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Island Youth

The keiki and `opio of Molokai

Molokai Youth to Serve in the Holy Land

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Molokai Youth to Serve in the Holy Land

Community Contributed

By Gaellen Quinn

Last fall, Sasha Ritte-Juario applied to do a Youth Year of Service at the Baha’i World Center in Haifa, Israel. She knew to get accepted was probably a long shot – every year, hundreds of Baha’i youth from around the world apply.  But with high hopes, she sent out her application and essay about her life and community service.

In December, the acceptance phone call came. Youth who are accepted to serve at the Baha’i World Center can be assigned, among other tasks, to work in administration in the world-famous Baha’i gardens (inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List – see more at www.bahai.org) or as guides for the more than half a million tourists who visit the Baha’i World Center each year. The youth are provided with room and board and a small monthly stipend, but are responsible for their own personal expenses and transportation to and from Israel. Sasha will leave for Israel on June 13.

Founded more than a century and a half ago, the Baha’i faith has spread around the globe. Members of the Baha’i faith live in more than 100,000 localities and come from nearly every nation, ethnic group, culture, profession and social economic background.

Baha’is believe that throughout history, God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine messengers whose teachings guide and educate us and provide the basis for the advancement of human society. These messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad. Their religions come from the same source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God.

Baha’u’llah, the latest of these messengers brought new spiritual and social teachings for this time. He taught the oneness of God, the oneness of the human family and the oneness of religion.

The youth accepted to serve at the Baha’i World Center get a unique opportunity to experience this unity first-hand because they meet and work with others from many diverse cultures and backgrounds. At any one time, youth serving there can hail from Africa, India, Europe, Asia, North and South America or the islands of the Pacific.

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Seal Play

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Seal Play

While the friendly Hawaiian monk seal KP2, or Ho`ailona, no longer lives on Molokai, he is still helping youth understand more about the species.  Students at Ho`omana Hou School are creating a video to raise awareness of monk seal extinction, using Ho`ailona’s story as inspiration. The fictional account of Molokai’s favorite seal being rescued by two sharks and some fishermen is called “Aloha, Ho`ailona, Aloha.”

“The fishermen and sharks to go California to rescue Ho`ailona from swimming in circles for the rest of his life,” said Walter Ritte, teacher at Ho`omana Hou, describing the video.

Students have been working on the film since the beginning of the school year, with lots of community kokua. Ritte’s class has been taking video shooting and editing lessons from Dan Emof of Akaku, and hope to give copies of the completed video to all Molokai schools, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).


Kaunakakai Elementary School students came out to lend a hand during the shoot last week, standing at the Kaunakakai Wharf to welcome Ho`ailona home for one of the video’s scenes (pictured left/right/above). Fifth grade teacher Kawika Gonzales said his class has been learning about Hawaiian monk seals. Since his class has made field trips to Ritte’s school to learn about the fishpond, he said they wanted to come out to support Ho`omana Hou’s efforts.

Ritte said they are looking for pictures, videos, personal stories of Ho`ailona to use in the video. Please call Molokai Community Service Council at 553-3244 if you can kokua; materials will be returned.

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Nearly Pau With SUP Series

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Nearly Pau With SUP Series

Community Contributed

By Clare Seeger Mawae

Race five was held on April 30 and the forecast was calling for light and variable winds. How wrong that was, with steady trades hitting Kamalo during registration. Keala Freemon once again brought another victory to his name with a time of 1 hour, 40 minutes, leading the points in the long course. Raleigh Poepoe came in second, a minute behind Keala, and Jesseca Oswald took third place overall and women’s first place with a time of 1:49.
 
One hour later the kids and our off-island visitor Christian Isaacs and his son Noa started the short course. 11-year-old Kaydence Oswald shot off into the lead and took a convincing win in a time of 53:29. Christian and Noa Isaacs paddled in the tandem/family fun division with a time of 54:50, which has now become increasingly popular with parents and children. 11-year-old Luhi Pedro took second overall in a time of 57:35, and 8-year-old Alex Mawae took third place with 1:00.37.
 
As the short course was on its way, excitement was happening down the road with some new kids entering the race at Ali`i Fishpond. Slater Oswald chaperoned Reeve and Naavah Albino, and Reeve came in with a credible time of 21:37 for the one-mile course and sister Naavah in 21:57. Hats go off to Slater for being such a good chaperone since he was the second of the Youth in Motion kids to fracture his wrist this year, and could not race.
 


This was another excellent day of the race series of Makani Ikaika O Molokai. Anything can happen at the grand finale with the Molokai Holokai on May 28, hosted by Molokai Ohana Surf Club. The short course (3.5 miles) is finished, and the unofficial results show Kaydence Oswald in the lead, Alex Mawae in second, and Kekai Adachi in third place.
 
This has been quite an incredible series for the kids and we encourage that more family and youth sign up for next year. From the beginning of the year, these kids were so scared to go out to the reef and as the season ends, their confidence levels have risen, and ready to take on the deep blue. We also found a new category and division, the tandem racing with one adult and one child, which has been a good way to encourage the younger ones to get out on the ocean.
 
For more information for next year’s race series, the youth training program, register with the organization, volunteer, or donate, please got to www.supmolokai.org or contact Clare Seeger Mawae at 336-0946, email clare@youthinmotion.org.

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Molokai Gets New Playground

Monday, May 16th, 2011

The children of Molokai will have a new place to play soon after the construction of a new playground at One Ali`i Park. After three years of petitioning from the community, the project was approved by the Molokai Planning Commission (MoPC).

Zach Helm, Molokai District Supervisor for the county Department of Parks and Recreation, said that he hopes the new playground can be built by fall 2011. The last playground at One Ali`i Park, a jungle gym and a slide, was removed two years ago. The new playground will be “state of the art,” Helm said.

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Hawaiian Language Lives On

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Hawaiian Language Lives On

`Olelo Hawaii filled the Molokai High School Hawaiian Immersion graduation ceremony, and dozens of lei rose to the noses of the graduates last Friday evening.

The ceremony was the culmination of five students’ knowledge of Hawaiian language and culture: Kekukuimawaenaokamokumaikekuahiwiakalaniikekai  Kaiama-Lenwai, Kealakai Alcon, Keakaokalani Kaiama, Ka`imiola Sagario and Kailana Eheu`ula Ritte-Camara.

Each graduate spoke in Hawaiian for about 10 minutes in front of an audience of 100 people at their garden at Molokai High School. The students also recited their “Oli Mo Okuahuhau,” or genealogical recitation.

language and culture thriving on Molokai,” he said.

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Club Wrestling Battles at Home

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Club Wrestling Battles at Home

Eight wrestling clubs from around the state gathered last weekend at The Barn for a showdown of strength and agility. The Molokai Wrestling Club was represented at its only home tournament of the season by 70 of its 80-some athletes. With the state club wrestling tournament coming up next weekend, the stakes were high and a roaring crowd cheered on the battling keiki.

“The kids are showing a lot of heart and respect,” said coach Benny Venenciano. “We’re in a good position for states,” he said, adding that at the first tournament of the season two weeks ago, Molokai came home with 10 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and quite a few bronze.

Coach Randy Manley agreed. “We’re doing well,” he said. “We lost states last year by two points, and this year, we’re hoping to come out on top.”

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Planting Health and Wealth

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Planting Health and Wealth

With Molokai’s reputation as a strong farming community, one island nonprofit thought the time was ripe to start a community garden, to educate residents on the best gardening practices.

Rosie Davis, executive director of Huli Au Ola Area Health Education Center, received a grant from the Department of Health in November 2010 to begin a health-through-gardening project, called Community Putting Prevention to Work.

“Everybody wants to eat healthy, but it’s so expensive,” Davis said. Her family started their own large garden four years ago and is currently building their second greenhouse.. She said they save around $500 a month on their grocery bill by growing their own vegetables as well as fishing.

The first community garden site, a half-acre in Kalamaula, will be cleaned and the soil tilled this week by volunteers. Davis’ program runs on community volunteers, who reap the benefits at the end of harvest.

“[Molokai] dirt is really healthy, we just have to know how to mix it to make things [grow],” Davis said.

faces, taking ownership of what they’re planting,” Kalani said.

Davis said they intend to add more community garden sites, and are on the lookout for more volunteers who would like to grow their own fresh vegetables. Contact Huli Au Ola at 553-3623.

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Royalty Returns

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Royalty Returns

Royalty returns to Molokai! Hundreds of keiki and their families participated and enjoyed this year's May (Lei) Day events, scattered around the island. Below are pictures from Molokai's six schools' celebrations.

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Designed to Shine

Friday, May 6th, 2011

Designed to Shine

Although Molokai High School has a mascot, a motto and a crest, they’ve never had a branded logo. So as a part of his senior project, Kaoli Place created a logo he hopes will stick around – with the help of several products for students and community to enjoy.

Place, with the help of classmate Eesha Dudoit-Alapai, created the Logo Store at the school, selling several products with Place’s logo design.

“It started to increase school pride and spirit,” Dudoit-Alapai said. They began last semester with small items – pencils and coffee mugs – while Dudoit-Alapai and their teacher Lisa Takata researched how to stock bigger items like bags and t-shirts.

Takata said with the help of a 21st Century grant, she’ll be opening up a print shop this summer to do their own printing – “keeping money on-island.” Eventually, Takata said she hopes to incorporate Place’s design into the school’s uniforms.


Place created a logo that integrates images of the school’s slogan – “Farmers of the Land and Sea” – into the text itself.

“It just came to me somehow,” he said. Place used a fishing pole with a fish and a taro plant as inspiration.

He spent time on weekends and during spring break to clean up the student activities room, which serves as the classroom for Takata’s leadership class, and now houses the Logo Store. He said he plans to study graphic design after he graduates.

Community members as well as students are welcome to shop during the lunch recess (around 12:15 p.m.) Monday-Friday, to browse through t-shirts, tank tops, bags, lanyards, license plate frames, sweatshirts and notecards.

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Checkmate: Molokai Middle Top at Chess

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Checkmate: Molokai Middle Top at Chess

Community Contributed

By Ted Takamiya

There are 64 squares on a chess board – 32 squares are occupied by various pieces at the start of a game.  The unique moves of each piece tests every competitors ability to attack, defend, and counter-attack to achieve the game’s ultimate goal of checkmating the opponent. 

Eleven Molokai Middle School (MMS) students, under the tutelage of Tubz Kalipi, dedicated themselves over a three week period in March to hone their skills, preparing for the 2011 Hawaii State Scholastic Chess Tournament. Besides chess strategies, Coach Kalipi emphasized the parallel between the game of chess and life where every decision made has consequences, both positive and negative. 

The annual tournament was held on Oahu on Saturday April 2 with a total of 141 students from 37 K-12 schools participating in the event. 

After placing fourth in last year’s tournament, MMS’ chess team entered the tournament with the goal of placing in the top three.  After eight grueling hours of tournament play with each participant playing five matches, it was announced that MMS placed second in a field of eight teams in the middle school division. With a total of 11.5 team points, they finished two points behind the winning team from Washington Middle School. 


The chess program is supported by Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center in partnership with MMS and Grace Episcopal Church.  A special mahalo to QLCC staff:  Kekamaikaikamaikalani Helm and Ebra Silva; MMS Principal Denise Kelly, Corene Helm, counselor, and teachers Laree Mowat, Iolani Kuoha, Fay Huff, Michael Kahale, and Michael Hino; high school counselor Michael Fiorito; the Friends of Molokai High and Middle School Foundation; Ke Aupuni Lokahi; Kelvin Keanini; community volunteers Tubz Kalipi (chess teacher extraordinaire), Julian Torres, Cheesung Stone, Anthony Fukuoka, and Ted Takamiya; Jeffrey Adams, MMS eighth grader, who practiced with the team but was unable to attend the state tournament; and to all the parents and caretakers of the chess participants for entrusting us with the care of your sons and daughters. 

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