Island Youth

The keiki and `opio of Molokai

Students Learn Computer Code

Monday, December 16th, 2013

MEDB News Release

STEMworks™ students across the state are learning to write computer code as part of a nationwide campaign embraced by President Obama and featuring free tutorials designed to get students interested in computer science. Molokai Middle and High schools are two of 13 schools participating statewide.

The Hour of Code is an initiative developed by Code.org to spark interest among young people across the U.S. and help address the increasing demand for computer programmers in many fields.

According to Code.org, the number of computer programming jobs is growing at a rate twice the national average of computer science students.…

UH Funds MHS Student’s Research

Monday, December 16th, 2013

UH Manoa News Release

The University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering and its Hawaii Center for Advanced Communications (HCAC) are supporting a Molokai High School student in her efforts to protect Hawaiian wildlife.

Sarah Jenkins, a junior at Molokai High, has already received recognition for her strong commitment to protecting Hawaiian endangered birds.  She placed second overall at the 54th annual Maui Science and Engineering Fair and later won first place for best Senior Research Project in the Animal Science Category from the Hawaii Academy of Science.  Her successful work is focused on improving the reproduction environment of the Hawaiian Coot and involves creating artificial floating nesting structures in Pipio Pond in the Mapulehu area. …

Molokai Swim Meet

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Community Contributed

By Malcolm Cooper, Maui Dolphins coach

Over the past year, Maui/Molokai Dolphins with the support of Maui County Aquatics and Molokai Parks, have been building a swim team at Cooke Memorial Pool as part of the Maui Age Group Swim Association.  On Tuesday, Nov. 26, we were able to hold a scrimmage-like swim “meet” at Cooke Memorial Pool during our normal 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. practice time, hosting Aka`ula School.

Jess Ford of Molokai’s Dolphins and Vicky Newberry of Aka`ula have been looking forward to doing something like this for quite some time.  Thirty swimmers from Aka`ula and 13 swimmers from Maui Dolphins (MDSC’s high school age swimmers helped out at the meet) participated in 30 events.…

Molokai Science Fair

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Molokai Middle and High School students presented their work in science, technology, engineering and the environment last week at the island’s Science Fair. Winners from both divisions will be representing Molokai at the 55th Annual Maui District Science and Engineering Fair in February.

Molokai High School had 14 students participated in the local judging process. MHS winners going to the county competition are: Sarah Jenkins, grade 11 with “Hot Biology- Hawaiian Coot;” Lily Jenkins, grade 9, “Effects of non-native lettuce on removal in land at Puko`o Road;” Shellamarie Keahi and Kilo Ka`awa Gonzales, grade 12, “Bioremediation using Vetiver Grass;” Cendall Manley, grade 9, “Lending a helping hand;” Kea`aokahonua Davis, grade 10, “The Keirsey Temperaments: Type  Distribution of Teachers;” Giesha Nunez, grade 10, “Innocence to Adolescences: Drug Impulse Growth;” Erik Svetin, grade 9, “The Effect of an Additional Stitch on a Baseball’s Movement;” Dathan Decker-Lee Bicoy, grade 9, “Soak up the Sun;” Sabrina Curtis, grade 10, “Rooting For a Cleaner Environment: Vetiver Grass vs.…

Warming up With Winter Sports Continued

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Boys and Girls Basketball

Farmer basketball is back for another season, taking the new year as a shot to improve from the last. At the starting tip off, boys and girls coaches said learning from mistakes, picking up the pace and keeping heads held high along with team focus and determination is key even after the final buzzer sounds. Hiring football muga sports surfaces will contribute to providing an optimal playing ground for the team to exhibit their skills and teamwork.

Boys Basketball
Carl Adolpho Jr. is beginning his first year as head coach for the boys side, however this isn’t his first time on the court.…

Help for Sexual Assault

Monday, December 16th, 2013

Child and Family Services News Release

Are you dealing with difficulties due to current or former sex assault or abuse? Help is here. The Molokai Sexual Assault Center provides information and referrals, supportive advocacy, clinical therapy, case management, support groups and other services for youth, survivors, kupuna and children.

Call Child and Family Services at 553-5529. Our office is located at 107 Ala Malama, Room A and B in Kaunakakai. Office walk-ins are welcome. Regular business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed on holidays. Our Sex Assault hotline is open 24 hours a day.

Our hotline offers confidential advocacy support and referrals.…

VEX Robotics Competed on Maui

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

VEX Robotics Competed on Maui

Community Contributed

By Edwin Mendija, VEX coach

At the beginning of last month, the Molokai High School VEX Robotics team competed in the Valley Isle VEX Tournament held in Iao Middle School on Maui. The tournament consisted of 23 teams from Kauai, Oahu, and Maui. Molokai teams 1037A and 1037B (“The Farmers”) placed 5th and 10th place respectively, ending up in the quarter finals.

VEX Robotics is a program designed to introduce the world of robots to children, teenagers and even adults. VEX provides a learning environment for people interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (known as STEM).…

Warming Up with Winter Athletics

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

The end of the year brings a new winter athletic season. Though most students are getting ready to take a holiday break, farmer athletes are fired up, training hard and ringing in the New Year with new coaches, new competition and new goals for state championships.

Boys and Girls Swimming
For MHS swimming, some athletes have been training all year through the Molokai Chapter of Maui Dolphins Swim Club (MDSC) — a swimming program for all ages that began in August — prepping for the season.

“Every year we’ve gotten a little bit better and our team has grown,” said fourth year coach Jessie Ford.…

Molokai Students Visit College

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Molokai Students Visit College

Community Contributed

By Allison Place

On Nov. 15 and 16, 17 Molokai High School students participated in the 2013 Hawaii College and Career Fair at the Blaisdell Center on Oahu.  The students are participants in Ke Kukui Mohala o Molokai, a partnership between Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center, UH Maui College, Molokai/Gear Up Hawaii and the Education Opportunities Center (EOC).  Ke Kukui Mohala o Molokai provides parents and `opio with college information such as searching for the right college, SAT test, college applications, scholarships and financial aid information.  It is through these services that students will experience a smooth and enjoyable transition to college.…

Youth Tackle Invasives

Wednesday, December 4th, 2013

Youth Tackle Invasives

Students of Aka`ula School tackled some big environmental issues on Molokai, researching, surveying residents and presenting their findings at the school’s 17th annual PRISM Symposium last month. All focusing on public opinions and knowledge about control of invasive plants, mammals, fish and insects, students formed eight groups, which each surveyed more than 100 Molokai residents.

“When Dara [Lukonen] and I started this 18 years ago, someone said it was some of the most academic work on Molokai,” said one of Aka`ula’s founders and teachers, Vicki Newberry, of PRISM, which stands for Providing Resolutions with Integrity for a Sustainable Molokai.

Kaliloa Durant, Malu Duquette , Skylar Kuahuia and Kamaka Adams researched Hawaii’s invasive fish and whether they should be used to make fertilizer on Molokai.…