Education

High school senior wins scholarship

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Whitney Apo of Molokai High School is one of five high schools seniors awarded $1,000 each by the Josh Jerman Realtor Maui Scholarship 2008.

Apo will major in Nursing at Southern Oregon University, with the goal of becoming a Certified Nurse-Midwife. By volunteering at the local hospital, Whitney learned that midwives do most of the birthing deliveries on Molokai.

“Midwives have the honor of bringing new life into this world, and to help families plan for the future,” she said. “I have chosen to commit myself to this career in health for both my own family as well as my community.”

In its fourth consecutive year, the Josh Jerman Realtor Maui Scholarship encourages college-bound students to use their education to benefit Maui County. More than 50 students applied for this scholarship.

A Vacation of Service

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Visiting church group comes ready to work.

By Jennifer Smith

While most people visit Molokai to relax and take in some sun, members of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Park came to the Friendly Isle ready to work. Reverend Daniel Russell traveled with 15 other dedicated Baptists for a little over a week preaching, teaching, and doing community service.

“We think it’s great,” Russell said. “We see not only the natural beauty, but also the beauty of the people.”

The church group spent the majority of their time helping to run Vacation Bible School (VBS) with Kaunakakai and Molokai Baptist churches. Teens and adults enjoyed a Christian Life Conference, while the keiki participated in the Olympic themed VBS. Activities included games, sports, and fencing and drama demonstrations from some of the visiting hosts.

The well-mannered visitors also split up in two groups last week Tuesday to help provide services to the community. Half of the group spent the day doing yard work for a Kaunakakai resident, while the other half helped clean up the Ahupua`a building in Ho`olehua.

The aged building served as the original Head Start school, according to Ochie Bush, President of the Ho`olehua Homestead Association. Since then, the site has hosted several other educational groups, Homesteader meetings, and Saturday swap meets. 

The Ahupua`a building could potentially help a group of hard working parents bring to life their shared vision of having all of Molokai’s Hawaiian Language Immersion programs on the island on one campus. Russell said his group was happy to help the parents who refer to themselves as KukulunuiaHina.

With sermons, service, and some cultural experiences in the sun behind him, Russell said the group truly enjoyed their Molokai experience. “We appreciate the diversity of the people,” he said, explaining that everyone was hospitable and friendly.

For more information on efforts to unify Molokai’s Hawaiian Immersion schools visit kukulunuiahina.com.

Go Clover Lopers!

Monday, July 7th, 2008

Molokai families traveled to Maui to participate in the annual parade that draws hundreds of spectators every year.

By Viola Wichman 

Yawhoo! Molokai’s 4-H Clover Lopers were out in numbers as 14 kids and 10 adults ventured to Maui to participate in the 43rd Annual Makawao Paniolo Parade. 

Our group's ages ranged from 5 to 16 years old. We marched in four lines with adult leaders bringing up the rear. 

This year marks the second time the Clover Lopers were able to participate in this wonderful experience (thanks to support from our community).Next year we’re going back – this time on horseback. Brian Kramer of Kula Kai Farm, our gracious host, has invited us back and will be providing our mounts, yeehaw.

What an exciting and educational time we had at Kula Kai from mucking out stalls to dummy roping lessons, to the best BBQ grinds, and the most breathtaking view of Maui. This was Hawaiian hospitality at it’s finest. Our Mahalo to Brian, Shawn, Yod and Jackie.

Students Get Glimpse of High Tech Future

Monday, July 7th, 2008

Super computers and top secret observatories visited.

 By Howard Selnick

You would not believe the amount of doors that were unlocked for our Molokai middle school team to participate in a three-day technical career program held on Maui for students throughout this school district. The Maui Economic Development Board created this program, in part to expose our students to job opportunities on Maui in the field of computer technology.

Our first day's activities that were held in the Maui High Tech Park in Kihei introduced our students to a panel of young adults now working in various companies located within this complex. These panelists, including a team from Akimeka LLC (which was started by a “Molokai boy”), shared their personal stories about working in this profession. They also invited our students to ask questions and answered them with very personal comments designed to help our students ease their way into this professional world.

The panelists all agreed that they had no idea they would be able to stay at home on Maui and work in such an interesting and exciting career.

We were taken on tours throughout the High Performance Computing Center in the Maui High Tech Park to see, first hand, some of the programs being run there, including one that tracks about 9,000 satellites and other pieces of space garbage every hour in real time, another that runs a detailed inventory of all medical resources throughout the world and a third that keeps track of injured U.S. military personnel.

The Maui High Performance Computing Center is the 11th most powerful computer system in the world. And it is within our reach as a place of employment.

Our last day on Maui provided us with extreme points of view. During a tour of a restricted area controlled by the Air Force at Haleakula, we saw a top secret cluster of observatories that are linked to various universities and U.S. military facilities throughout the world.

We also were able to pay respect to cultural integrity during this tour. We participated in a discussion that showed us the need for cultural respect no matter where we go. How do we respect and treat the "aina"? The military director explained that a $1.6-million facility was abandoned because an endangered Silversword plant was found growing next to the site. The facility, which was greatly needed to resurface one of the telescope’s multi-million-dollar, 8,000-pound mirrors, had to be relocated. In fact, the entire staff that works atop Haleakula must go through a cultural training program to become aware of Hawaiian protocol and the past problems faced by new workers as they arrive in Hawaii.

So we now come full circle to this activity. For it is the purpose of the Middle School Tech Career program to help eliminate cultural and economic problems.

Our student group has toured these facilities to experience what it would be like to work in the High Performance Computing lab and the observatory complex atop Haleakula. They are the next generation of specialists to work at this complex. And it is, in part, up to our Molokai community to support our students by opening this door for them.

Most of the people we met working on our tour had smiles on their faces. The average salary there is about $70,000. Our students have been there, and they now know what they can achieve given their efforts in studying are supported. This is the primary purpose of this activity, to show our students there are exciting, high-paying jobs here on the island that are waiting for them if they are willing to stop saying “I hate math,” “I hate language arts” and focus their attention.

The cost of our two-and-a-half-day tour on Maui was in the thousands of dollars. It is with great appreciation that we say Mahalo nui loa to the Maui Economic Development Board for planning, arranging and financing this program for our Maui district students.

The Great Skate

Sunday, June 29th, 2008

Local skateboarders jam it out in contest.

People of all ages showed up to enjoy the first Maui Skate Tour Series at the Molokai skate park on Saturday. The event is the product of collaboration between the Maui County Parks Molokai district, Hi-Tech Skateboards, Aloha Skateboards, and the community.

“It is a great family oriented event allowing families to come together and enjoy the wonderful facilities we have here,” said Molokai Park District supervisor Billy Amoral, with a smile on his face. “It is always a success when parents come out to support the kids.”

As a part of the tour, six instructors were on hand to teach kids how to jump on boards and have some fun. The event is the first to take place at the park since it was officially reopened this February.

The County tour hosted contests for the participants such as highest ollie, best rail trick, and grom races for the little ones. After the judges tallied their scores, each contest winner scored some new skate gear.

When asked about the success of the event Donovan McNab from Hi-Tech Skateboards replied, “ I’m extremely stoked - the collaboration was huge on the Molokai Park system. They were very helpful and organized, with amazing hospitality.”

“This is hopefully the first event of many,” Amoral said.

The Molokai skate tour was one stop on the list of nine districts participating in the series.

“The skate series has been a process of working with Maui County Parks to sponsor and promote skating, which then becomes a catalyst for the development of new parks for people to enjoy skating,” said Davey Dellong, owner of Hi-Tech Skateboards.

If anyone is interested in attending any of the other tour stops within the other Maui County districts, information is available by contacting Donovan McNab at 808.661.1637

Laughter from Abroad

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

Irish storyteller entertains Molokai crowds.

The animated Irishman, Niall De Burca, had children of all ages roaring with laughter.

By Jennifer Smith

“There is always a bit of mischief to storytelling,” said Niall De Burca, world-renowned storyteller.

An animated entertainer, De Burca had nearly 175 children of all ages cheering and clapping from the outset of his Molokai Public Library performance last week Tuesday. Telling stories of bullies, unruly children, and a very fortunate dimwitted teenager, he blended the wisdom of old, with contemporary humor.

“Stories are universal,” said the Irish born De Burca, explaining that children in Hawaii enjoy the stories as much as children throughout the world. “It’s really great to see how cultural references can jump from a culture.”

DeBurca will entertain audiences at about 20 public libraries throughout the islands during his first visit to Hawaii. He has traveled the world telling Irish legends, and said “the audiences here are just lovely” it’s great to see people of all ages attending the events.

Niall De Burca’s performance was made possible by the support of the Friends of the Library of Hawaii, and grants from the NFL Charities, UH, the NEA, and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.