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Education

Develop Your Child’s Learning Plan

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

Learning Disabilities Association of HI News Release

A workshop about developing your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be held on Molokai on Thursday, April 9. Eligibility has been determined for your child under the federal Department of Education’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Now you and your IEP team will be developing a plan for your child. Understand the steps to this process from beginning to end and how your child with a disability will benefit from his/her IEP.

This event is free of charge and dinner is provided. It will be held at the Home Pumehana Multipurpose Center from 5 to 7 p.m.…

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Metaphysical Teaching Comes to Molokai

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

Community Contributed

By Joan Gattuso

Last year my husband and I moved to Molokai fulltime, after visiting this wonderful island for 25 years.  As a successful and respected metaphysical leader for decades on the mainland, I have decided it is time to share my teaching here beginning April 20.

When I was a young woman, I was faithful to a traditional church which taught from firm doctrine.  But when I was told I could not question that doctrine, I left the only church I had ever known and, through a fortuitous set of circumstances, joined a church called Unity.  What I discovered there was that questions were not only OK, they were encouraged.…

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Track Team Off to a Running Start

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

Molokai’s track and field season debut featured a win and several top 10 finishes, results that pleasantly surprised Head Coach Jessie Ford.

Alex Simon earned first place the 300 meter hurdles. With Simon recently coming off her wrestling season, Ford said she told Simon, “No pressure.”

“And then she did that!” said Ford of her results. “She won by a hundredth of a second – it was a super close finish, very exciting.”

Lehiwa Pedro placed third in discus, another unexpected result for Ford.

“Lehiwa surprised everybody in her debut throwing discus – it her first time competing [in the event],” said Ford.…

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Tennis Teams Hitting their Strides

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

Tennis Teams Hitting their Strides

After suffering early season losses, both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams are starting to bring in victories. Last weekend at home against the St. Anthony Trojans, the girls got their first win of the season, while the boys won twice against the Trojans.

“We always get better as the season goes on,” said Head Coach Dean Chow. “… At the end of the season we like to challenge the first place teams because we think we’ll be right there with them.”

On both Friday and Saturday, Molokai’s boys beat St. Anthony 4-1. Molokai’s girls lost 4-1 on Friday but won 3-2 the next day.…

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Volleyball Wins the One That Counts

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

Volleyball Wins the One That Counts

The Molokai Farmers boys’ volleyball team split last weekend with games against Kamehameha Maui at The Barn.  On Friday night, after dropping the first set, the Farmers took the next three to win the match.

“We started out slow and lost the first set but I told them in the huddle that it’s time to step up and it’s ours for the taking and they came out and played better and we got the win in four sets,” said Head Coach Hale Domingo.

Saturday’s game was a non-league match and the farmers lost in five sets.

“When we play the Division I schools, only the Friday night game counts in the standings,” explained Domingo of Molokai’s Division II team.…

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Scouts Build Stand-up Racks

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

Last week, a Molokai grown Boy Scout returned to his roots to help the island’s youth. While on spring break from Kamehameha-Kapalama (KSK), high school senior Rusty “Naholowaa” Nakayama and a group of fellow Boy Scouts came home to build stand-up paddleboard racks as part of Nakayama’s quest to become an Eagle Scout.

Boys can join the Cub Scouts at the age of eight and become Boy Scouts at the age of 12. In order to reach the rank of Eagle Scout, they must earn 21 merit badges and put together a community service project by their 18th birthday.

“I’m not only doing this to get my Eagle, but it is satisfactory to give back to the community,” said Nakayama.…

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Slammed with Passion

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

Slammed with Passion

Emotions were raw and honesty took a front seat at a poetry slam at Molokai High School last week. Youth used their tongues to bear their souls in a form of spoken word performances known as slam poetry, having been guided in the art for several days by visiting national champion slam poets.

A group of poet facilitators from Pacific Tongues, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering spoken word arts for Pacific Islanders, spent last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Molokai Middle and High school. They visited classrooms, held workshops, did writing exercises and inspired students with their own verbal prowess.

Their visit was made possible through a grant written by several Molokai High teachers following the group’s first visit to the island last year.…

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Farmers Afar: Rizpah Umi

Wednesday, April 1st, 2015

Farmers Afar: Rizpah Umi

In a new series, the Dispatch celebrates former Molokai athletes who have taken their homegrown skills to new stages off island. If you know of a Molokai athlete competing at college, the professional level or elsewhere, let us know by emailing editor@themolokaidispatch.com or calling 552-2781.

The first Native Hawaiian wrestler in Wayland Baptist University (WBU) history is already making a name for herself and the small island she hails from. Just a freshman at WBU, 2014 Molokai High School graduate Rizpah Umi was named an All-American wrestler last month.

Umi earned the distinction after finishing eighth out of 29 wrestlers from across the country.…

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A Field to Call Home

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

A Field to Call Home

The Molokai softball team finally has a place to call their own. For years, the girls and coaches bussed to practices and games at the county’s ball field in Kaunakakai. Meanwhile, they put in hours of labor on weekends the last couple of years to pick rocks and prepare their future field at Molokai High. It all became worth it last Saturday, when the brand new field officially opened with a blessing and the first pitch was thrown on their home diamond.

In the 1990s, Head Coach Coco Augustiro said a field at the high school was built for softball but it wasn’t constructed to code and instead of holding games there, it was used for PE.…

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Prom Dresses Without the Price

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

Prom Dresses Without the Price

Last year when the prom dress she’d rented online failed to arrive, Molokai High student Giesha Nunez had to travel to Maui to buy a gown—on the day of prom.

This year Nunez and dozens of other banquet and prom-bound teens got to browse formal dresses on Molokai. All were available for free in the island’s first Bella Project Prom Dress Giveaway, hosted by Child and Family Services (CFS) last Wednesday.

“Molokai has a lot of extra assistance to help the kids,” said Molokai High parent Cheri Rivera, who feels that’s a unique trait of the island. “It’s a blessing to have … for the girls, to feel extra special on this special night.”…

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