administration were put on hold after the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration, and continued to ‘on hold’ during the community outbreak of the deadly virus in February this year.

The governor informed cabinet members in the memorandum that the administration “will be reinitiating the Adopt-a-School Program” and called on cabinet directors and their respective agencies for full support.

“As we recover from the disruptions of the community spread of COVID-19, it is even more critical that we work together to support the Department of Education in giving our students the best possible opportunity to succeed,” he wrote to directors.

According to the governor, the clean-ups will be once a quarter and he requested cabinet members to schedule accordingly during the designated clean-up weeks “to conduct a thorough assessment of your adopted school and determine supplies and man power needed to exact the task.”

“We encourage you to invite parents and students to engage in your efforts,” the governor said and outlined the clean-up quarterly schedule starting this week: Aug. 22 to Aug. 26 and Dec. 12 to Dc. 16 for 2022. For the new year 2023, clean-ups on Mar. 13 to Mar. 17 and June 12 to June 16.

The clean-up schedule shows 29 public schools and 13 private schools territory-wide covered under the clean-up program.

Lemanu noted that all ASG authorities, departments and agencies will maintain their previous adopted schools — both public and private schools — and provided the list of all ASG units and the schools they are responsible for.

In conclusion, the governor said that he and Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo Ale appreciates “your continued support and commitment to the future of our territory through the education of our children.”

In the 8-years of the Lolo Administration both public and private schools came to depend on the this program to help with necessary clean-ups of their campuses, especially heading into the start of a new school year.

A few private schools are opening now or later this month, while all public schools begin the new school year on Sept. 06.