Students’ art to
appear on grocery bags
KTA Super Stores has announced the winners of its recent Design-A-Bag artwork contest, which was held in conjunction with its annual Kokua i Na Kula program. Grand prize winners included Alon Halsted, E.B. deSilva Elementary, grade 2; Romilly Benedict, Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School, grade 8; and Grayson Mento, Hilo High School, grade 12. Each winning student received a field trip for his or her class, 500 extra Kokua i Na Kula points for their school, and inclusion of their winning piece of artwork on a reusable bag to be sold in the future at KTA.
Big Island students in grades K-12 were asked to create an image inspired by this year’s theme, “What Do You Value?” More than 1,300 pieces of artwork were submitted and judged based on originality and creativity, artistic technique, overall impression and appropriateness to theme.
Now in its 19th year, Kokua i Na Kula provides schools the opportunity to earn their share of $100,000 for school beautification projects, classroom enhancements, equipment and extracurricular activities. Big Island residents were invited to shop at KTA Super Stores between Aug. 8 and Oct. 9, buy participating products marked with the lightbulb logo, write the number of their favorite school on the Kokua i Na Kula portion of their sales receipt, and deposit the completed receipt in designated collection boxes at any KTA Super Store.
Schools planning
off-campus drills
Konawaena High and Middle School off-campus evacuation drills are set for 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday. Traffic will be slow or stopped. Drivers are urged to plan accordingly.
Cultural workshop slated in Waimea
Waimea Middle School’s Ike Hawaii program — in partnership with Na Kalai Waa — invites students, families and community friends to the second in a series of workshops to share and connect with the values, and cultural and academic lessons of voyaging to help prepare to follow and support the four-year worldwide sail of the Hokulea canoe beginning mid-2013. The event is open to the community.
The workshop will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Waimea School cafeteria. There is no charge but a reservation is requested because participants will be learning to make lupe (kites) so confirmations will ensure adequate supplies are available.
The program will begin with a review of voyaging chants that students and faculty at most Waimea schools are learning, followed by a briefing by navigator Chadd Paishon, who will share his experiences on the recent maiden voyage of the Hikianalia escort canoe from Tahiti to Hawaii.
After Paishon’s briefing, participants will be introduced to lessons the students are studying about kites — including the science and technology of kite making and flying, as well as the cultural connection about how various ancient civilizations used kites.
For a reservation to confirm attendance, call Patti Cook at 937-2833 or email cookshi@aol.com.
Sims earns ‘Excellence in Teaching’ award
An English professor at the University of Hawaii Center at West Hawaii has been named a 2012 recipient of the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching award.
Kathryn Sims was one of 14 recipients of the award, presented by the University of Hawaii Board of Regents to faculty members who demonstrate an extraordinary level of subject mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness, creativity and personal values that benefit students.
Sims has been teaching for 29 years. Prior to joining the staff in Kealakekua in 1993, she worked in Australia, the Cook Islands and the U.S. mainland. She was raised in Oakland, Calif., and received her bachelor of arts degree in English with a French minor from the University of California-Davis. She received her master’s degree in English and education from the University of California-Berkeley.
Pono Campaign asks students to enter
When Hawaii’s students join the sixth annual Pono Campaign, they learn more than reading and math; they learn life skills.
Last year, Konawaena Middle School Advisory groups learned about the Golden Rule, pono and tolerance.
Groups of youngsters looking for positive ways to address bullying and improve their school or community environment are encouraged to join the campaign to create projects and activities that promote pono and respect amongst peers and in their communities.
Participating groups that submit the required information to the Pono Campaign by April 19 become eligible for monetary awards of $500 or more, offered to outstanding campaigns in elementary, middle and high school divisions.
Visit growingponoschools.com for an informational flier. The website includes various teaching resources, videos about pono and social issues impacting youth, local and national websites that share various programs, and culture-based lessons geared for Hawaii’s youth. Groups may register online.
Art of Recycling competition set in April
Recycle Hawaii announces its eighth annual Art of Recycling School Competition, a juried exhibit of student recycle art held islandwide in April.
The competition increases environmental awareness by encouraging recycling and sustainable practices at schools and in the community. Youth ages 6 to 18 are eligible to submit original creations made in class or at home from recycled or reusable materials. Artwork must focus on one or more of the following themes: reduce, reuse, recycle; preserving and protecting Hawaii’s natural environment; island sustainability; and zero waste.
Entries are judged on originality, theme, personal expression, execution of materials and artistic merit. Outstanding entries are selected from individual and group categories at elementary, middle and high school levels.
Art will be collected April 5 in Waimea, from students in North Hawaii. West Hawaii entries will be collected April 12 in Kailua-Kona.
For more details, visit recyclehawaii.org and click “Art of Recycling,” or contact Marsha Hee at 985-8725 or hiartrecycle@gmail.com.
Parker School
plans open house
Parker School in Waimea will host an admissions open house for kindergarten through 12th-grade students and their families from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. For more information, call 885-7933.
Hualalai Academy to perform ‘Mulan Jr.’
“Mulan Jr.” will be presented by Hualalai Academy students at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the LEAD Center in Kailua-Kona. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.
“Mulan Jr.” is an action-packed stage adaptation of one of China’s greatest stories. In the legendary days of ancient China, the Huns have invaded and an aging and injured soldier has been conscripted into the army. He will die if he fights, so to save her father’s honor, Mulan takes his place. With such hits as “Reflection,” “Honor to Us All” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” this musical celebrates the power of one young girl.
Students performing
‘Yes, Virginia the Musical’
Hualalai Academy has received a grant from Macy’s to perform “Yes, Virginia The Musical.” The performance will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 12 at Hualalai Academy’s Bridge Building. The play is open to the public and is free of charge.
In celebration of the fifth anniversary of Macy’s holiday “Believe” campaign, the retailer is bringing the beloved “Yes, Virginia” animated special to life on school stages across the country. “Yes, Virginia The Musical” is based on a true story and tells the tale of 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897, inquiring about the existence of Santa Claus. Hualalai Academy was one of 100 schools across the country to receive a local grant from Macy’s to assist with production costs.
