Inside the September 11, 2003 issue:
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LCA
vice president Max Purcell kicks off the Ice in Ko'olauloa conference
on Sept. 6th. — folifoto |
Several hundred community leaders and residents heard the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney and the U.S. Attorney for Hawai'i stress at the Ko'olauloa Ice Conference on Saturday, Sept. 6th, that serious changes are needed in state laws and philosophy if we are to effectively fight the war against drugs.
"I don't believe anyone here is untouched by drug problems in our community," said BYU-Hawai'i President Eric B. Shumway in welcoming the conference on campus.
Shumway, who has lived in Ko'olauloa for 37 years, shared how many of the 30-plus foster children his family has helped had drug problems, including one who died of an overdose. "We've also been burglarized. We have suffered as you have suffered. These are our children. Unfortunately, it's not the children who are causing the problems. It's the adults who are exploiting the situation."
Lä'ie Community Association vice president Max Purcell, who helped organize the three-hour conference under the auspices of the Lä'ie Crime Task Force, further illustrated this point by first asking everybody to stand, and then asked those who knew someone on drugs, or who had been affected in any way by drugs and crime, to sit: Only four remained standing.
Purcell also indicated that the conference was dedicated to Daniel Mapu of Lä'ie, who was severely injured while holding anti-drug signs in Ka'a'awa and had been in a coma for the past 12 days at that point. "His accident in the campaign against ice has made this very personal for many of us in the community," Purcell said.
Peter Carlisle, the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu, shared some startling facts with the audience as he started his presentation:
Other symptoms include paranoia, irritability, aggressiveness, delusions, staying awake for long periods, hearing a buzzing sound in their heads, and some experience a feeling that insects are crawling all over them. Overdosing is possible. Police are trained to be very cautious around "tweakers."
"Don't go within a million miles of the stuff," Carlisle advised.
He also pointed out the community needs to change its mind-set: "Our system right now is back-ended, but we need to focus on prevention. The focus of resources that we put in at the back end are enormous. The sooner you can diagnose a problem, the easier it is to intervene and rectify the situation," he said, suggesting we should seriously consider mandatory drug testing in schools.
"Most parent surveys indicate the number-one school concern is safety. If there's an ice user in your child's school, your child is not safe. The things we need to change are always part of the political process. It's all about politics and money," he continued, urging people to tell elected government representatives what we want.
More specifically, Carlisle suggested "the most important thing we can work for is change" in legislation, such as:
Ed Kubo, the U.S. Attorney for Hawai'i since 2001, later explained that federal law enforcement has used information gathered in wiretaps very effectively, but state wiretap laws require a lengthy affidavit and a motion to the court, which then requires a public defender to do "discovery." The discovery process includes divulging the names of confidential informants and police officers.
"For us to let the information go would jeopardize the lives of police officers and informants. Thus, the Hawai'i State wiretap law has hardly ever been used, maybe three times in the last 20 years," said Kubo.
He added the federal anti-drug campaign also only targets traffickers who deal in amounts above a certain threshold, but that they identify 7-120 criminals a year who do not meet that threshold. "Where do these people go who we do not take? They can't be prosecuted because the state wiretap law is inconsistent with federal laws. Every year, 70-120 criminals are released back into your communities."
Federal laws prevent Kubo from lobbying the legislature, but he stressed that citizens can ask their representatives for changes.
Kubo, who said he is "passionate" about addressing drug problems, noted he has held a series of meetings throughout the state to listen to the concerns and needs of local communities. "There are many more victims, statistics and acts of violence. Drugs are the number-one cause behind that, and ice is the number-one drug:
"We must all hold hands, because if we fight one another, the war is lost. We must save the next generation," he said.
Kubo outlined a three-step approach to do that, comparing the steps to the legs of a tripod:
Kubo explained under the walk-and-talk program, police officers simply approached people at the airport and asked them if they were carrying illegal drugs. "They used to intercept people packing as much as 14 pounds of drugs that was clearly visible, and I'm not talking about profiling, either, because that's illegal."
When the State Supreme Court ruled this was unconstitutional, "we took down our defenses at the airports. From 1992 to today, has the ice epidemic gotten worse? With walk-and-talk dead, our borders are left unguarded, and drug importers know it," Kubo continued, adding that some dealers are now known to carry illegal drugs interisland in large ice chests.
Kubo said a related "knock-and-talk" program, where police officers knock on a suspect's door and ask if they can check for drugs, is also in jeopardy. "And yet, the number-one complaint from the community is that HPD doesn't respond."
"We need...a constitutional amendment to change what the Hawaii State Supreme Court did, to allow our barriers to go up again," Kubo said.
He acknowledged treatment is costly, and suggested that medical insurance companies and private employers need to help out. "Truly we need more drug treatments that are accessible...and affordable," Kubo said.
He also suggested hospitals need to redirect abusers into treatment programs, and that we need more "tough love. I've heard families who do not want to turn in their loved ones. There should be laws passed to assist families to do that."
Asked how effective current treatment programs are, Kubo replied it usually depends on the person and the environment he goes back to; "but there have been many successful stories Ñ enough to convince me that drug treatment programs can be effective."
Kubo agrees there should be school drug testing, but that it should apply "to all students at the entry level," and not just for extracurricular activities. "You need some form of testing to identify the children who need help, and then let's work on it from a prevention and treatment response, not law enforcement. I'm not interested in putting children in jail."
"You need an effective form of education and prevention taught at each level. Keep bombarding them until it's ingrained," he continued, stressing an even more hard-line approach:
"Schools should be able to force children into treatment programs."
School counselors have told Kubo they have been trying hard to get children into programs, "but if the child doesn't want help, there's nothing they can do," he said, adding he's also concerned that counselors can't let parents know of drug problem because of privacy laws." We need to change the privacy laws so we can help our keiki."
"As the highest federal law enforcement official in Hawai'i, I totally agree with Peter Carlisle and HPD Chief Donahue that prevention is the answer."
At the end of the conference, community leader MaryAnne Long suggested Ko'olauloa borrow the "Better LATE than never" concept from Kahalu'u: L) legislation and lobbying; A) awareness, education, prevention; T) treatment; E) enforcement.
Purcell thanked a long list of sponsors and participants, including BYU-Hawai'i, HPD, Hawai'i Reserves, Inc., Lä'ie Community Association, the Polynesian Cultural Center, Hina Mauka, the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawai'i, Civil Defense District 5; the Salvation Army, Kahuku Hospital, Nä Kamalei, MADD, Hawai'i Covering Kids, and other organizations as well as organizing committee members, HPD Sgt. Ardi Maioho, Sunny Greer from Kahana, Hans Ta'ala with BYUH Security and Babes Fely of Hau'ula.
Parents of special needs children used U.S. Rep. Ed Case's visit to Hau'ula Elementary School on Aug. 12th to register their concerns over the congressman's amendment to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which, they feel, would seriously "hurt the children."
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Rep.
Case |
Kahuku resident Harry Brown, expressed concern for the future of his son, Kahiau, if Case voted in favor of changes to IDEA. "If you do that, you will hurt our people," Brown said. "You will take away the rights my son already has. If you're going to change it, you should change it for good."
Case's amendment proposes limiting attorney fees in the event a family who uses a lawyer to secure educational benefits prevails in court. "The problem is some of the fees have been what I consider excessive," he said.
"I know how seriously you take this issue," Case continued, explaining that IDEA, which in Hawai'i is linked with the Felix Act, is a "classic unfunded amenity" that has put a "tremendous strain on state resources. Up until two or three years ago, the federal government picked up about 8%" of the costs, but originally promised to cover up to 40%.
"It's a great idea, but the problem is we didn't get the money," Case said. "The appropriation is short by about $6 billion. Why? Because we gave tax cuts."
"I don't believe we should change the intent of the law, but we should change the funding of the law," he said.
"There are not that many attorneys who handle special education law, and most of them are on O'ahu," Brown responded. "If it's just for a few of them who are charging an exorbitant amount, don't go changing it [IDEA]."
"For us at the bottom, who see what's going on, it hurts," said Zeni Iese, a Hawaiian Immersion teach-er at Hau'ula Elementary. She encouraged more funding for classrooms.
Sherry Martinez, who has three foster children, stressed that "the current form of IDEA is not working" and Case's amendment would actually remove or change benchmarks such as the Individual Educational Plan (IEP). Under the Case amendment, that meeting would go from once a year to once every three years.
"I have a heart for these children," Martinez said. "They deserve an education, and I will fight for it to the end of my days."
Case replied he believes too many resources are directed to administration, and not the child. "The proposal says if both sides agree, you don't have to go back for a [IEP] re-evaluation every year."
Lonia Burroughs told Case she's looking for "a broad vision of what it is that we need to do. The federal government has to have more vision than the state." She added she wants to "bring our IDEA children into a full society. The cost-effective way of doing that is earlier. There's plenty of research to show that. The later we wait, the more expensive it's going to be."
"It's my experience that if the money were spent right up front on the services, the overall expenses would be less. Please, broaden your vision," Burroughs said.
Leialoha Jenkins, co-chair for the Ko'olauloa Interagency Community Council, was even more direct in asking Case to fully fund IDEA: "Fund it and make it work." She also pointed out that more foster children are being dumped into the foster care system because of President Clinton's welfare reform.
"We've yelled and screamed, and we got from 8 to 18%, but clearly it isn't enough," Case responded.
A Hau'ula teacher then said she felt there was a problem with the entire school system. "It's not helpful, it's adversarial. It's not functional, it's dysfunctional."
Case replied that he has believed for many years "that a statewide school system doesn't work," but as a U.S. Representative he didn't have any "power to make it go that way."
After several unrelated issues were raised, Case thanked everyone for attending. "I've heard your concerns," he said.
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Apelu...started
at PCC |
The Polynesian Cultural Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary from Oct. 20-26th, special events for alumni — that is, anyone who has worked there over the years. In fact, the Center will be reserved on Friday, Oct. 24th, for alumni and their guests.
Highlights include receptions, educational panels, a ball, golf tournament, alumni night show, a parade and a special visit by President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Leilua Logo Apelu, Vice President of Operations and chairman of the committee which has been planning the anniversary for the past year, explained "the purpose of the celebration is to bring PCC alumni back, and renew their ties to the Center.
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"We're very excited about the celebration. We want those who came in the beginning to know those who came after them. We want to really express our gratitude to our Father in Heaven for sustaining us for the past 40 years of preserving and sharing the arts of Polynesia.
"We also want to express our gratitude to the labor missionaries, and the many leaders who have gone out from PCC to the world," Apelu said, pointing out that the PCC is expecting at least 3,000 former missionaries, employees, board members, presidents and guests to come.
Activities for the PCC alumni and others include LDS Temple sessions, opportunities to work again in the villages, educational panels, presentations, a lü'au dinner and, of course, the alumni show.
President Hinckley will also participate in the Hale La'a Blvd. relandscaping project groundbreaking on Saturday, Oct. 25th, followed by a community parade.
"We've invited bands and pä'ü riders for the parade," Apelu said. "There will be a lot of excitement going on during the entire 40th anniversary celebration."
The more complete activity schedule is:
| Monday, Oct. 20: Temple sessions, 7 and 8 a.m.; a presentation by T. David Hannemann on the "prophetic and spiritual foundations" of Lä'ie, Tahiti, 10:30 a.m.; a craft fair, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (on each day), in the Gazebo; a flag-raising ceremony at the front entrance, 12 p.m. (each day); work opportunities in the villages, 12:30-6 p.m. (each day); and Testaments, the large-format LDS movie, 7:30 p.m.. IMAX (repeats on Tuesday). |
| Tuesday, Oct. 21: Employee recognition meeting, 8:30 a.m., IMAX; alumni and PCC employee reception, 5 p.m., Hale 'Ohana (behind the IMAX). |
| Wednesday, Oct. 22: A presentation on the "cultural foundations" of Lä'ie by Vernice Wineera, Aotearoa, 10:30 a.m.; alumni show rehearsal, 4 p.m., Pacific Theater; government and business leaders reception (by invitation), 6 p.m., Hale 'Ohana; and Maori alumni section rehearsal, 7:30-9:30, Aotearoa. |
| Thursday, Oct. 23: A golf tournament, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Turtle Bay ($125 entry fee); reunion ball, 7 p.m., BYUH CAC, followed by an employee concert at 9:30. |
| Friday, Oct. 24: A tentative sports day, 6 a.m., BYUH P.E. field; alumni show dress rehearsal, 9 a.m., Pacific Theater; a presentation on the "educational foundations" of Lä'ie by President Eric Shumway, 10 a.m., IMAX; Polynesian Odyssey IMAX movie, 11 a.m.; dinner, 4-8 p.m., The Gateway; Paradise Hawaiian Style movie with Elvis Presley at PCC, 7 p.m., IMAX; and the alumni night show, 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 25: Hale La'a groundbreaking, 10:30 a.m., traffic circle near Lä'ie Elementary School, followed by a community parade. |
| Sunday, Oct. 26: A mini-regional LDS Conference with President Hinckley, 10 a.m., CAC; and a PCC "fireside" featuring a PCC choir, 2 p.m., CAC. |
"This will be the kind of experience that only comes along once every 40 years, said PCC President Von Orgill. "It will be unique, and I'm looking forward to it."
For more information, call Tali Galea'i at 293-3002. or go to alumni.polynesia.com.
Alumni show section rehearsals for Hawai'i are being held Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, starting Sept. 16th, at 7 p.m., location TBA; Sämoa, Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. outside the CAC; Maori, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. on the marae; and Tonga, Fiji and Tahiti, TBA. For more info, call Cy Bridges at 293-3096.
For tickets, call 808-293-3333. Some events are already sold out, so book as early as possible.
Several youth athletic leagues, which historically have fielded hundreds of keiki each in normally sports-crazy Ko'olauloa, are dying this upcoming season due to parents failing to sign their kids up in time and/or a lack of volunteer help.
Diane Stant-Tafua of Lä'ie, president of North Shore Youth Activities which oversees Police Athletic League programs in this moku, explained that PAL flag football and Ko'olauloa Little League programs will probably not take the field this upcoming season.
"We only had about 40 kids sign up by the registration deadline. That's not enough to run a league," Stant-Tafua said of flag football, which drew about 200 kids in its inaugural season last year.
"Last-minute sign-up is a problem," she continued. "In the past there have been dozens of kids trying to sign up just before the league starts. Parents need to be more on top of getting their kids signed up during the registration period."
She added that there also weren't enough volunteers for this year. Last year's key volunteer coordinators, Doc Taula and Kalani Soren, are pursuing educational objectives this season.
Stant-Tafua explained that getting volunteers seems to be a problem for most of the youth athletic programs in the district. "We have to beg people to become coaches, which is our main need," she said. "Also, some parents think of these activities as a babysitting service. They drop their kids off and come back an hour or so later."
Still, Stant-Tafua said she'll continue to work with the PAL-oriented programs: "We're having PAL volleyball again, which had about 160 kids last year, beginning in March. Registration begins in January, so please make sure to sign your kids up in time."
Stant-Tafua also said PAL would be willing to help the Ko'olauloa Little League program, which is currently languishing for a lack of volunteers.
"If we can get somebody to coordinate Little League, we'll take over the baseball part," she said. "Otherwise, Little League may be finished in this area for now."
Last year about 150 kids from throughout Ko'olauloa participated, but the number has been as high as 300 in the past.
Signe Nae'ole of Ka'a'awa, league president for the past three years, said she was stepping down after last season "because I'm tired of it, and I think there should be new blood. It's a lot of work when you don't have the help."
Nae'ole said she had thought of quitting the year before, "but then I felt bad for the kids, so I put my family on hold another year." She added her other board members — Kim Nae'ole, Lani Gibby and Valu Alapa — were also not planning to continue.
Asked what it would take to keep Little League alive, Nae'ole responded, "dedicated volunteers. There are parents who want their kids to continue in baseball, but they just don't want to help.
"The kids really enjoy baseball, and we have a lot of potential. We just need to get volunteers and more support from their families," she said, pointing out that several teams want to continue, especially those interested in competing against outside teams.
Kim Nae'ole, who has been league treasurer the past two seasons and a volunteer for two more, agreed with her sister-in-law. "We're basically burned out. We just couldn't get the help from the people.
"Too busy was the basic response. We tried to tell parents if there were a full board, there wouldn't be as much work per person. This past year we raised the price to $70 [from $35 the previous season], which almost covered all the costs," she continued, adding they did fundraising to make up the difference. "But we found it was just the board doing the the work. It roughly costs about $90 per child to play."
Kim Nae'ole also thinks tradition is a factor in what's happening to Little League here. "We're not a baseball town, we're a football town," she said. "We find that if you grew up playing baseball, those are the parents who are really involved. Otherwise, it was just something for the kids to do."
Elaine McArthur of Lä'ie, who has supported the program in the past as both a volunteer coach and parent, said she hates to see the program die. "Sometimes it's necessary for some of the people who've been very involved to step away before others will step forward. It's a lot of work, and it's time for new people to help," she added.
Several other people who have volunteered with various Ko'olauloa youth leagues agree. "It was a lot of stress," said a woman who served with her husband for eight years. She added they phased out after their children grew older and moved on.
Peter Ta'ilele of Lä'ie has been volunteering for years with the PAL basketball league, which involved about 450 kids this past season (sign up starts in October, play starts the first week of January).
"It's not easy. Every year I've got to look for coaches and other help," he said. "Fortunately, we've had some parents who wanted to help. I think that's why some of our programs are not successful, because we don't have enough support from the parents and community."
Ta'ilele added he was surprised to hear that the flag football league was going to fold, and agreed that some parents didn't pay enough attention to deadlines. "When they missed the deadlines, the league closed down. You can't just bring the kids at the last minute. That makes it hard for people to organize.
"All I know is that if parents want to keep their kids busy and out of trouble, they've got to help," Ta'ilele said. "Parents need to get involved to make a strong community."
He added that some of the parents also get "too serious on the sidelines: Some of them feel it's a championship game, every game. They need to realize the kids are just having fun."
The local Pop Warner football program is solid, probably due to the annual football fever that infects the entire moku as well as the dedication of head coach David Te'o and his brother, Brian, and their families who have been volunteering for the past seven years.
"Our numbers are actually growing," said Brian, pointing out they have about 145 boys and girls signed up this season. Each of the kids has to pay a $200 fee.
"A lot of it has to do with past successes as well as the variety of competition provided by the Pop Warner program. We play outside of our community," he said, adding he believes the "kids feel it's also something that resembles Kahuku football more than any other sport."
Te'o feels that outside competition also helps the league stay viable. "Playing the same teams over and over again makes it difficult, and eventually you can't find anyone to run such a program."
So, does Pop Warner need volunteers? "Our entire organization is staffed with volunteers, from the board to our team moms and coaches," Te'o responded. "We struggled somewhat this year, but we've managed to find parents, and trained them. Parents always want to help."
AYSO (soccer)
The strongest youth sports program in Ko'olauloa, however, is the American Youth Soccer Organization league, which has grown from about 200 kids five years ago to almost 500 who started play last week. Each child in this region pays a $50 registration fee, although other regions charge more.
Richard Oei of Lä'ie, a former college and semi-pro player who's now AYSO regional commissioner from Kahalu'u to Sunset Beach, said the program is "very strong. Eventually, the parents get involved when there's a shortage. BYU-Hawai'i has also been a very good resource for us. A lot of freshmen recently got out of AYSO 'under-19' play, and we've had good response from them. They know the sport."
Oei, who also coaches boys varsity soccer at Kahuku High, added the natural progression for some of the kids into interscholastic competition helps, too. "I'm trying to strengthen those links," he said.
In his status report on Hau'ula Elementary at the Hau'ula Community Association meeting on Sept. 3rd, Principal Brad Odagiri reported official enrollment has dropped and they may lose several teachers, but that the school is making progress with a new comprehensive reading program.
"There was a big drop in our enrollment," said Odagiri of the decline of approximately 10% to about 300 students. He explained that according to Department of Education (DOE) classroom size standards, "right now it looks like we may be losing two teachers." He wondered if the year-round schedule was a factor, but teacher Zeni Iese said she liked it. She also wondered if Odagiri was pushing for DOE "small school" status, which would mean "one teacher for one classroom."
"We need to keep our kids at Hau'ula," Odagiri continued. "I know some of them are at neighboring schools. Hopefully, we won't lose any more."
Odagiri then reported that Hau'ula Elementary has invested grant money and effort into a schoolwide "Direct Instruction" reading improvement program with positive results. "After one year, we had no children in stanines 1-3," he said.
Odagiri explained "to make sure our kids get quality instruction on reading," there's a proposal to hold all field trips at one time. "Those are the kinds of things we're looking at.
"There are a lot of good components we never had before," he added. "My mission is to show that Hau'ula can do it."
The BYU-Hawai'i President's Council recently named Lä'ie resident Norm Evans as its Teacher of the Year. The honor included a $1,000 award from the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Evans, who started at the University in 1981, has been involved in teaching English for international students, and most recently chaired a study of the returnability of those students to their homelands. He is also president of the LDS BYU-Hawai'i 2nd Stake.
BYU-Hawai'i also presented annual "excellence in service" awards to the following staff members who live in Ko'olauloa: Norma Te'o, financial aid; Paul Freebairn, testing center; Jason Green, technology services; Phyllis Peters, alumni; Keleise Taulogo, English; Kanani Ka'awa, purchasing; Seini Malupo, food services; John Olszowka, scheduling; Sam Malupo, grounds; Yvonne Marasco-Mapu, health center; and Didi Santeco, purchasing.
Each of the service honors included a $500 award.
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| Officials from Turtle Bay Resort and Friends of Hawai'i Charities, Inc. with some of the $80,000 beneficiaries from last year's Senior PGA Turtle Bay Championship. — folifoto |
Turtle Bay Resort and Friends of Hawai'i Charities, on behalf of the Senior PGA Tour, disbursed $80,000 to 20 different North Shore organizations for their help with last year's Senior PGA-Turtle Bay Championship golf tournament.
"This is a celebration of all the hard work that countless people participated in," said John Dowd, director of marketing for the resort, at a special luncheon at the hotel on Aug. 15th. "The PGA does a lot of work with local charities, and we're the beneficiaries of that."
"The slogan of the tour is 'giving back,' which is why this is a great thing," replied Jim Felcher, a public relations executive with the Turtle Bay Championship. "This year we're giving away $80,000. Last year it was $40,000.
"Without volunteers like you, we couldn't do this," added Tony Guerrero Jr., president of Friends of Hawai'i Charities, Inc., which helps coordinate the volunteer efforts.
This year's North Shore beneficiaries were Aloha Ke Akua High School, Hawai'i Fi-Do Service Dogs, Kahuku Hospital, Kahuku High School band, Nä Lei Noni o Waialua, North Shore Lifeguard Association, Saint Michael's School, Sunset Beach Elementary School, Victory 'Ohana Prison Fellowship, Waialua Elementary School, Waialua High & Intermediate School, Hau'ula Elementary School, Hawai'i State Junior Golf Association, Ko'olauloa Educational Alliance Corp., Nä Pua Aloha Inc., New Hope Christian Fellowship, The Private Sector, Save the Sea Turtles International, Sunset Beach Church of Christ and Christian School, and YMCA Camp H.R. Erdman.
The 2003 Senior PGA tour Turtle Bay Championship is set for Oct. 6-12th. The volunteers will be there, too.
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The Kahuku High campus has sprung to life with the coming of the 2003-04 school year, which promises academic excellence, athletic triumph, and extracurricular successes by many of Kahuku's talented students. The start of a new year at Kahuku also brings new goals, people, and even new campus renovations.
Kahuku High students have greeted the upcoming year with enthusiastic aspirations and prospective goals. To "make a lasting contribution" during her senior year, Bethany Smith decided to "make a change" by volunteering to become this year's homecoming chair.
Like Smith, many other Kahuku seniors hope to leave their own legacy: Student Body Government Vice President Adriana Alghussein, for example, wants to "achieve a 4.5 GPA and win first place at the state debate tournament."
While seniors are finishing their last year at Kahuku, many students have recently joined the Kahuku 'ohana and are beginning to get a taste of the "Kahuku way": Celesta Hubner, a senior from Rochester, New York, commented, "Being around diverse ethnicities is a new and exciting experience because I am not used to being a minority." Kai Henderson, a transfer student from Waialua, chose to attend Kahuku because the "trimester system is more flexible and allows students to take more classes."
To welcome all of them, Kahuku hosted its annual new student and seventh grade orientations on Aug. 25th. Leilani Relator, Student body treasurer, said, "The purpose of these orientations is to help the new students get acquainted with their peers, the campus, and the activities Kahuku has to offer."
Josh Yeager, who transferred from Ko'olau Baptist Academy, commented that the orientation helped him to "meet people and know my way around the campus." Andrina Ramos, a seventh grader, said that the orientation was an opportunity for her to "learn the rules and meet teachers."
New faculty and staff are also learning about Kahuku: Mr. Matthew Mumma, the new senior class counselor, moved here from Burlington, Virginia, because he "was tired of the East Coast and was ready for a change." While working at Kahuku he has been impressed by "the students and the orderliness of the campus."
An old, yet new face to the Kahuku family is Ms. Cory Shlachter, a '95 alumna. After completing her undergraduate degree at Stanford and a master's at the University of Hawai'i, Shlachter decided to return to her "alma mater because [she] knows the people and knows the programs work." She is currently teaching U.S. History and Democracy classes. What Shlachter enjoys most about teaching is "seeing the students get it and how it [the knowledge] applies to real life."
With numerous new faces on campus, one cannot overlook that even certain buildings and classrooms have gotten face-lifts, thanks to the renovation project that began in May and will run through November.
Shelly Hata, Administrative Services Assistant for Kahuku High, explains, "In this project the classrooms will be renovated through the replacement of lights, floors, wall paint, tack boards, whiteboards, window, and doors.
"This project is costing approximately $2.7 million."
The renovations have not gone unnoticed and are appreciated by students and faculty alike. Junior Christina Connell applauds the changes because they help the campus "look nicer." She elaborates, "When people come and visit our campus, they will be impressed and we will have a better reputation."
Rose Spencer, also a junior, predicts the renovations will "help students become more eager to learn because they have adequate surroundings."
Kahuku science teacher Mrs. Amy Swiderski added, "I think in the long run the project will work. It will give the school a better image and we'll no longer be, as the students say, a ghetto."
Although various classrooms are still under renovation, the completed classrooms have started off the school year on an optimistic note. Hopefully this positive momentum will lead Kahuku into an exciting and productive school year.
With new students, teachers, and classrooms, the 2003-2004 school year has much to look forward to.
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Proudly sponsored by Hawai'i Reserves, Inc. (HRI) ©1999-2003 and
co-sponsored by as a community service. |
Composed,
edited and published by Mike
Foley |