Jose Rios Middle School moves full steam ahead with inspection preps

It's been a week since our cameras stopped rolling at Jose Rios Middle School but the work to get the home of the voyagers in ship-shape condition has been moving full steam ahead. 

“As long as we have the supplies and the manpower, we’re doing everything,” said Patsy Chargualaf, Administrative Officer at Jose Rios. 

Today, she’s the compass pointing volunteers from the U.S. Navy’s USS Frank Cable and the Port Authority of Guam in the right direction as they help get the school to pass public health inspection with flying sails. 

“It’s just been awesome! They’ve been ready and willing to do anything we ask them to do–from painting, water blasting, pulling out debris that needs to be taken and thrown away,” said Chargualaf. 

That work is underway throughout the campus and even in classrooms while teachers instruct their students in online classes. Saina Maxine Bigler-Tainatongo is a CHamoru teacher at JRMS.

“It’s a crazy thing that we’re going through, but together, I think–with all our community members and volunteers, and the school community coming together to work as one, it just pushes us and motivates us to get our job done,” saud Bigler-Tainatongo. 

It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach to get kids back in the classroom that Tainatongo said she’s grateful for, and a journey these corpsmen with the USS Frank cable are happy to be part of. 

“Being able to see their peers, being able to feel that the teachers around them care–I think is insanely important for the children,” said USS Frank Corpsman Miranda Ellis. 

“The faster we get it done, the easier it is for them,” added Anthony Sanchez, USS Frank Corpsman. 

Meantime, Chargualaf said the Governor’s SORT have been at the school daily. No word yet on when the school is up for inspection. 

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