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Author Archives: Megan Stephenson

Therapy Program First of its Kind

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Therapy Program First of its Kind

A few years ago, Jodie Diener of Wai Ola `O Hina therapy clinic realized there was a large health therapy gap on Molokai. So, for the first time in Hawaii, Diener and Donna Haytko-Paoa, coordinator at University of Hawaii (UH) Maui College, Molokai, created a combination physical, occupational and speech therapy certificate.

With the island’s aging population growing – kupuna here represent 17 percent of the island – Diener decided not to wait for therapists to come here; she wanted to create a “homegrown workforce.” With the help of the Molokai Community Rural Health Association (MCRHA) and Molokai’s community college, the state’s first Therapeutic Activity Aide Certificate (TAAC) was born.

Last week, about 20 students were honored in a ceremony in which they were recognized by the college, MCRHA, community members, friends and family for completing the TAAC program.

“This is the first class in Hawaii go through this training program – and it’s happening on Molokai,” Haytko-Paoa said, followed by a cheer from the crowd attending the lunchtime ceremony at Kulana `Oiwi.

are needed,” Peabody said. “There’s a gap helping patients when they go home,” from a hospital stay.

Diener said they are in the process of applying to the state Department of Labor to recognize the certification in the health field, which should be complete within a year. They need a Medicaid designation, she said, to get them a proper level of pay to their training.

However, neither Diener nor these 20 or so students wanted to wait for the state to recognize the certificate before going ahead with the training – this way, if the certificate is recognized, the professionals can get right to work.

She added that there were many organizations and people involved in making the program a success – everywhere they went for help, they were “met with completely open arms.”

Deiner would like to thank the MCRHA board (past and present), USDA Rural Development, Molokai Rural Development Project, UH Maui College Molokai, UHMCC Allied Health Department, Kapio`lani CC, Dr. Caryl Hitchcock, Dale and Beverly Moore, Na Pu`uwai, Molokai Community Health Center, Molokai General Hospital, AHEC, Auco Construction, Fysiotherapie Hawaii, and our ohana and kupuna of Molokai.

First In Hawaii: TAAC graduates
Kari Kikukawa, April Madella, Laurie-Kim Pule, Lorna Keliipuleole, Ryan Johnston, Ashly Reyes-Connelly, Ishay Honokaupu
TAAC II graduates
Suliana Aki, Anela Albino-Florendo, Jane “Claire” Cappelle, Lyvette Caspillo-Aalona, Larissa Gorospe, Kauluna`e Hamakua, Nicol Kealoha-Carmichael, Alanna Kekoa-Kalamau, Tina-Marie Matthews, Shannon “Malia” Nishihira, Barbara Rapanot, Maile Silva, Emily Valdez, Corena Wright

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Molokai Wrestlers Strong in States

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Community Contributed

By Randy Manley

On Saturday May 14, 58 wrestlers from the Molokai Wrestling Club participated in the Kid’s State Wrestling Championships at the Lahaina Civic Center on Maui. In all, 520 wrestlers representing 22 wrestling clubs from Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Hawaii Island and Lanai competed throughout the day.

Wrestlers from age four through adult were grouped in seven divisions and a variety of weight classes. 
At the end of the day, 34 Molokai wrestlers finished in the top three in their respected divisions. As a team the Molokai Club finished the day in fourth place with 76 total team points, just behind third place Maui Central (77 pts.), second Napili Surf Riders (80 pts.), and first place Maui Razorbacks (89 pts.).

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Naturally Speaking

Monday, May 30th, 2011

Naturally Speaking

Community Contributed

By G.T. Larson

Molokai is well known for its spectacular sea cliffs, the highest on earth, but the event that created these beautiful sheer cliffs also contributed to the largest landslide debris field known on earth (with the Nuuanu slide on Oahu). Rock debris extends north from Molokai and northeast from Oahu over 100 miles across the ocean floor. One block of debris is approximately seven miles long by 15 miles wide and over 6,000 feet high; it is so large that it has been given a name, the Tuscaloosa Seamount. A natural question would be how did all that debris get there? To better understand these events, it is advantageous to examine an earlier, similar, though much smaller event, on the west end of Molokai.

Molokai was created by three volcanoes. The west Molokai volcano came up first and at its highest was probably several thousand feet higher than the present day elevation of 1,381 feet. The east Molokai volcano came up next and grew quite a bit larger, both in area and in height. Its lava flowed west up to and over the remnants of the eastern half of the west Molokai volcano, which formed the plain where now the airport and most of Molokai’s large farms are located. This area is called the Ho`olehua Saddle. The third and youngest volcano is Kauhako crater which built the Kalaupapa peninsula.


As you are traveling west toward Maunaloa, the highway begins to climb a mile or so past the airport. As you ascend, looking north or to the right, you can see a long escarpment called the Hauakea Pali ending at Mo`omomi beach. It is not as pronounced to the south of the road, but is still discernible. The upper slope to the south also exhibits many eroded gullies and large boulders called residual stones, on the surface of and embedded in, deep red dirt, characteristic of most of west end Molokai. This red dirt, called laterite soil, gets its color from the oxidation of black iron oxide into red iron oxide. These gullies and ridges are the remnants of the main caldera of the west Molokai volcano. The Northwest Rift Zone, which created Ilio Point, and the Southwest Rift Zone, which created La`au Point, radiate out from this area indicating the summit. The whole scarp was formed by a large landslide, probably along a northeast to south rift zone, which slid the eastern half of the west Molokai volcano into the ocean before the east Molokai volcano had spread out much.

This land slide event would have almost certainly have happened all at once, causing a huge tsunami which, if there was much of a summit on the east Molokai volcano, would probably have been overtopped. Young Lanai, Maui and still younger Hawaii Island would have also been adversely affected. The western coasts of North, Central, and South America would possibly have seen tsunami effects. But all of this was just a foretaste of what was to come. Until next time, Aloha Ke Akua.

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Shark Attacks Big Island Surfers

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Shark Attacks Big Island Surfers

Fortunately, no injuries were reported after a second shark attack at Lymans Bay, Hawaii Island. At about 1:15 p.m. on May 25, Teresa Fernandez was surfing out when her board was bumped: a shark bit and pulled on her board. This is the second bite within a week – the last attack was May 21 - and the two attacks occured in the same spot.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources temporarly closed the beaches to keep people out of the water, but reopened them Thursday. 

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Stepping Up for Success

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Stepping Up for Success

A new state educational incentive program has come to Molokai to help students excel rather than simply meet the status quo.

Now in its second year, the Step Up Scholars program encourages eighth and ninth graders to earn the state Board of Education (BOE) Recognition Diploma. To receive the recognition award, students pledge to achieve higher than required academic accomplishments during the next four years of high school. The program partners with individual schools to help provide tutoring, financial aid advice and free SAT training.

So far, 15 students from the class of 2014 and 18 students from the class of 2015 have pledged as Step Up Scholars. State-wide Step Up Program Manager, Cherry Torres, is recruiting more middle school students for the program’s third year.

“The president and our own governor are pushing for education reform,” Torres said, a 2000 Molokai High graduate. “I think it’s not so much a reform as a community-wide effort to help out statewide the education system.”

When students pledges to earn the Recognition Diploma, they commit to extra initiative: in addition to meeting standard high school diploma requirements, students must also complete AP English, an additional math class and a senior project.

Step Up recruits students at a transition time – on the cusp of high school – to ensure they begin thinking about their choices early.

“When [students] develop interests, by the time they realize the different classes they have to take, sometimes it’s too late,” Torres said.

need to look beyond Molokai,” Svetin said. “A lot of times you’re competing against students from all over the country, sometimes from all over the world – what can make you stand out?”

Torres said they are still accepting pledges from classes 2014 and 2015 for the next school year (2011-12) until May 31. Forms are available at stepuphawaii.org. For questions contact Torres at cherry@hawaii.edu or call 1-866-808-4327.

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Veteran’s Corner

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Community Contributed

Column by Jesse Church

Hello veterans, old Jesse here with all the veterans news and upcoming events. I would like to remind all veterans that the VA service officer Joe Thompson will be the veterans center in Kaunakakai on May 27 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., if you need help with a claim. I would also like to remind everyone of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Day program on May 28 at 9:30 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park in Kaunakakai. The Molokai Veterans Caring for Veterans’ Memorial Day program will be at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery on May 30 at 9:30 a.m.

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Lions Roar

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Community Contributed

By Jackie Cushman
 
You support us and we give it right back! On Mother's Day, May 8, the Molokai Lions Club hosted their annual breakfast at Paddlers Inn. The location might have changed this year but the support never wavered. The food was excellent. Chef Kamuela, you did yourself proud. Curtis and Sierra you never stopped moving. Mahalo to Lions Darlene Heil, Jylyn Stubbs, PJ and Mark Berfield, Gary Guardino, Rob Stevenson and Mike Jennings.

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Peace Poets

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Peace Poets

Community Contributed
        
By Greta Martinez, Kualapu`u School teacher

During the months of January and February, Kualapu`u School students in second, third and fourth grades immersed themselves in the art of writing poetry. Students focused on the theme of peace and wrote haiku, acrostic, free verse and rhyming poetry. Their poems were entered in the state-wide 12th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Poem contest, organized by the International Peace Poem Project on Maui.

Fifteen students from Kualapu`u School were proud winners of first and second prizes for Maui County; 12 students traveled to Maui last week to read their poems to an audience of about 100 families and receive their awards from the office of Mayor Arakawa.


Approximately 2,000 students statewide entered the contest; about 800 of them were from Maui County. This was a memorable life-changing experience for these young poets. They were beaming with confidence and pride. Six poems written in Hawaiian language won first and second prize awards, the only poems received in Hawaiian language statewide, and two of them received honorary mention. It was truly a joy and treat to listen to over 80 students read their peace poems with pride and passion!

The International Peace Poem Project has been holding Peace Poetry contests in the state of Hawaii for the past 12 years. Their goal is to write the longest poem in the world, about peace. All students’ poems have been added to the Peace Poem Scroll which measures about three feet in diameter. If you would like to add your two lines about peace to the scroll, e-mail Melinda Gohn at peace@maui.net

Peace
By: Ramie Ann DeVera (1st prize winner grade 3A)

Peace sounds like snow falling down the sky
Peace looks like kindness in you
Peace tastes like the snow in your mouth
Peace is like smelling the flowers falling

Maluhia
By: Keahe Ross (1st prize winner grade 3 Hawaiian Immersion)

Maluhia ke kokua ana
i kekahi i kekahi a ke aloha
Ka malama i ke kahi i kekahi
Ka mahalo ana i kekahi i kekahi
Maluhia ka haka e ki ke’enei
Translation: Peace is helping each other
Peace is taking care of each other
Peace is thanking each other
Peace is giving to each other
Peace is my heart beating

Haiku Peace Poem
By: Stasia Kaahanui (1st prize winner grade 4A)

Peace is like the world
That is filled with happiness
It’s gathering hearts

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Kaunakakai ACE Students Acing

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Kaunakakai ACE Students Acing

Community Contributed

By Cheryl Corbiell, ACE Reading Coordinator

Every day, for 30 minutes, one-on-one tutoring with ACE Reading transformed 17 Kaunakakai Elementary School students in first, second and third grades into excellent readers. Their accomplishments were acknowledged by parents and teachers at a graduation party last week.

Kaunakakai’s School’s ACE Reading program, which means Accelerated Community Empowerment Reading, emphasizes five critical reading skills, using cutting-edge technology to teach students not only the mechanics of reading but how to understand what they read. Students attend the after-school program to work one-on-one with a reading tutor.

ACE Reading uses multi-media technology and a technique called video feed forward, which shows a student reading fluently and answering questions in complete sentences. The edited videos model excellence in reading and comprehension.


“The students see themselves reading with positive reading behaviors, and it instills a mental picture of success in the student. The students become their own models,” said Dr. Caryl Hitchcock, one of two program developers. Through this observational learning technique, students made significant gains in fluency, comprehension and confidence.

All students took home their video of the skills they learned and the gift of a book to read over the summer with compliments of the First Book program. Mahalo to Kaunakakai School’s principal, Janice Espiritu, for her enthusiastic support; Bob Underwood for the use of his classroom; the elementary teachers for supporting the students; the ACE Reading coaches (Ashley Reyes-Connelly, Olivia Riel, Darlene Heil and Jylyn Stubbs); Site Coordinator (Cheryl Corbiell); and to the grant (21st Century CLC) that provided funding for this program.

The ACE Reading Program began at Kaunakakai Elementary School in September 2003 and meets current state of Hawaii literacy standards.

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Kalaupapa Future Discussed at Public Open House

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

National Park Service News Release

Kalaupapa National Historical Park is in the process of developing a General Management Plan (GMP). The GMP will describe the general path that the National Park Service and its partners intend to follow in managing Kalaupapa over the next 15-20 years.

The open houses will provide a forum for discussing four different future visions for managing resources and opportunities for visitors at Kalaupapa. These preliminary alternatives represent many statements and ideas that were provided by the public during earlier phases of the planning process.

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