Island Youth

The keiki and `opio of Molokai

Baseball and Volleyball MIL Champs

Wednesday, April 26th, 2023

Baseball and Volleyball MIL Champs

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter 

For the ninth straight year, the Farmers are Maui Interscholastic League Division II Champions in baseball. The decisive victory came Saturday, April 22 with a 11-2 win over Seabury. The Farmers will head to the state tournament to contend for the state title. After falling to Seabury 16-2 on Friday, the Farmers were faced with possible elimination from the state tournament and their first MIL D-II pennant loss since 2012. Ho’olei Arce pitched a complete game in the turnaround win. 

Boys’ Volleyball team completed its regular season in style with a win over Lani on Friday. The Farmers finished the season with a perfect 9-0 record and the MIL D-II title for the first time since 2018.…

Keiki and Teen Fests

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

Keiki and Teen Fests

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter

The fifth annual Keiki Fest and second annual Teen Fest took place Saturday, April 15 at Mitchell Pauole Center. Hosted by the Molokai Community Action Team, both events featured free food, music, games and resources for hundreds of keiki and teens and their families. 

Tylor Tanaka, part of the Molokai Community Action Team, explained that the events fall in April to signify National Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness month. 

“This month we recognize the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect. Sexual assault prevention services and supports developed by this collaboration can help to protect children and strengthen families,” explained the Molokai Community Action Team in a Facebook post. …

Molokai Youth Wins 2nd in Recycled Fashion Show

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

Molokai Youth Wins 2nd in Recycled Fashion Show

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Eleven-year-old Molokai resident Rose Elder earned second place in a county-wide fashion show highlighting recycled materials. Her “Warrior Against Pollution” costume, made with marine debris she and her dad collected on Molokai beaches, won her high praise alongside adult first and third place winners from Maui in the annual Trashion Show presented by nonprofit Malama Maui Nui last weekend. 

Rose said she sketched her design based on the materials she found. 

“I wanted it to be a warrior who’s wearing pollution like a shield,” she explained. “We like to go to the beach a lot, me and my dad, and gather trash at Mo’omomi.…

STEM Support

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

STEM Support

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter 

Molokai STEM programs received a boost last Friday thanks to the Molokai Island Foundation’s annual fundraiser. The concert and dinner event at the Molokai Community Health Center went to fund robotics programs at local schools through the Malama Education Fund. 

STEM, standing for science, technology, engineering and math, covers a wide range of educational programs on island. To know more of STEM education, you can check out Google’s Kamau Bobb.

One of the highlights of the event were the robotics displays put on by Kaunakakai and Maunaloa Schools, and Molokai Middle and High Schools. Lines of  crane-like machines operated with computer coding.…

Miss Hawaii Visits Children’s Theater

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

Miss Hawaii Visits Children’s Theater

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter | Editor

In the week leading up to their first performance of The Legend of Mulan, keiki performers of the Hokulani Children’s Theatre of Molokai (Hokulani CTOM) got a visit from a special guest. Miss Hawaii 2022, Lauren Teruya, shared her own passion for theater, and also spoke with students at Kaunakakai School during her visit to Molokai last Wednesday. 

Leading Hokulani’s keiki actors through a series of exercises and warmups, Teruya spoke to the role that theater had played in her own life. 

The 24-year-old Oahu native explained that theater “gave me the confidence to want to be on stage.” …

Lessons and Fun at Kamp Kaohi

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

Lessons and Fun at Kamp Kaohi

MEO News Release 

Sixteen middle and high school youth on Molokai learned about the negative effects of alcohol and “bad-vertising” of vaping and tobacco products  while having fun and developing their leadership skills at Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO)’s Kamp Kaohi.  

The overnight gathering on April 7 and 8 at Molokai Baptist Church was run by MEO Youth Services staff on Molokai and Maui and was the first camp for MEO’s year-old Kaohi youth program on Molokai.

Activities at the camp focused on tobacco/vaping, bullying, underage drinking and teen suicide prevention with informational, teambuilding and fun activities. For example, youth wearing goggles simulating drunken vision participated in a relay race.…

A’o Aku; A’o Mai: What I Learn, I Teach

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023

A’o Aku; A’o Mai: What I Learn, I Teach

Community Contributed

By Sara Jane Larkin, Teacher

First graders at Kilohana are studying fresh water on Molokai. We are learning about where it comes from, where it goes and why it is so valuable — waiwai.  Our Project Based Learning goal is to have outdoor hand washing stations that reclaim the water used for handwashing to water our grass and our gardens.  We are calling our project the Waiwai Wai Project.…

Maritime Career Fair

Wednesday, April 12th, 2023

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter 

A career fair last week highlighted opportunities in maritime fields, part of an effort to “keep local people in the local waterfronts,” according to Marimed Foundation CEO Melissa Herbert. 

Marimed is a Hawaii nonprofit that offers vocational training, education and community programs for youth, with a focus on maritime opportunities. Along with entities such as Young Brothers and Seafarers International Union, Marimed staff visited the UH Maui College, Molokai (UHMCM) campus  on April 6 for the career fair. 

Olelo Schonely Spencer, Career and Technical Educational Specialist at UHMCM, explained that the fair was “an attempt to help get our kids and local community motivated to look towards a career in maritime.” …

Sports Bring Deeper Learning at Kualapu’u

Wednesday, April 12th, 2023

Sports Bring Deeper Learning at Kualapu’u

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter

Through the sunlight drenched mist, a champion was crowned at Kualapu’u Charter School. Friday, April 6, represented the culmination of the school’s basketball unit in Physical Education (PE) class – a milestone Kualapu’u School PE teacher Danny Davis was not going to let pass unnoticed. 

After months of focus on fundamental basketball skills, Davis organized a multi-grade three-on-three basketball tournament. Through an administration supported schedule, Davis was able to open the tournament to all fourth through sixth graders, allowing for 58 kids to sign up and participate in the two-day event. Davis is one of two full-time PE teachers at Kualapu’u School, which is unique on-island in its offering of daily PE classes. …

Mulan Comes to Molokai

Wednesday, April 12th, 2023

Mulan Comes to Molokai

By Jack Kiyonaga, Reporter

This Friday and Saturday, Molokai residents will be treated to the first ever performance by Hokulani Children’s Theatre. The show will be a production of The Legend of Mulan — and a manifestation of the children, parents and volunteers who have worked to make it happen.

Hokulani Children’s Theatre of Molokai was established to meet the needs of the community, truly spanning Molokai’s schools and communities in its approach. Without grant funding, it is built upon the investment and work of community members. 

This communal effort has been “the magic of what we’re doing,” explained Vicki Boswell, founder of Hokulani Children’s Theatre.…