Bertaina publishes her first book at age 12 ADVERTISING Bertaina publishes her first book at age 12 Gina Bertaina, 12, of Waikoloa, recently published a book titled “The Secret Horse.” Bertaina said has always loved horses and literature and was
Bertaina publishes her first book at age 12
Gina Bertaina, 12, of Waikoloa, recently published a book titled “The Secret Horse.” Bertaina said has always loved horses and literature and was inspired to write the novel.
The book is about a young girl named Celeste who finds an injured wild horse and is determined to save it and train it. However, the horse is the wildest horse Celeste knows and is nearly impossible to train. Yet Celeste remains optimistic. Along with her fun-loving cousin, Jenny, and famous rancher, Nelson Ray, Celeste plans on saving the horse.
Bertaina’s book is available on Amazon.com and on eBooks such as Nook and Kindle. It can be found under her name.
Sturges awarded university degree
Anna Sturges, an alumna of Parker School in Waimea, graduated in May from the University of California at Berkeley with majors in legal studies and English and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force on May 17, having been in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at UC-Berkeley. She has been granted an educational leave from the Air Force’s Judge Advocate General’s office for the next three years to study at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law on a full-ride academic scholarship prior to beginning her military service. She was one of only two cadets in the country to be selected by the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s office for an education leave this year.
She was sworn into the Air Force by her cousin, Air Force Maj. Andrew Pence, who traveled from his base in Mississippi for the ceremony. Sturges graduated from Parker School in 2011, where she was captain of the debate team, editor of the school newspaper and a four-year varsity athlete. She is the daughter of Carl and Ruth Sturges of Waimea.
Chen, Cheng
win essay contest
Auto Body Hawaii has announced the winners of this year’s teacher and high school senior essay contest. The essay question was: “If you had the opportunity to bring any person — past or present, fictional or nonfictional — to your hometown, who would you bring and why? Tell us what you would share with that person.”
Maggie Chen from Kealakehe High School was the winner of the seniors essay. She was awarded a $500 cash prize.
Phillip Cheng from Hawaii Preparatory Academy won the teacher’s essay category. Cheng was awarded a $500 cash prize to spend as he sees fit at HPA as well as a Super Detailing service for his vehicle.
The essays are posted on the Auto Body Hawaii website at autobodyhawaii.com.
Ehrenberg named Chancellor Scholar
Jon Ehrenberg, a student at West Hawaii Explorations Academy, has been awarded the Chancellor’s Scholarship by the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
The award, valued in excess of $26,500, covers four years of tuition for students graduating from a Hawaii high school who earned either a grade point average of at least 3.5, a combined 1800 SAT (reading, writing, math) or a composite score of 27 on the ACT while demonstrating leadership and/or community service.
All Chancellor Scholars are required to enroll as full-time students and earn a minimum of 24 credits each academic year. They must also maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and participate in leadership activities and/or community services with other Chancellor Scholars.
Parker unveils
new website
Parker School has unveiled its fully redesigned and user-friendly website, parkerschoolhawaii.org, which provides Parker families and the public with easier and greater access to important resources, across all devices. The updated website showcases the school’s new look, a result of a yearlong process to rework Parker School’s brand. Headmaster Carl Sturges said the branding effort focused on creating an updated, accurate representation of the school’s mission.
Parker’s long-standing values of excellence, integrity and compassion remain unchanged. To best reflect these values, the school’s marketing committee updated the mission statement, created even stronger value objectives, commissioned a new logo, and spearheaded the brand style guide that improved their print and online presence. Most importantly, the new website and branding collectively honors the history and roots of the school, the community and the aina.
Parker announces science winners
Parker School fourth- and fifth-graders recently presented their science projects to the community. The students started with their own research question and completed their projects over a two-month period. Winners were determined by scientists based on how accurately students followed the scientific method process.
Fifth grade: first place, Ben Kubo, “The Science of Keeping Your Cool;” second place, Maxwell Tramotin, “Slinky on a Slope;” and third place, Lukas Dommer, “Perpetual Motion.”
Fourth grade: first place, Ellie Acosta, “Gummy Bear Soak;” second place, Kouske Soler, “Recording the Growth of Basil Plants Under Different Watering Schedules;” and third place, Andrew Choi, “Does Music Affect Heart Rate?”
Agriculture classes offered through HCC
Hawaii Community College is offering a series of non-credit agriculture classes this summer that cover topics such as sustainable farming practices, pest and disease control, nursery management, irrigation and how to manage a farm business.
The classes will be held at the college’s campus in Hilo, in Captain Cook, and at the University of Hawaii experimental agriculture farm in Panaewa. Agriculture instructor Chris Jacobsen will teach the courses.
The following are the class subjects, times and fees: Home and Community Food Security, Thursdays and Saturdays, June 5 and July 24, each one-day class is $59; Farm Management, June 11 to 27, $59; Integrated Pest Management, Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 30 through July 16, $59; Irrigation Repair and Theory, Thursdays and Saturdays, July 23 to Aug. 8, $59; and Horticultural Operations, Mondays through Thursdays, July 27 to Aug. 13, $67.
The classes are part of the C3T-1 program that HCC and other University of Hawaii Community Colleges are participating in. C3T Hawaii is a $24.6 million grant awarded to UH Community Colleges through the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. The non-credit courses funded by the grant aim to provide training leading to jobs in agriculture for the unemployed, professional improvement for those already employed in agriculture, and instruction for those who want to work in the agriculture field.
For more information on how to register for these classes and about the course contents, call Linda Burnham Larish at 934-2687 or email llarish@hawaii.edu. Or contact Jan at the Workforce Development Division Office, 981-2860, ext. 226.
Laros earns
master’s degree
The University of Hawaii system of education offers numerous programs, certificates and degrees through distance learning. Wendy Laros, longtime resident of Kailua-Kona, navigated through this system to earn a master’s degree from University of Hawaii at Manoa through the College of Education.
Laros graduated with a master’s degree in learning design and technology and also earned a professional certificate in online learning and technology.
Laros is the director of education at Jack’s Diving Locker in Kona, where she has worked for the past 25 years. There, she directs and manages the education department including a junior program. In 2014, this program received the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Pualu Award for Community Education.
Edwards on Lehigh University dean’s list
Dean’s list status, which is awarded to students who earned a scholastic average of 3.6 or better while carrying at least 12 hours of regularly graded courses at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., has been awarded to Trevor Edwards of Kailua-Kona in the spring 2015 semester.
