Education

Diving to the Depths of Safety

Thursday, November 14th, 2013

Diving to the Depths of Safety

Martin Stepanek can dive more than 400 feet on a single breath of air. He’s set 13 freediving world records and knows more than anyone how dangerous the sport can be. But with the proper safety education, he said freediving has minimal risks — and with the goal of sharing that knowledge, he’s become a pioneer in modern freediving education. Last month, Stepanek visited Molokai to offer a series of safety courses free of charge to local divers.

Having been raised in Czech Republic, a country without ocean access, didn’t dampen Stepanek’s passion for diving, and when he was 20 years old, he relocated to the U.S.…

Kilohana Grandparents Day

Thursday, November 14th, 2013

Kilohana School News Release

You’re invited to Kilohana’s annual Grandparents Day, Student Showcase, and Turkey Trot. Grandparents, come to enjoy breakfast with entertainment.  Students will have a showcase of their work, either orally or on bulletin board displays. Parents are encouraged to come and enjoy the showcase, activities with the kupuna in the classrooms, turkey trot, and afternoon activities.

The event will be held at Kilohana School on Nov. 27. From 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. will be breakfast and entertainment, 8:30 to 9:30 is the student showcase, 9:45 to 10:45 will be kupuna activities, the Turkey Trop will be from 10:45 to 11:30, lunch will be at 11:30, and from 12:15 to 1 p.m.…

Kamehameha Preschools Applications

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

Kamehameha Schools News Release

Kamehameha preschool applications are now being accepted for the 2014-2015 school year at the Kalama`ula, Molokai preschool. Families applying must be current residents of the state of Hawaii and all applications must be received by Kamehameha Schools’ (KS) Admissions Department no later than Jan. 31, 2014.

This year, KS will be applying a new preschool entry age requirement in alignment with the Department of Education’s (DOE) Kindergarten age requirement and the elimination of the Jr. Kindergarten program that will take effect during the 2014-15 school year. New students applying for KS preschools for the upcoming school year must be 3 years old by July 31, 2014 to be eligible for the 3-year-old program and 4 years old by July 31, 2014 to be eligible for the 4-year-old program.…

HallowHim Ushers in Season of Giving

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

HallowHim Ushers in Season of Giving

Volunteers served food, pictured here, during this year’s HallowHim on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Held annually at the Kaunakakai Baptist Church, the event offered a non-scary and family-friendly alternative to Halloween with a traditional All Hallow’s Eve celebration the night before All Saint’s Day.

More than 1,000 people attended the event, according to Pastor Cameron Hiro, one of this year’s organizers. Families enjoyed games, candy and live music performances, and received free food, haircuts and shoes for keiki.…

Workshop for Backyard Egg Farmers and Buyers

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service News Release

There will be a free workshop to assist those raising chickens for eggs as well as buyers. The workshop will cover candling and grading of shell eggs, washing and good handling practices, packaging and labeling, compliance with federal and state laws, and resources for the backyard egg farmer.

The workshop will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 26 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center Activity Room at Kulana Oiwi.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own eggs for Q and A, and hands on candling practice. Speakers will include Mrs.…

Girls Volleyball

Thursday, November 7th, 2013

Strong Athletes, Strong Students

The Molokai High School (MHS) girls volleyball season came to an end after this year’s Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) Championships on Oct. 16. Looking back, the Farmers consider it a hard-fought season of determination and improvement on and off the court.

“From pre-season to post-season we’ve definitely improved,” said head coach Mahea Rawlins. “We tried as hard as we could…we stuck together as a team and we fought to the end.”

The girls finished the season with a 9-4 record after competing against Hana and coming up short in the semi-finals of the MILS, according to MHS Athletic Director Hoku Haliniak.…

Costume Contest Brings Big Crowd

Thursday, November 7th, 2013

Costume Contest Brings Big Crowd

Zombies, clowns, giant sweets and superheroes of all ages put on a show and strutted their stuff Thursday at this year’s Lions Club Halloween Costume Contest.

Over 140 costumed contestants presented their scariest, cutest and most original Halloween-wear to Lions Club members on the Kaunakakai Public Library’s front lawn with cash prizes of $10 for first place, $5 for second and an ICEE coupon for third.

“This year, more kids are making their own costumes and it’s fun seeing how creative they can get,” said Lion Linda Mina.

This year’s results are still a little fuzzy as Lion member judges viewed a monster mash of costumes, however the recorded winners are as follows:

For the baby to preschool category, Liliu McGuire won cutest costume as a lamb; Kileona Kanawaliwali won scariest as a witch; and Lehue Rawlins-Elalins won most original as an aloha float.…

Lessons on the Pacific Ocean

Thursday, November 7th, 2013

Molokai elementary students got a chance to dive into learning about the Pacific Ocean when a giant traveling map from the National Geographic came to visit. Measuring 26 by 35 feet, it’s one of the world’s largest maps of the world’s largest ocean. The map is printed on smooth vinyl with bright colors that can be spread on the floor, giving students the opportunity to learn about geography in a fun, interactive way. The map was on loan to Hawaii schools from Oct. 15 through Dec. 20, and visited Molokai last week.

Teachers were provided with a curriculum and activities for the map.…

Farmers Take Aim at States

Thursday, November 7th, 2013

Farmers Take Aim at States

Two Molokai shooters represented the Farmers at the state championships for air riflery two weeks ago. Senior Pono Chow on the boys side and sophomore Pomai Gomes from the girls team gave it their best shot after the Farmers came in third in the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) championship Oct. 19.

“They’re already champions,” said Molokai girls coach Eddie Gorospe. [They’re two of the] 42 best shooters in Hawaii — just going [to states] is an accomplishment.”

Chow came in 24th place out of 42 male shooters in the state competition with 495 points out of a possible 600. Gomes finished in 27th place with 490 points out of the 42 girls competing.…

Breaking the Cycle

Thursday, November 7th, 2013

Preventing Sexual Abuse

An estimated one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before they turn 18, according to child abuse experts. In a statewide study conducted in 2011 by the University of Hawaii’s School of Social Work that examined community children and family conditions , it revealed that “Molokai needed to be worked on” in terms of protecting children from sexual abuse.

“Sexual abuse on this island is rampant. It’s the last big secret. Almost every single family has somebody who has been molested.” said one anonymous Molokai participant in the study.

In response, former Molokai police detective Gene Santiago joined with concerned community members in 2012 to create a project that prevents child sexual abuse on Molokai through the Consuelo Foundation, an organization working to prevent child neglect.…