Here we go . . .

     PATS is a boarding school for boys and girls from throughout the Pacific.  But for the most part, the students are male.  For a long time, PATS was only open to males.  I'm not sure when they started allowing female students, but the female population has never been too high.  We offer academic classes and technical training for grades 9 - 12.  In addition to all that yummy goodness, PATS is also a Jesuit school.  In last year's freshmen class I had students ranging in age from 13 to 18.  This is because of different education systems on different islands.  Students from Kiribati typically start their education later than other places.  Hence why I had two 18 year olds from Kiribati in the freshman class.  But there were also 16 and 17 year olds from Pohnpei.  And a 13 year old from Palau.  It makes for an interesting mix.  But I usually forget that some of them are nearly as old as me.  They all act like 12 year olds, most of the time, so it's easy to forget that there's such a spread of ages.

     At the end of their sophomore year, students will pick a trade to specialize in during their junior and senior years.  They pick from computers, construction, marine science, & mechanics.  We used to have an agriculture program, but that's a thing of the past.  Buuuut, what to do about the school's name?  Ponape Agriculture and Trade School??  Hmmmm.  Ponape is an old spelling, just in case you're curious.  The island now goes by Pohnpei.  But the A in our acronym is a thing of the past....does that mean we're just PTS??

     The computer program just began this year, and yours truly is the head of that department.  And not only am I the head of the department, I AM the whole department!--makes for incredibly efficient department meetings!  This was a very new and exciting thing for the school as well as the people of Micronesia (notice that I say it "was" . . . now that the school is closing, all that is a thing of the past).  Computers have made their way into the Pacific, but we need people that know how to use them and repair them.  So my theology degree is coming in REAL handy right now......NOT!

     As for the other options . . . well . . . The marine science students get certified in scuba diving and learn about oceanography, aquaculture, and all sorts of other things.  Construction students get trained in Auto-CAD, carpentry, plumbing, electricity, etc.  And mechanics students learn welding, automotive repair, engine theory, etc.  None of these specialty trainings will teach the students all there is to know about a topic or replace a college education.  But it certainly gives them a good head start for pursuing a college education.  And it can give them some valuable skills that can help them get a job if they choose not to go to college.

     Our staff is made up of volunteers from various places around the world as well as permanent staff from throughout Micronesia.  Currently, we have staff from Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Japan, New Zealand, and the U.S.  It's such a cornucopia of interesting people.

However . . .

     in October of 2004, the announcement came that PATS would only remain open until December of 2005.  This year is actually the 40th anniversary for the school, and sadly, it will be the last.  The seniors graduated on May 14th.  Now it is time for the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to take their final exams and finish the school year.  And once that is done, the freshmen and sophomores will no longer be PATS students.  They will transfer to various schools, either on Pohnpei or back on their home islands.  But, at this point, there's actually very few of those freshmen and sophomores that are still here.  Most have already transferred.  The juniors will get a short break of one or two weeks and then will return to begin a summer session.  At some point I think they'll be doing internships.  I'm still confused on how this is all going to work out for them.  They will graduate in December of 2005.  And that's that.  Done.  Finished.  Adios PATS.  Decisions are still being made about what to do with PATS.  Some proposals for various parts of the school have been accepted, but there still a lot of blanks that need to be filled in.

All of our students . . . actually, there's a few extra in there

(students that have transferred since taking this photo).