Education

Mikayla Pico Receives Leadership Award from Mufi Hannemann

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Mikayla Pico Receives Leadership Award from Mufi Hannemann

The future is looking bright for recent Molokai High School graduate and Maui Interscholastic League Wrestler of the Year Mikayla Pico. She will attend Southwestern Oregon Community College this fall, where she plans to major in education. In addition to a wrestling scholarship from the school, she received the Faiaso Soliai Hannemann Leadership Award, presented by Mufi Hannemann last week.

The $500 award and plaque is given to one female student annually in the state, who is of Samoan ancestry and demonstrates academic promise and leadership potential. The award is in honor of Hannemann’s mother, while the Gustav Hannemann Leadership award, in honor of his father, is given to a male student of Samoan ancestry.…

Building a Food Forest

Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

Building a Food Forest

Molokai High School’s permaculture farm almost in full bloom

The Farmers will have the chance to explore a new method of farming this year, as Molokai High School (MHS) partners with local grassroots organization Sust `aina ble Molokai to create a permaculture farm located right on campus. The garden, which was started in January of this year, will use fundamentals of permaculture farming like building food forests, or diversified ecosystems that wield a variety of fruit year-round, as compared to traditional commercial farms that only produce one crop in mass quantities.

“We want to have kids engaged enough to create their own school gardens and permaculture curriculum,” said Emillia Noordhoek, Sust `aina ble Molokai’s executive director.…

A Day at the Park

Monday, July 30th, 2012

A Day at the ParkPlayground at One Ali`i Park officially open

Mayor Alan Arakawa and Council Chair Danny Mateo brought new meaning to the phrase “young at heart” when they became the first to slide down the new playground at One Ali`i Park last Wednesday morning. Keiki quickly followed suit after the blessing ceremony.

The project, which started back in 2008, replaces the old jungle gym set which had deteriorated and was removed two years ago, according to Zachary Helm, District Supervisor for Maui County Department of Parks and Recreation.

“What makes this project so special are the volunteers who helped with it,” Helm said at the blessing.…

Summer Send-Off

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Summer Send-Off

Molokai PALS celebrate another successful summer.

Play and Learn Sessions (PALS) keiki and staff from all four elementary schools on Molokai sang and danced their way to healthy living at this year’s Ohana Nite, held at Kualapu`u Rec Center on Thursday.  This year’s theme celebrated “Ke Ola Pono No Na keiki,” or “Healthy living for our children.”

While the keiki from Kilohana “walked it out,” Maunaloa PALS students danced, wielding homemade posters of healthy snacks.  Kualapu`u sang about aloha and Kaunakakai keiki went on a “buta hunt.”

PALS is a summer program that keep kids engaged physically and mentally through arts and crafts, sports, culture lessons, music and dance.…

Learning the Basics about Vitamins

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Community Contributed

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

Vitamins are essentials – they are substances your body needs to function normally. You can usually get the vitamins you need from a healthy, balanced diet. Add a “rainbow of color” to your diet and you increase your chances of getting what you need.

But some people lack certain vitamins, so they need efficient supplements like Kratom Active. You may also want to try EverSmith Organics sea moss gel to see the benefits. Ask your doctor whether or not you do. And, remember: too much of a good thing can be bad for you.…

Monitoring Monk Seals

Sunday, July 22nd, 2012

Scientists hope to gather data via video cameras

In order to bring more tangible data to ongoing efforts to better understand Hawaiian monk seals, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a research project that will attach Crittercams, or small video cameras, to the backs of the seals. Video footage would allow not only scientists to gather important data, but would also help community members better understand the seals’ diet, behavior and potential impacts in the main Hawaiian Islands.

There are currently approximately 200 seals living in the main Hawaiian Islands. Their presence has created some controversy and conflict with divers and fisherman near shore, who believe the seals are competing with them for fish.…

A Test of Success

Sunday, July 22nd, 2012

Middle School joins three other Molokai schools in meeting state standards

Though this is the first time ever that Molokai Middle School (MMS) has met Hawaii State’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards, Principal Gary Davidson said it is the amount of improvement the school’s students have shown this year that is its biggest achievement.

AYP standards, implemented by the national No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001, measure participation, proficiency and progress in math and reading. In previous years, MMS has made either the reading or the math section, but never both, which are needed to make AYP. Last year, the students were at 38 percent proficiency in math.…

4-H Youth Steering the Herd

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

4-H Youth Steering the Herd

For youth in the Molokai 4-H club, raising and showing animals takes months of patience, preparation, and care. But participants at the organization’s annual Livestock Expo last weekend proved that all the work is worth it. Youth proudly showed off their animals large and small, while the community got to engage in their learning process and enjoy farm market goodies, raffles and auction prizes.

For senior 4-H-er Kainoa Kamakana, seven years of participation culminated in taking first place in the market steer showmanship competition on Saturday.

“It feels good [to win] – all the hard work paid off,” said Kainoa. “I encourage every child to join 4-H – it teaches a lot, [and you’re] better set for life from the skills you learn.”…

Little League Hits It Big

Sunday, July 15th, 2012

Little League Hits It BigMolokai All Stars advance to state championships

The 13 boys of the Little League Majors, ages 11 to 12, came off the Maui Ferry Thursday night celebrating as District 3 champions. Having defeated defending state champion Central East Maui at the district tournament at Kalama Park, the Molokai All-Stars knew they would be headed to the state tournament.

This is the first time Molokai has made it to the state level since 2006, and it wasn’t easy.

After suffering a 13-1 loss to Central East Maui on Wednesday and the district championship title hanging in the balance, no one knew if the Molokai All-Stars would be able to turn things around.…

Monk Seal Crittercam Talk Story Session on Monday

Friday, July 13th, 2012

Monk Seal Crittercam Talk Story Session on Monday

Community Contributed

By Charles Littnan, Lead Scientist, Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program NOAA Fisheries Service

A team of biologists, NGOs, filmmakers, and community members are developing a new research project to use National Geographic Crittercams to build on existing knowledge of the feeding behavior, diet, and habitat use of monk seals in the main Hawaiian Islands.

To discuss the project with Molokai residents, there will be a talk story session at Mitchell Pauole Center this Monday, July 16, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The cameras, which are attached to seals for short periods, were a valuable scientific tool used to understand some of the factors contributing to the species decline in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.…