Island Youth

Youth in Aviation

Thursday, January 4th, 2024

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

Twelve Molokai youth recently had a chance to begin their journey towards a career in aviation. Molokai’s own Hikili’i Chow, a commercial pilot, led the charge leading a Youth in Aviation program last weekend through the Aloft nonprofit.

“The main goal is to introduce kids to many different aviation jobs,” said Chow. During the three-day camp, kids had flight lessons, met air traffic controllers, firefighters, mechanics, pilots and more.

“When you look at these aviation jobs, not many of them are filled by Molokai people,” explained Chow.

Chow, a 2017 graduate from Molokai High School (MHS), has flown for Lanai Air for four years after a year and a half with Mokulele.…

Robotics on the Rise

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga | Editor

Buoyed by a new, permanent home, the Molokai High School (MHS) robotics team is ready to compete at the highest levels. 

The robotics team had shuffled around locations in recent years before landing at the Vocational Shop and Agriculture Building, Building H. Last year, the club was located in the cafeteria but suffered break-ins and vandalism of equipment. Now, the club has access to work benches, computer stations, and a permanent practice field for robotics competitions. 

“I think with our new space we can do a lot more now. We can leave equipment out and leave our power tools out,” explained Robotics Coach Edwin Mendija. …

Culinary Club Shines at Statewide Contest

Wednesday, November 8th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga | Editor 

For the second straight year, Molokai High School (MHS) Culinary Club placed in the top two at the prestigious Localicious Recipe Contest at the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival. This year, senior Aiko Kanemitsu took second place at the cooking event. 

Out of 127 high school competitors statewide, Kanemitsu was one of three finalists chosen. The finalists competed in a cook-off style contest on Oct. 28 at the Bishop Museum. Accompanying Kanemitsu were four other MHS students who had participated in the preliminary competition as well. 

The theme for this year’s contest was what type of dish you would like to see in school lunches.…

Candid Discussion at the Youth Summit

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023

By Maria Angst, Community Reporter 

Last Saturday, the students became the teachers at the Molokai Youth Summit. 

This year’s summit featured a panel of students, ages 12 to 18, discussing serious issues affecting today’s youth with the parents of students. 

“The parents really appreciated hearing it from the students. It almost felt like they were hearing it for the first time,” explained Molokai High School (MHS) teacher and one of the organizers of the event, Ric Ornellas.

This year’s theme aimed to communicate a 21st century focus on student learning by addressing social issues such as LGBTQ+ awareness, child abuse, poverty, bullying, drug use, vaping and suicide.…

Fun at the Fair

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

By The Molokai Dispatch Staff

Kualapu’u School held its 10th annual ‘Ohana Fun Fair last Saturday, inviting the community to enjoy a variety of activities for all ages. A Fun Run with firefighters handing out candy, a pumpkin patch for the early birds, horse rides and water slides were just a few of the popular attractions, along with food and craft vendors and local organizations sharing their community initiatives. The school partnered with a trusted and reliable company like Bouncer Depot to provide safe and fun inflatable attractions for the event.…