Announcements

Brighter Smiles

Monday, February 18th, 2008

New dentist sets practice in Kaunakakai.

By Léo Azambuja.

Dr. Ron Bloy, DDS, moved to Molokai last January and started practicing last week out of Molokai Community Health Clinic.

It has been an abrupt change for Dr. Bloy. For 19 years he practiced at O’Neill, Nebraska, a small rural community of 3,500 inhabitants. Little less than a year ago Pele’s rage reached Dr. Bloy’s clinic, burning it down in the middle of the night.

In a strange twist of fate, a day before his clinic burned down Dr. Bloy and his wife received in the mail the tickets to a Hawaiian vacation they had been planning. Some of their friends told them that their vacation had gone down the drain. The spirited dentist said otherwise. “We needed a vacation before, and now we really need one.”

Before losing his clinic to a fire, Dr. Bloy said he thought he was going to retire in O’neill. “I began to examine other options,” he said, noting that in the meantime he slowly phased out practice by attending his last clients out of a friend’s clinic.

In October Dr. Bloy saw an ad at the Christian Medical Dental Society, offering a job opportunity on Molokai. The following month he came to the island for an interview, and in December he got offered a job here. “We started packing up two weeks later.”

Dr. Bloy is still adjusting to the island. He rented a place in Kalae, and his wife is joining him in March, bringing their pets, which will have to meet quarantine requirements. Only then he says his place will feel more like home.

The new dentist has been here for only a short period, but the friendly spirit of residents has already got to him. “Everyone has been wonderful,” Dr. Bloy said. “I’m looking forward to become part of the community.” Dr. Bloy, who said he likes to live in small communities, is also interested in getting to know the people and culture of Molokai.

For the time-being Dr. Bloy is only attending to Medicare and self-paying patients. After receiving appropriate licenses he said he will be able to expand his care to patients carrying other types of dental insurance.

Kamehameha Students Teach Molokai Keiki

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Middle School students visited Molokai last week, to participate in an exciting and rewarding service learning project at three of the island’s elementary schools.

“The students learn about giving back to the community, through the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop,” Kamehameha middle school teacher, Jerelyn Makanui-Yoshida said. “They also realize how important education is, while interacting and engaging the younger students.”

More than 90 eighth graders traveled to Molokai to teach keiki. Divided into three groups, the Kamehameha students created a diverse mix of lessons, with classes in science, reading, and music. They provided instruction at Kilohana Elementary School, Kaunakakai Elementary School, and Kualapu`u Elementary School.

The student mentors and keiki immediately connected with each other in the classroom.

“The kids are so friendly on both sides,” said Kamalu Poepoe, Hawaiian immersion curriculum coordinator at Kualapu`u Elementary School. “It has a great impact on us as teachers. We see the students come in and offer fresh lessons, and we step outside of the box for a little while. There’s a strong feeling of ohana.”

This project has evolved into an annual tradition for Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Middle School and the Molokai community. In addition to the teaching, students also spend time sprucing up area churches and cleaning historical sites, such as the Keawa Nui fishpond. 

“It’s good to let them know that other people care about them,” said Jordan Lacsina, an eighth grade student at Kamehameha Schools Hawaii. “It feels wonderful to share our aloha with the keiki and our ohana on Molokai.”

Kamehameha Schools is a private, educational, charitable trust founded and endowed by the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop.  Kamehameha Schools operates a statewide educational system enrolling more than 6,700 students of Hawaiian ancestry at K-12 campuses on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii and 31 preschool sites statewide.  Thousands of additional Hawaiian learners are served each year through a range of other Kamehameha Schools’ outreach programs, community collaborations and financial aid opportunities in Hawaii and across the continental United States.  

Farewell to Dr. Thomas

Monday, February 11th, 2008

Veterinarian leaving Molokai after 5 weeks serving the community.

It has been said that all that is good doesn’t last; and confirming this, Molokai’s only veterinarian is leaving the island.

Molokai residents – and their pets – have suffered long enough without a permanent veterinarian established on the island, until Dr. Sterling Thomas decided to come over and help out. And that he did with his heart, staying here for five weeks, attending to pets and performing around 50 spay or neuter procedures on cats and dogs island-wide.

But time has come for Dr. Thomas to be with his family in Oregon. He is leaving Feb. 14, just in time to celebrate Valentine’s Day with his wife. He said his experience on Molokai has been nothing short of wonderful, the people here have been very nice and really took the time to make him feel welcome.

Dr. Thomas said he might come back for a couple more weeks, but that will probably be by the end of April or beginning of May.

However, not all is lost for Molokai’s pets in need of tender care, and spay and neutering – Dr. Eileen, who has been coming here from Maui for years may resume practice on Molokai. Dr. Thomas also said that a veterinarian from Oahu, Dr. Tom, may start a practice on Molokai every Sunday.

Other short-term alternative includes a woman veterinarian from Oregon who has volunteered to come to Molokai for one week in March and one week in May, according to Dr. Thomas.

Dr. Thomas said the facility in which he has been working is well equipped and kept, despite not being set for full-scale surgeries. He praised the hard work of Molokai Humane Society board members, which resulted in acquiring the land lease and the facility. With continued proper care, the facility will be able to accommodate the practice of visiting veterinarians, he said.

The need for a permanent veterinarian on Molokai is still dire. Dr. Thomas said he wishes he could have done more. “I haven’t had a slow day,” he said, noting that he even worked on a few weekends.

“There is a six-page-long list of people that I can’t get to,” he said, explaining that those people won’t be able to get their pets spayed or neutered by him.

Perhaps the biggest downside of Dr. Thomas stay on Molokai was the number of puppies he diagnosed as infected with the often-lethal parvovirus. Sadly, he said he saw 15 puppies in four days that were either dead or dying from parvo infection. Since treating infected animals requires hospitalization, and Molokai has no facilities capable of that, “once a dog here gets it, it’s pretty much a death sentence,” Dr. Thomas said.

Parvo is a relatively new disease. It comes from a mutating virus, and was first discovered in Australia in 1979. It has since spread to all four corners of the world. Symptoms often include diarrhea and vomiting.

The parvovirus is transmitted through feces of infected dogs, and humans do not get the disease. The virus can remain dormant for years before hosting itself in an animal. Puppies are the most susceptible to the disease, since they are still building their immune system.

Dr. Thomas said he was sad to witness so many infected animals in such a short period of time. When he worked in the mainland, he would see one or two animals a month that tested positive for the disease. He said the disease can be prevented with proper vaccination, and educating the population about dos and don’ts.

Although it’s sad to see Dr. Thomas leaving, he brought some light to pets and pet owners on Molokai. He continues to serve the community by actively looking for solutions to the island’s shortcomings regarding a lack of proper veterinarian care.

With good planning, he said it is financially possible to make a living as veterinarian here. He said he is also trying to figure out how to minimize the spread of parvovirus on the island.

Department of Education Complex News

Monday, February 4th, 2008

The Read Aloud Program invites families to enjoy an evening of food, family and literary fun. 

By Siri Anderson

Student Achievement

Congratulations to all Molokai schools for making significant and continuous academic growth! All six Molokai were invited to the Hawaii Distinguished Schools Award luncheon on Oahu, honoring their outstanding achievement in both reading and math from School Year 2005 through 2007.

As a parent or guardian, you can help the schools continue to address raising your child’s performance by:

• Coming to parent-school meetings and workshops
• Supporting your child’s good study habits;
• Reviewing your child’s homework and test results; and
• Setting goals with your child.

RAP - Read Aloud Program

The Read Aloud Program (RAP) is a fun filled family program that promotes reading aloud and helps parents and children share good books and build a lifelong love of reading.

Maunaloa Elementary School will host four more sessions; Feb. 19, March 4, April 22 and May 6. For more information contact the school liaison Kimberly Kaii at 552-2000.

Kualapu`u Elementary School will also host four more RAP sessions; Feb. 20, March 5, April 23 and May 7. For more information contact the school liaison Leila Elia at 567-6900.

Free Tutoring Available!

Qualified students can receive free tutoring in reading and math. Qualification is based on free/reduced lunch status. Parents, guardians and kupuna, please take advantage of these valuable services, designed to boost student achievement by filling out an application form today! Applications are available in school offices.

Free Books!

Molokai keiki and their parents are invited to take advantage of a special reading opportunity. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library provides free, high quality, age-appropriate books every month to registered children, who live in designated communities, from the time they are born up until kindergarten. This is made possible through a collaborative partnership among the Dollywood Foundation, the Hawaii Department of Human Services, the University of Hawaii Center on the Family and our elementary Schools.

To register your child, go to the office of the elementary school nearest to where you live to complete an application. Books will begin arriving via the U.S. Postal Service between eight to ten weeks after a registration form has been submitted.

Kudos to:

In a special Kaunakakai School assembly this fall, Malia (DeCourcy) Sakamoto was named “Everyday Hero.” The Everyday Hero Award, sponsored by Papa John’s Restaurant, recognizes teachers who instill a love for learning in students, respond to student needs and support peers by sharing effective instructional practices, experiences and expertise to maximize student learning. Along with Malia Busby, Mrs. Sakamoto developed the nationally recognized FACT (Families and Classroom Teachers) Program which effectively teams Kaunakakai teachers and families to support learning in a fun and natural way.

In his first year as the girls’ volleyball coach, Molokai Middle School vice principal, Matthew Helm, was named Coach of the Year by the MIL (Maui Interscholastic League). Leading his team to second place in the MIL and fourth place in the state championships was an outstanding accomplishment, as this was. Congratulations to both the team members and their coach!

Molokai Middle School students won first prize at the 35^th Annual Na Mele O Maui song contest for their division. Na Mele is dedicated to cultural preservation and the perpetuation of Hawaiian language and arts. The winning song, “E o Molokai’ was composed by a Molokai resident, Awapuhimele Napoleon and taught to the middle school students by her younger sister, Luana Keonaona Po’okela Napoleon, and aunt, Iolani Kuoha.

Lifelong Learning

K-12 Molokai teacher teams from all schools have been working to ensure instruction in writing and mathematics is consistent across all grade levels and schools. Meeting monthly, teachers are collaborating to align the State Standards into a “Molokai” document that will detail what students should be able to know, do and understand in both math and reading.

ETS (Educational Testing Service) continues to provide rigorous professional development in math and reading. As the complex restructuring provider, ETS has been charged with helping our schools increase student achievement. Molokai teachers have additionally been fortunate to participate in workshops offered by nationally recognized educational leaders including Cindy Strickland (Differentiated Instruction) and Anne Davies (Assessment for Learning).

Upcoming Complex Events

Please join us at our annual complex community meeting highlighting school Academic/Financial Plans. Enjoy dinner courtesy of the Molokai complex. Our school principals, complex personnel and ETS Providers, Pat and Carol Nordquist will be on hand to discuss focused strategies to improve student achievement and ways parents can support learning. Feb.13 at the Kaunakakai School Cafeteria 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Read Aloud Program Update

Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

Maunaloa Elementary School will host five more sessions; Feb. 5 and 19, March 4, April 22 and May 6. For more information contact the school liaison Kimberly Kaii at 552-2000.

Kualapu`u Elementary School will also host five more 5:45-7:45 p.m. RAP sessions; Feb. 6 and 20, March 5, April 23 and May 7. For more information contact the school liaison Leila Elia at 567-6900. Families can also contact the Kualap`uu Family Facilitator, Tarrah Horner, for more information on how to get involved. Horner can be reached at 567-6900 ext. 231, or email tarrah_horner@notes.k12.hi.us

Promote Healthy Dating Habits

Saturday, January 26th, 2008

Dating violence is a serious issue. Teens remain the most likely age group to experience intimate partner violence. Unhealthy relationship patterns that develop during adolescence can set the stage for future domestic violence.

Whether teens date casually or seriously, they need to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. 

A major step to prevention begins in the home.  

“Simply put, parents play an important role in promoting healthy teen dating relationships.  Talk to your child about healthy dating, meet your child’s boyfriend/girlfriend, and help your child be aware of unhealthy relationship behaviors such as cyber control,” Tula`i Project Investigator Susana Helm said.

The issue is particularly important in Hawaii, where violence continues to occur at alarming rates, according to studies conducted by the Tula`i Project and the Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center.

Dating violence ranges from anything involving physical or emotional abuse, to pressure to participate in unwanted sexual activities.

Individuals and families can learn more about how to prevent dating violence during National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week held Feb. 4-8.

On Molokai, the Domestic Violence Shelter can provide assistance. Teens can call the hotline for free, confidential, and anonymous help: 567-6888.

Fathers Talk Story

Friday, January 25th, 2008

By Jennifer Smith

The Mediation Center is offering men a chance to talk story about parenting. A 12-week workshop for fathers will begin on Feb. 6.

Program facilitator Taylor Kawaa has offered the workshop for the past two years. Meeting for about an hour on Wednesday evenings, participants discuss the different challenges and successes they may be encountering as fathers.

“I’m not here to change people’s lives. They will change on their own,” Kawaa said. “(I) offer ideas of trying to cope with their relationships, with their wives or their children.”

Obituaries

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

CHELSY KAWAILANI STONE-LAWELAWE (female) 16 years old of Honouliwai, Molokai.

Chelsy was born on May 18, 1991 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She passed away on January 3, 2007 in Kaunakakai, Molokai.

Chelsy is survived by her loving parents Vonda Stone and Frank Lawelawe of Kaunakakai, Molokai, her companion Brandon Lima of Honouliwai, Molokai and her brothers Stanton Lawelawe of Kaunakakai, Waika Lawelawe of Kaunakakai, Brandon Lawelawe of Kaunakakai, Waikolu Stone-Sardinha of Kaunakakai. Chelsy is also survived by her sisters, Courtney Lawelawe of Honolulu, Hawaii, Desiree Stone-Lawelawe of Kaunakakai, and Summer Stone-Sardinha of Kaunakakai.

Friends may call on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at the Waialua Congregational Church in Waialua, Molokai.