Information on special offerings at parks nationwide is available at nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm.
Kaimana program taking applications
The Hawaii Medical Service Association is accepting scholarship applications from Hawaii high school seniors graduating in 2012 for the seventh annual Kaimana Awards and Scholarship Program. The application deadline is Feb. 17.
Kaimana scholarships are awarded to student athletes who are role models for other students. Awards are based on the student’s athletic and academic achievement, sportsmanship and community involvement.
HMSA increased the value of the Kaimana scholarships for the 2011-12 school year and will award 21 scholarships, valued at $3,000 each. Five distinguished recipients will be selected from the 21 honorees and will receive an additional $2,000 each.
Applicants must be Hawaii high school seniors graduating in 2012 with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 in their senior year. They must also have played on at least one of their school’s athletic teams during the current school year in a league-sanctioned sport.
Student athletes must submit a completed application, short essay on their high school experience and plans after high school, two letters of recommendation from faculty members, and verification of their grade point average in writing by a member of the school faculty.
Applications are available for download at hmsa.com and on the Hawaii High School Athletic Association website at sportshigh.com. Applications must be submitted to the association by Feb. 17.
Scholarship recipients will be notified in writing in May and will be recognized at the HMSA Kaimana Awards and Scholarship Program luncheon on June 16 at the Hawaii Prince Hotel in Waikiki.
Interested students can visit hmsa.com or call Aloha Kim at 948-6883 on Oahu for more information.
Hawaii Prep slates two open houses
Hawaii Preparatory Academy will hold two open house events for prospective kindergarten through 12th grade students and post-graduate students.
Families with students entering ninth through 12th grades are invited to attend the upper school open house beginning at 11:30 a.m. Monday. Prospective students and families will meet teachers and administrators, attend various classes, learn about financial aid options and hear from college counselors, current students and parents. There also will be opportunities to tour the campus and observe the afternoon sports program. Light refreshments will be provided and reservations are requested. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Joan Parris at 881-4321 or jparris@hpa.edu.
Families with students entering kindergarten through eighth grades are invited to attend an open house at the village campus beginning at 9 a.m. Jan. 21. Students and families will have an opportunity to meet current students and parents; learn about the school and its programs, including financial aid; visit classrooms; and meet faculty members, staff and administrators. Reservations are requested. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Arati Clarry at 881-4091 or aclarry@hpa.edu.
Palace concert honors king, curator
The Daughters of Hawaii and Calabash Cousins present their first free monthly concert, “Afternoon at Hulihee,” for 2012 on Sunday. The 4 p.m. event on the grounds of Hulihee Palace remembers the late King Lunalilo and past palace curator Iolani Luahine.
The event presents the Hulihee Palace Band, the Merrie Monarchs and Hawaiian performing arts by kumu hula Etua Lopes and his Halau Na Pua Ui O Hawaii. Those attending should bring a beach mat or chair as seating won’t be provided.
King Charles Lunalilo (1835-1874) was known as the “people’s king” since he was popular with all his subjects. During his abbreviated, 390-day reign, Lunalilo advocated the legislature to remove property qualifications for the right to vote and asked for the separation of the legislature into two houses. He also thought the kingdom should give Pearl Harbor to the U.S. in exchange for duty-free Hawaiian sugar into California.
Luahine (1915-1978) served as palace curator from 1973 to 1978. She was born Harriet Lanihau Makekau in Napoopoo, but was renamed Iolani, after the Hawaiian hawk. Luahine was a master of hula and named a “Living Treasure” in 1972; she was invited three times to perform at the National Folk Festival in Washington.
Enter national parks free this weekend
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will join all 397 national park units across the country in waiving entrance fees Saturday through Monday to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Entrance fees will also be waived on Jan. 21 to honor the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s 100-year anniversary and open house.
The HVO open house on Jan. 21 is an opportunity for residents and visitors to meet USGS scientists, learn how they monitor Hawaiian volcanoes and earthquakes, and appreciate the compelling history of this vital agency. HVO is located within the national park, but is typically not open to the public. The open house will feature observatory tours, demonstrations, and other activities, starting from 9 a.m.
For information on the HVO open house and other programs offered by HVO in January, visit hvo.wr.usgs.gov.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will offer numerous ranger-led hikes and programs during the fee-free dates. Visitors can find information at nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/ranger-programs.htm and check the ranger activities bulletin board at the Kilauea Visitor Center each morning at 9.
The National Park Service will waive entrance fees on 14 other days in 2012: April 21 to 29 (National Park Week), June 9 (Get Outdoors Day), July 14 (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park’s 32nd annual cultural festival), Sept. 29 (National Public Lands Day) and Nov. 10 to 12 (Veteran’s Day weekend).
Hawaii Volcanoes is one of five national park units on the Island of Hawaii. Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park is also free of charge on the park service’s fee-free 2012 dates. There is no admission at Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park or along the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail.
Information on special offerings at parks nationwide is available at nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm.