Island Youth

The keiki and `opio of Molokai

Boys Basketball Maintains Winning Record

Wednesday, January 28th, 2015

By Rick Schonely, Community Reporter

On Senior Night at The Barn last Friday, the St. Anthony Trojans defeated the Molokai Farmers boys basketball, 66-58. The Trojans were led by Michael Fernandez with 23 points. Kekaha Souza added 14 points, and Colby Tam had 13. The Farmers were led by Kaimana Kahale and Moses Espaniola, who had 11 points each. Thomas Tamanaha, Tanielu Aikala-Falealii, Kyson Castor-Wallace and Edel-Marc Alvarez each had seven points.

“We made a lot of mistakes, had some missed assignments and missed a lot of easy baskets, but as a whole I commend them for sticking it out,” said Head Coach Carl Adolpho.…

Keiki Cruise on Refurbished Rides

Wednesday, January 28th, 2015

Keiki Cruise on Refurbished Rides

Changing a broken bicycle chain has become second nature for 10-year-old Isaiah Hanchett-Lopez.

“I like to use a screwdriver when I do it,” he said matter of factly. “When you’re unscrewing that, it gets loose, so you push it up, take that off…” He continued to rattle off several steps with ease.

It’s just one of the many handy skills that Hanchett-Lopez and the kids at the Molokai Youth Center have picked up since the Center started repairing bikes for free nearly a month ago.

“There’s something magical about a kid and a bike,” said Youth Specialist Travis Ritte, who repairs bikes at the Center.…

Honoring Dr. King

Wednesday, January 28th, 2015

Honoring Dr. King

On Jan. 17, Molokai paid tribute to a man who left a legacy of equality and social justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was not just observed as a holiday, but as a Day of Service on Molokai, with students gathering on the Public Library grounds to remember the true meaning of the occasion.

Interval House Molokai joined with Aka`ula School and the Molokai Public Library to put on a program that included portions of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in more than half a dozen languages, while Aka`ula School students opened the event with “Music of the Movement,” a civil rights musical celebration.…

Farmers Outstanding in their Fields

Wednesday, January 21st, 2015

Farmers Outstanding in their Fields

Molokai High teams made a strong showing against league opponents over the weekend, bringing home wins on the water, the court and the mat.

Wrestling

Molokai’s wrestling team is short on funds but not on talent. On Saturday the Farmers left their first MIL meet of the season with six titles, the most of any team. Lahainaluna had the second best performance with five titles.

“I think we as a team didn’t really expect to do as well as we did,” said Kuikamoku Han, who won the boys’ 285-pound title for Molokai. “We have a lot of new people that are not familiar with the sport.…

Wrestling on Display

Thursday, January 15th, 2015

Wrestling on Display

Community Contributed

By Louise Manley

On Thursday evening, Jan. 8, the Molokai High School (MHS) Farmers’ Barn stirred with excitement and anticipation as family and friends in the community gathered to watch an inter-squad competition between the “green” and the “white” teams of the MHS Varsity Wrestling Team.  Head coach Randy Manley along with assistant coach Kawika Kaahanui have been working with their team since mid-October in an effort to prepare each member with physical endurance, equip them with the knowledge of the sport, and develop in them mental toughness. The team currently has 15 girls and 15 boys on the roster.…

Student Cooks Winning Dish

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

Student Cooks Winning Dish

Sometime within the next few months, diners at the Sheraton Waikiki’s Kai Market restaurant will find a beef maple bacon pesto roulade on the menu. Honey-glazed bacon and pesto wrapped in a slab of pounded beef, tied, baked and served in slices with sweet potato mash, the mouth-watering dish will be prepared not by a renowned chef but by a teenage culinary prodigy: Molokai High School senior Kiana Simmons.

Last month, Simmons’ roulade won her top honors at the statewide “Buy Local, It Matters” (BLIM) Recipe and Cooking Contest. As co-winner of the Best Recipe Award, she and Kea`au High School senior Kenny Nguyen will have their dishes featured at the hotel’s restaurant in the near future, said Kai Market Executive Chef Darren Demaya.…

Undefeated Start for Girls’ Basketball

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

Undefeated Start for Girls’ Basketball

Defending league champion Molokai hasn’t lost any of last season’s momentum. Almost halfway through the season, the Lady Farmers’ basketball team is 6-0 and sits atop the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) Division II standings.

Molokai defeated second-place Lanai (3-3) twice last weekend at The Barn, squeaking past the Pine Lasses 48-45 on Friday and pounding out a 54-22 win on Saturday.

Lanai led at the end of the third quarter on Friday, but the Farmers wrapped up the win with a couple of free throws by Precious Rawlins with barely a second to go. Rawlins scored nine, while Lehiwa Pedro and Rebecka Adolpho had 12 points apiece.…

Molokai Metric and Rainbow Ride

Thursday, January 8th, 2015

Kualapu`u School News Release

Kualapu`u School invites all local cycling enthusiasts to come out and ride the Molokai Metric.  This first annual event features three course distances; 100K for the fanatical few, 60K for those who want to take on a challenge, and 25K for those who’d prefer a shorter spin.  All ride distances will begin at 7 a.m. from Hotel Molokai on Sunday, Jan. 18 (MLK weekend).  Ride courses will flow east along the Kamehameha Highway past Kamalo (the first turn around point) to Morris Point (the second turn around point) and then back to the Hotel.  From the Hotel, the 100K will make a second loop around Coffee’s of Hawaii and the Airport. …

Molokai Boy Chosen for Samoa Bowl

Thursday, January 8th, 2015

Molokai Boy Chosen for Samoa Bowl

Thanks to his athletic talents, his heritage and more than 170 chicken katsu plates, local boy Ha`aloha Tanielu Aikala-Falealii became the first Farmer to represent Molokai football in American Samoa. Aikala-Falealii, a senior at Molokai High School, was selected to play for Team Hawaii in the Samoa Bowl, an annual game that pits Hawaii’s best Samoan football players against American Samoa’s all-stars. In the Samoa Bowl XII on Dec. 27, Team American Samoa won, 12-6.

Part Hawaiian and part Samoan, Aikala-Falealii was able to honor both of his cultures in the Bowl, said his father, Sepulona Aikala-Falealii. Sepulona, a police officer, grew up in American Samoa, a U.S.…

STEM for Molokai Youth

Wednesday, December 24th, 2014

STEM for Molokai Youth

MEDB News Release

This year, Molokai’s students were among the thousands of youth empowered through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, thanks to the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB)’s Ke Alahele Education Fund. On Molokai, three programs received MEDB’s grant awards.

At Kaunakakai Elementary, funds went to support the school’s extracurricular robotics program, and a “weXplore” curriculum for fifth graders that promoted college and career readiness through a variety of inquiry-based STEM projects in the classroom.  At Molokai Middle School, funds were earmarked for the school’s robotics program that helped expose students to STEM opportunities and skills.

“MEDB’s grant funds are enabling local schools and organizations to create enriching STEM education programs,” said Ryan Churchill, MEDB Education Committee Chair.…