After receiving citations from the City of Chicago in the United States as well as a personal congratulatory letter from US President Barack Obama, Cebuano teacher Joseph Ocol earned another recognition – this time from his hometown in Cebu City.
The Cebu City Council passed a resolution during their regular session two days ago to commend Ocol, 57, for his exemplary performance as an educator in the US and for bringing pride to the Cebuano community.
“Mr. Joseph Ocol, a Cebuano math teacher based in Chicago, Illinois, organized a unique after-school program for high school and elementary students through a chess program which he started at the Marshall Metropolitan High School in 2005,” read the resolution authored by Councilor James Anthony Cuenco. It was passed on mass motion.
Ocol, who was born and raised in Cebu City, has been teaching in Chicago for 15 years.
He graduated in Abellana National School where he and Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. were schoolmates.
He earned two degrees in engineering and education.
His after-school chess-mentoring program aimed to empower students of the high school as well as nearby Faraday Elementary School, who were mostly African-American and poor students in the city.
Students who joined his chess club won state-wide and even national chess tournaments in the US. Their academic performance also improved and pulled up the status of the elementary school in the US government national exams.
The City Council of Chicago recognized his accomplishment in education and the youth and awarded him the prestigious 2013 Kathy Osterman Finalist Award in November last year.
US President Barack Obama sent him and the rest of the school, a congratulatory letter.
“Your extraordinary proud coach, Joseph Ocol, shared your story with me, and I want to send my congratulations on this year’s hard-earned accomplishments,” wrote Obama to to the school’s chess players last May.
Ocol is visiting Cebu for a few weeks, timed for the death anniversary of his mother in July.
“I’m thankful for the Cebu City Council’s recognition. My mother always told me that the best recognition comes from the Lord,” he told Cebu Daily News.
“Recognitions like this are a motivation for me to move forward and continue doing what I do,” he added.