A Kagman High School teacher and student have been selected to represent the Northern Mariana Islands in the Young People’s Continental Congress, a national civics program that brings together 28 teacher‑student teams from across the country.
KHS teacher Elizabeth Basa and sophomore Cyrena Ada will travel to Philadelphia in July, shortly after the nation marks its 250th anniversary, to study the country’s founding era and help draft a joint declaration on the future of American democracy. All travel and participation costs are covered, and online training with historians begins this spring.
Basa said she learned about the program through school administrators and immediately thought of Ada. “She was immediately interested, which made it even more exciting for us to take this on together,” she said.
Ada said the application required initiative, including an essay on her interest in history. Basa also submitted written statements, including one explaining why she selected Ada. “As soon as I learned it was a teacher‑student program, Cyrena immediately came to mind,” Basa said.
Ada said being chosen to represent the CNMI is a source of pride. “Out of all the teachers and students in the islands, we are the ones who get to go out and represent our home,” she said.
Basa, now in her fourth year at KHS, said the program will strengthen her teaching. Ada, a sophomore who enjoys golf and ping pong, said learning about history “up close and personal from its origins” means a great deal.
Earlier, Basa was named Kagman High School’s 2026 Teacher of the Year and a top‑five finalist for CNMI Teacher of the Year.
The Young People’s Continental Congress is organized by National History Day and Carpenter’s Hall, the Philadelphia landmark where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. The initiative brings together teacher‑student teams from across the United States and U.S. territories to explore the nation’s founding era and draft a modern declaration on the future of American democracy.
