Island Youth

The keiki and `opio of Molokai

MHS Class of 2021: A Year of Challenges and Firsts

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

MHS Class of 2021: A Year of Challenges and Firsts

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

It was the first time a Molokai High School commencement ceremony was held on the football field. The first class to graduate after a full year under pandemic conditions. And graduation represented the first time the class had officially been together all year.

Last Saturday’s graduation ceremony for the school’s 66 seniors was like no other. Though Farmer pride shone through, it was somewhat muted by the strict protocols of a COVID-19 ceremony. Graduates waited for the ceremony to begin in their cars in the parking lot, accompanied by only two attending family members. In a carefully orchestrated and secured process, they entered the football field one by one, sanitizing hands as they walked through the gate, and sat down to face their family members on chairs spaced six feet apart.…

Intern with Sen. Schatz

Wednesday, May 19th, 2021

Intern with Sen. Schatz

Sen. Brian Schatz News Release

Applications for U.S. Senator Brian Schatz’s 2021–22 High School Internship Program are now being accepted. The statewide program provides a hands-on learning opportunity about the U.S. Senate and encourages students to be leaders and advocates in their schools and communities. Molokai High School’s Ashawna-Leigh Bicoy is among the outgoing interns from the 2020-2021 program.

“This year’s interns were obviously very impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of being discouraged, they used this moment to advocate for better communication with their communities, increased physical and mental health resources, and expanded educational opportunities for students. I thank them for all of the great work they did this year,” said Sen.…

PALS Keiki Kare Summer Program

Wednesday, May 19th, 2021

County of Maui News Release

Online registration for the 2021 PALS Keiki Kare Summer Program on Molokai, Maui and Lanai will be open from May 16 to May 22, the Department of Parks and Recreation announced.

The program will provide working families with essential summertime child care and help strengthen family and community connections.

The program is open to children 5 to 12 years old. Program registration must be completed online only between Sunday, May 16 and Saturday, May 22. This will be the only registration period for PALS Summer Keiki Kare sessions on Maui, Molokai and Lanai.

The PALS Keiki Kare Program will begin Monday, June 14, and continue through Friday, July 23.…

MHS Graduation Ceremony

Wednesday, May 19th, 2021

MHS News Release

The Molokai High School Class of 2021 will be honored through a closed graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 22 at 4 pm. Commencement will be a hybrid of traditional ceremony on the Molokai High Football Field with in-person commencement for graduates and only two guests/family. The commencement program will also be live-streamed for family/community. The inclement weather alternative will be a drive-thru ceremony with graduates only on campus and guests/family will be in the car.

Unfortunately, the proceedings will only be open to graduates and their families. The community is invited to join our virtual commencement online on Akaku Molokaiʻs Facebook Page.…

Molokai COVID Cluster Continues to Grow

Wednesday, May 19th, 2021

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

A cluster of more than a dozen COVID-19 cases on Molokai surfaced last week. The series of positive cases originated from Maui construction contractors who were working in a non-clinical, closed area of Molokai General Hospital and tested positive after their arrival, while working alongside Molokai workers.

“On Tuesday afternoon, MGH was notified that one of the contractors who had been on Molokai the previous week tested positive for COVID-19 on Maui,” said MGH President Janice Kalanihuia in a statement last Friday. “We immediately shut down the job and tested the12 people who were on-site at that time.…

Virtual Ohana Garden and Grindz Program

Thursday, May 6th, 2021

UH CTAHR Molokai Extension News Release

Do you and your ohana love gardening? Do you love cooking? Do you love eating healthy food? If you answered yes to all three, then you should consider registering for our Molokai Ohana Garden and Grindz Program. Space is still available for the program, which is open to ohana (parents, grandparents, keiki) with youth ages 9-13 and teaches gardening skills, safe food handling skills, kitchen skills and more. Due to COVID-19, the program went virtual. We now garden together, cook together and eat together in a virtual setting so you can join all from the comfort of your own home.…

4-H Virtual Cooking Challenge

Thursday, May 6th, 2021

HI 4-H News Release

Hawaii 4-H Cooking Challenge is open to youth in grades five through 12. Molokai youth can participate in this virtual event, and do not need to be a current 4-H member to participate.

Compete by submitting a five to seven minute video featuring a local commodity (plant or animal) that demonstrates the successful completion of a healthful recipe.

Entrants will participate in a county-level competition and county winners will be selected to compete in a state competition. The state round of the contest will feature the youth showcasing their food photography skills.

Youth will learn food safety, kitchen skills, nutrition facts, and presentation skills.…

Maunaloa Garden Will Grow Learning, Food and Dreams

Wednesday, April 28th, 2021

Maunaloa Garden Will Grow Learning, Food and Dreams

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Something special is sprouting in Maunaloa. Last week, Maunaloa School students, staff and community joined in a groundbreaking and blessing of a new school garden with its roots set in a vision of hands-on learning through cultivation and community partnerships. The $50,000 project, called Maunaloa Mala, has a landscape design that will encompass about 23,000 square feet on school grounds and form the basis for a new curriculum that school leadership hopes will inspire students to see their full potential. A landscaping project of this scale is best completed with the help of a commercial landscaping company and local suppliers that offer gravel delivery services.…

Two Molokai Educators Get Board Certified

Wednesday, April 28th, 2021

HIDOE News Release
The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) last week celebrated 40 educators statewide who have earned or renewed their National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification — a recognition for meeting the highest standards for teaching. Two of those educators are from Molokai High – Diane Mokuau and Laura Peterson.

This year’s newly certified National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) class ranks 19th-largest in the nation. Hawaii’s growing network of NBCTs now consists of 744 members.

“Data shows that students learn more from National Board Certified Teachers. This impact is even greater for our higher-needs students,” Gov. David Ige said during a virtual ceremony Monday.…

Free Ho’olehua WiFi

Wednesday, April 28th, 2021

Grace Episcopal Church News Release

Grace Episcopal Church offered their church in Ho’olehua as a site to house the equipment for a public internet WiFi connection. The congregation encourages residents of all ages to sit under the expansive shade trees, park in the quiet, sheltered parking lot, or under the blue tarp with a picnic table and access the Internet day or night. The WiFi address is Molokai Wifi on Wheels and Molokai Wifi on Wheels_EXT.

“I was saddened when my college and early college students could not complete their homework at home,” said Cheryl Corbiell, UH Maui College, Molokai instructor.…