Education

Maunaloa Receives $75,000 for Achievement

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

Maunaloa Elementary School was one of 14 schools recognized last week by the Hawaii Department of Education (DOE). They were rewarded $75,000 for their high performance as part of the Strive HI standard implemented this year.

The Strive HI Performance strategy  is a new school accountability standard measuring student growth and success through math and reading assessment scores, science test scores, chronic absent rates, and the school’s effectiveness at narrowing achievement gaps. The DOE dispersed $1 million between schools placing in the top five percentile — with awards ranging from $20,000 to $90,000 — based on progress and performance. Maunaloa was the only school in Maui County to receive recognition.…

Taro Variety Field Day 2013

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

UH CTAHR Molokai Extension News Release

Not too long ago, rice, pasta and bread were not a major part of our diet in Hawaii.  Instead, taro, or kalo, was the main source of food that provided dietary carbohydrate for Native Hawaiians.  They produced kalo on all the islands and on as many as 50,000 acres of the best upper and river valley lands in order to maintain the health of the population of 500,000 or more.  In order to improve their food security, Native Hawaiian developed more than 300 varieties of taro.

Today only about 70 of the varieties are left. …

Disaster Preparedness

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

Community Contributed

By MMS Robotics Team

We are the 2013 Molokai Middle School First LEGO League (FLL) Robotics Team, Kaitlin D., Taye M., Lana D. and Marianna C. This year the FLL theme is Nature’s Fury and is focused on helping communities prepare, stay safe, and rebuild after a natural disaster. Part of the challenge is to raise awareness on the topic of natural disasters.

September is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters. If you’ve seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities just like ours. We’ve seen tornados, flash floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and even power outages in U.S.…

MHS Athletics Struggle for Funding

Wednesday, September 11th, 2013

Molokai High School Athletics Department is struggling to keep afloat this year, lacking thousands of dollars needed for 196 students in the school’s 12 sports to participate in off-island games. Yet with a $40,000 budget shortfall for travel expenses, Athletic Director Hoku Haliniak is determined to keep Farmers sports programs intact.

“I refuse to cut away games,” said Haliniak. “There has to be a way — where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

To help raise money to save the program, Haliniak said Farmer faithful will be asked to pay an admissions fee to home games this year. Previously, admissions were charged to volleyball and basketball events, but baseball, softball and football will be added to the list this year.…

Fall Sports Gear Up Continued

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

Fall Sports Gear Up Continued

Steep hills and stiff competition is the theme for Molokai High School’s (MHS) cross country and air riflery teams, yet as another fall season arrives, they are keeping their eyes are on the prize.

Boys Cross Country

The boys cross country team was in the middle of the pack last year. According to 15-year head coach Gandharva “Mahina Hou” Ross, the farmers placed third in the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) championships and 44th out of 160 schools in the state championships.

This fall, the eight-man team is coming back with six returning runners and welcoming two freshmen.

“The returning group is all pretty much at the same level [as each other],” said Ross.…

MHS Recognizes Student Success

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Celebrating success is now a trend at Molokai High School (MHS). The students and staff filled the gym Thursday morning for the first recognition assembly of the 2013-14 school year. Recognition ceremonies were previously held occasionally throughout the year. Now, a monthly assembly will highlight student and faculty accomplishments to provide encouragement for academic and athletic excellence.

“It’s all about the support,” said MHS student activities coordinator Lisa Taka. “Each student should be recognized because it helps with their self-esteem and confidence and [the assemblies] show the school that’s it’s possible to attain and achieve goals.”

Maui County council member and MHS alumni Stacy Crivello presented awards to more than 40 students for excelling in statewide science and engineering competitions as well as last year’s Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) champions and all-star athletes.…

Youth Water Activities

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Youth in Motion News Release

Youth In Motion will be starting up on Monday, Sept. 9 with a 10-week program of activities. They include American Red Cross swimming and Stand Up Paddling.  The primary age group is 11 to 15 years old but 10 year olds may join if they can show commitment and are willing to listen and learn. Younger children and older youth/adults who choose to come or help for the Stand Up Paddling will be part of the Steward and Shepherd program and can still sign up. An adult must be present for anyone under 10 years old.…

Healthy Eating for Keiki

Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Community Contributed

By Jon Mikami, RPh, and Kelly Go, RPh, Molokai Drugs, Inc.

Every week, you see another headline in the local and national news about the obesity epidemic in our keiki. One of the latest studies shows that obese children face not only long-term risks, but also more immediate ones. They’re more likely to have problems such as asthma, learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), and eating disorders, which might need an effective Eating Disorder Treatment Therapy to cure.

Yet keiki — and adults – are surrounded by advertising messages telling them to eat sugary, high-fat, often empty-calorie foods. It can feel like a chore to get kids to make healthier choices.…

Molokai Girl Earns Doctorate

Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Molokai Girl Earns Doctorate

Community Contributed

By Gladys Brown

Katina Soares, Kualapu`u School vice principal, received her Doctorate in Education from Walden University in Minnesota on Aug. 11. She accumulated all of her credits towards this prestigious award without leaving Molokai by carefully selecting an accredited university that she could attend remotely. Katina was able to accomplish her educational goals without having to commute to another island or relocate her family.

Katina’s educational path should be an inspiration to young people of Molokai that aspire to higher education. She earned her GED in 1994, finishing high school a year early. She then received her Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and Pre-Education from Maui Community College, Molokai in 1998, and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2000, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Judson College in Alabama.…

Back to School Brings Big Changes

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

Back to School Brings Big Changes

The school bell has rung, the 2013-14 school year is underway, and several changes are in effect for Molokai’s K-12.

Strive HI Scores

Last week, the state Department of Education (DOE) published school Strive HI scores, part of the new Strive HI Performance Strategy implemented this school year.

In May 2013, the DOE received federal approval to waive national No Child Left Behind (NCLB) criteria in order to better fit the needs of Hawaii schools.

The strategy holds schools accountable to achieve multiple standards to measure progress and college and career preparedness. It then places schools on a grading scale each year based on performance, achievement growth, graduation rate, and absences.…