Salutation:
Greetings your Eminence and fellow Apifo'ou Family!
Admin Briefs
This has been a short week in terms of class times as we had unexpected disruptions to our program for the week. It was announced earlier that His Majesty had cancelled all activities involving the schools in Tonga. This includes the marching by the schools to mark the official Opening of Parliament. Much to our surprise, a Directive from the Ministry of Education came on Tuesday afternoon, thus informing us that there will be a March on Thursday to mark Parliament's opening!
Fortunately, the college has done Cadet Training with His Majesty's Armed Forces a couple of years back, so the staff and students still get the hang of it! It took only a couple of hours to brush up the marching drills and we were ready! And so, yesterday we formed the marching order at the college and the college marched from here to town. This has been the practice for years now that 'Apifo'ou honors Ma'ufanga where the college is located. The staff and students did this with pride, to the delight of the people of Ma'ufanga who cheered us all from the roadsides.
Below is veteran teacher Mr. Timote Solo leading the First Platoon with the Principal.
We truly admire our staff and students as they braved the rain right from Ma'ufanga all the way to the heart of Nuku'alofa! Malo e si'i kataki fanau!
Seen above is Folau Pofaiva and staff members leading their platoon. Seen below are the Level 6 students looking smart in their full uniform.
Seen here are some of the teachers equally shining in their school outfits!
Seen here are some of the official wear for the teachers! Looking smart and professional is part and parcel of the ongoing effort to better promote the college.
Seen above are the TVET students led by Fele'unga Mafi. Seen below are the Brass Band, Field Commander, and the Band Master quietly walking alongside the band, Mr. Sipinoti Moimoi. They did very well despite the short time for preparations.
Rugby Boys
The Senior Boys together with the Under-17 Team are camping together as they prepare for the rugby season that begins next Friday. They were very fortunate that they had some training together with the US Navy as they visited the college today.
Seen above are the US Navy Crew with the rugby boys taking an official photo.
Due to the wet season being experienced at this time, the rugby boys sometimes joined the Zumba sessions at the college Hall. Seen below is the weekly Eucharist with our rugby boys in the Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel at the St. Mary's Campus.
Father's Day celebration
The female teachers today returned the favor and honored the Fathers among the staff, as only in Tonga is Father's Day celebrated this Sunday! They did the cooking and served the meals to their male counterparts to honor the fathers among them.
US Navy Visit
Apifo'ou College has maintained an amicable relationship with the US Embassy both in Fiji and Tonga. Almost all touring groups from the United States are more than welcome here at the college. And although their visit today was a last minute arrangement, they thoroughly enjoyed it. It was mutually beneficial for our students.
After the formal address and welcome, the US Navy Crew and Officials were divided into groups for more interactions. Seen below is the Commander, Mr. Lange, in a discussion with some of our teachers. Their visit reminds of those two years (1942-1944) during World War II when the US Marines and other Allied soldiers took over 'Api Fo'ou as their base while the college itself was relocated to Meleka near Liahona.
The Navy boys and officials were even treated to a dance to the tune of the new college hit song, "Hala Fatima".
Conclusion
My I extend to you all our profound gratitude for your prayers and support for our beloved college. We continue to build on the momentum of the past weeks' celebrations.
And with Pentecost upon us, the Birthday of the Church, I pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit may rekindle Her fire of love within the Apifo'ou Family, today and always.
Viva AFC!
Ekuasi
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