At George Washington High - one of 12 campuses slated for major upgrades - summer school is in full swing, proving that learning doesn’t stop, even when renovations do.

Summer may be here, but at GW, class is still in session. For incoming seniors at the Mangilao campus, Caleb Sarmiento and Quintin Duenas, along with 93 of their peers, summer school is an outlet to refresh, soak up more learning time, and ultimately invest in their futures.

“Coming here keeps us away from trouble outside of campus, using our time wisely–giving it to the school, our learning is benefiting us mainly," said Sarmiento. And Duenas added, “It also refreshes our minds for whatever stuff we have to learn when we come back, so that’s the good part about it.”

Their dedication to learning is evident, in CHamoru and finance classes alone, they say the takeaways have been eye-opening.  “What I’ve learned so far, our ancestors could’ve came as far as Taiwan," said Sarmiento. “Evidence shown from Austronesian language and pottery.”

“Actually, being in those classes for a couple of days has worked for me for time management, taught me things I wouldn't understand until I was older," Duenas shared.

And while these students are making the most of their summer to learn and grow, the question remains: is the campus keeping up with them? At the Home of the Geckos, repairs are visible - old exterior doors have been replaced and roof work appears nearly complete.

But with millions in American Rescue Plan funds still stalled, just how much more is needed to modernize their learning environment fully is still unclear.

Acting principal Noshista Mandell says student safety remains the priority. “Student safety," she notedd, "and they’re at the forefront of that. So, just ensuring that we have an environment that’s conducive to learning and that our school environment is safe enough for our students to continue in–then, I would say that we’re happy.”

In the meantime, GDOE's Fiscal Year 2025 consolidated grant application was recently deemed “Substantially Approvable” by the US Department of Education, but the projected over $35 million to support educational initiatives across Guam’s public schools and eligible charter and non-public institutions still can’t be used for school construction or facility improvements.