Two Kailua schools will be cooking up Easter dinner for the public with fundraising imu roasts on campus at the end of March.
* Kailua High School Project Grad's imu roast is March 29-30, and cooking space is on sale now for $20 per aluminum tray of thawed, seasoned and well-wrapped meat. Imu master Todd Hendricks advises customers to make three deep cuts in the meat, if bringing pork butt, roast or ham to cook. Also, write your name on the foil with a permanent marker before the final wrap.
Trays should be delivered between 3 and 4:30 p.m. March 29 at the imu site near the school parking lot. Pick-up time is 8 to 9:30 a.m. March 30. Mail-in deadline is March 22, and weight limit is 25 pounds per tray. Mail checks, payable to Kailua High School Project Graduation (KHSPG 2013), to 451 Ulumanu Drive, Kailua HI 96734. Write "Attention IMU" on the lower left corner of the envelope. Enclose phone number and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the imu tag and receipt. Only the first 300 orders will be honored.
For more information, call Hendricks at 728-7389 or Victor Nobrega-Olivera at 383-9195.
* Enchanted Lake Elementary School's imu roast, also March 29-30, will benefit its classroom computer fund. Fee is $20 per aluminum tray - up to 20 pounds of thawed, seasoned and well-wrapped meat.
Trays should be delivered between 6 and 9 a.m. and 3 and 5:30 p.m. March 29, with pick-up from 7 to 9 a.m. March 30. Mail-in deadline is March 27. Mail checks, payable to the school, to 770 Keolu Drive, Kailua HI 96734. Write "IMU" on the lower left corner of the envelope. Enclose phone number and a self-addressed stamped envelope for the imu tag and receipt.
For more information, call Barbara at 263-1411, ext. 236.
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Kailua Easter Imus Heating Up
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Waha Nui
Waialua Estate's 2012 chocolate harvest has found its way into the dipped part of Honolulu Cookie Co.'s pineapple-shaped cookies. Mike Conway, Derek Lanter and the Dace brothers must be proud ... Wahiawa's Anita Loando-Acohido was honored at a national conference of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, based on her membership recruiting efforts as president of the Herbert K. Pililaau-Sgt. Leroy Mendonca chapter. The event was held Feb. 7-10 in Clearwater, Fla. ... Mililani photographer William Weaver has his work on view in "Makai, Towards the Sea," until March 28 at Gallery on the Pali, a feast of waves, sunsets and magical marine life. A reception is set for 6 p.m. March 16 (595-4047) ... Waialua resident, volunteer and music celebrity Nalani Choy has joined Communications Pacific as a vice president, bringing years of marketing experience with the award-winning trio Na Leo Pilimehana, its record label, and other music-related positions. Choy also worked at the Waialua and Haleiwa branches of Bank of Hawaii and is an honors graduate of Kamehameha Schools and cum laude graduate of University of Denver ... Congratulations to principal Malaea Wetzel and the Haleiwa Elementary Ohana. The school won a $12,500 Strive HI award for reaching the top 5 percent in student reading proficiency ... Co-owner Joe Lazar and Haleiwa Joe's (in Haleiwa) marked the restaurant's 15th anniversary this month (637-8005). Also a Haleiwa resident, Joe says, "It seems like just yesterday we were just surfers and Chart House managers who got up the guts to do our own restaurant" ... Whitmore Village native Realtor Andrew Won has joined the Leeward office of Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties
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Lessons Of Leadership Loom Large And Small
Kapunahala Elementary School's 2013 venture into keiki leadership training is off and running as a handful of fifth- and sixth-graders prepare to attend a special conference in the nation's capital this month, in April or in the summer. The Junior National Young Leaders Conference nominates "mature, high-achieving middle school students" for its sessions each year, and the chosen Kapunahala kids have been raising money for it for months - which also is a sign of leadership potential. The goal is about $2,000 for tuition alone. "In student council, we're learning how to lead committees," explained fifth-grader Caid Aquino. "And the conference will show us how to lead people and be a good role model, like George Washington." As far as paying his way goes, future leader Aquino learned to appreciate his parents. "I didn't have time to raise money," he admitted, "but I was very eager to go, so my parents were willing to fund it as a learning experience for the rest of my life. I'm predicting that it probably cost a lot and I'm in debt to them." Sixth-grader Kealana Almeida hopes to learn tips on leading community service projects. She has her eye on trash pickups and beach cleanups. "That's our main problem here," she said, listing littered shorelines she's observed from Sandy's and Waikiki to Shark's Cove. Fundraising for the trip also provided some learning tools. "The chores for neighbors and the recycling - those were easy," she said. "What was really hard was doing the imu in Kahana Valley - selling the tickets, carrying the turkeys. But we made $700! Then there was the car wash and bake sale. It was hard at first, but fun. But they just kept coming and coming. No break until the end." (In fact, according to Almeida's mom Yvonne, Kealana raised a "pretty good" amount: $1,600 in all.) Almeida leaves today (March 13) for the March 17-24 session, to be held at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Washington, D.C. The children will examine six leadership traits and some of America's historic leaders and social advocates. They will visit key sites, do hands-on exercises and workshops and work together on action plans to "affect change within their homes and communities." Not all of the original eight candidates were able to go, added Yvonne, "but they were really happy just to be nominated."
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Open House At KEY Set March 20
KEY Project will host an open house from 5 to 8:30 p.m. March 20 to showcase its facility, programs, new commercial kitchen and agency partnerships.
The casual evening includes light refreshments from the center's Kipuka Cafe, plus tables and exhibits of activities and services provided by the nonprofit as well as by its regular users, including clubs, a hula halau, senior and keiki services, neighborhood board, forums, meetings, organizational retreats, church services, food pantry and family celebrations.
Executive director John Reppun likens the event to a "leaning over the fence in the neighborhood" to get re-acquainted. "This is an important time for KEY," noted Reppun, a lifelong resident of the area, "and we feel strongly that we have to open up our house and invite people in to show what we do, what we can do, what others do here while inviting ideas for the future."
Located at 47-200 Waihee Road, the Kualoa-Heeia Ecumenical Youth Project will celebrate its 45th year in October. Over that period, it has evolved from a small drop-in youth canteen in an old house near Hygienic Store to the spacious multipurpose center on city-and state-owned land around the corner and up the street. Its own programs include after-school and intersession care for keiki, college scholarships, a Wednesday night computer lab for the public, teen mentorships, Waihee ahupuaa restoration work, a competency-based high school diploma program and its current federally funded Native Hawaiian Education Program to prepare and encourage students to enter and complete post-secondary education.
KEY also sponsors a Mothers and Others breakfast in the spring (May 11), a Koolau Ohana Festival gala in October and its popular Thanksgiving imu roast, among other events.
Its new commercial kitchen - certified category 1 by the state Department of Health - has a kitchen manager (Ahuimanu resident Ken Weir), catering services and a growing list of kitchen users.
For more information, call 239-5777 or visit the website at keyproject.org.
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Waha Nui
Warren Stenberg
Afirst-ever for Muumuu Heaven is the father-son photography exhibit featuring pro surfer Buzzy Kerbox and his son Kasey, who is an award-winning artist at Kalaheo High (where his photos are up in the library). The show opened March 14 at 767 Kailua Road, and it runs through April 12 (263-3366) … Lucky break. Watson Togiailua was practicing with the semi-pro Kailua Storm football team when European Sports scout Brian Pirone noticed his skills. Now Watson’s signed with the Eidsvoll 1814s of the Norway American Football Federation, and he’s set to help the team “beat the Oslo Vikings” …
Kathie Wells of Community Helping Schools says Lanikai Elementary’s special ed department needs a small microwave oven. Call 263-6703 or go to communityhelpingschools.org … If it’s not too late, you can hear Kevin Sabet and John Redman of Smart Approaches to Marijuana discuss the anti-legal perspective at 6 p.m. March 19 at Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center on Haiku Road (235-7747). It includes dinner! …
Kailua artist David Friedman has five painting on view in Honolulu Hale at AHA’s 43rd annual Aloha Show. Hurry, it closes Thursday (551-1956). David’s fellow Kailua artist Warren Stenberg earned one of the top honors at the show for his ‘Color Me Kualoa.’ Warren’s paintings also are at Island Treasures Art Gallery in Kailua (262-8306) …
Kailua’s Tyler Tanaka was on the fall dean’s list at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he’s studying health sciences, and Kailua’s Brandee Goo made that same list at University of Evansville in Indiana where she’s majoring in psychology … Prior to a trip to Guam this month related to her Jimmie Trimble Scholarship Award (Feb. 27 Islander story), Kalaheo senior and Pyramid Rock Young Marine Storme Digiovanni flew to New York City March 3 to observe a conference of the UN Office of the Commission on the Status of Women …
Kailua’s Xochitt Conejo‘s great design (out of 2,700 entries submitted) won Honorable Mention and a $1,000 scholarship in Alaska Airlines’ “Spirit of the Islands” paint-the-plane contest … Pat Gomes-Woolsey was Charlie Hendrix‘s volleyball coach at Castle (not Woolsey-Gomes) … Kailua’s Everett Leeds has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Benning, Ga.
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‘How To Succeed In Business’ Will Entertain, Honor Ron Bright
J. Pierrepont Finch (center, played by Matthew Mazzella) tries to succeed with (from left) Hedy (Victoria Rawleigh), Bud (Jeremy Hurr), Smitty (Griffin Lockette) and Rosemary (Rachel Wong) in CPAC's 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,' opening Friday in Ron Bright Theatre. Photo from Karen Meyer.
Close on the heels of its Oklahoma! production in February, Castle Performing Arts Center is set to bring to the stage another hit comedy with a much-longer name for its spring musical, complete with a live orchestra accompaniment.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying opens this Friday and continues through April 7 in Ron Bright Theatre at Castle High School. Guiding a cast of 40 students from five different schools, CPAC’s current director Karen Meyer said the show honors “50 Bright Years,” and a special recognition ceremony is planned for its founder at the closing performance.
“All CPAC alumni are invited to the final show (3 p.m. April 7), and there will be a special presentation to Ron and Mo afterward,” said Meyer, who took over 11 years ago when Bright retired.
Proceeds from the April 7 matinee performance (and other welcome donations) will go to the Ron Bright Education Scholarship, which is administered through Hawaii Community Foundation. It was established in 1993 by state Sens. Mike McCartney and Charles Toguchi, both Castle alumni.
A veteran teacher, Bright founded CPAC in 1963, and dedicated his life and directing skills to the high school’s drama program over most of its existence. Still active in Paliku Theatre productions, the Maunawili man and his wife Moira were fixtures at Castle High’s campus theater as it evolved from cafeteria stage productions at Ben Parker Elementary School into an award-winning learning center and modern auditorium for the entire Windward side.
The couple is revered by thousands of students over five decades who’ve been lucky enough to have the “Bright experience,” and many aspiring performers have gone on to achieve successful careers in professional theater.
How to Succeed, meanwhile, won seven Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama during its long run on Broadway. It is full of “hummable” songs, jokes and great dancing as the audience follows wily window washer J. Pierrepont Finch on his riotous rise up the corporate ladder with the aid of his trusty self-help book and some clever manipulations.
Hit standards from the show include I Believe in You, Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm, The Company Way, Been a Long Day, Rosemary and Brotherhood of Man. The music and lyrics are by Academy Award and Tony Award winner Frank Loesser.
The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays (except for Easter Sunday, March 31). Tickets cost $15 for adults, and $10 for students, seniors and military. For reservations, call 233-5626 or go online to showtix4u.com.
The cast includes Castle seniors Matthew Mazzella (J. Pierrepont Finch), Rachel Wong (Rosemary Pilkington) and Sayde Carvalho (Miss Krumholtz); juniors Emery Cardenas (J.B. Biggley), Victoria Rawleigh (Hedy LaRue), James Denzer (Mr. Twimble) and Matthew L’Ecuyer (Oving-ton); sophomores Griffin Lock-ette (Smitty) and Kawika Paiwa (Wally Womper); freshman Jeremy Hurr (Bud Frump), Kalaheo High senior Robyn Jones (Miss Jones), Moanalua High junior Chad Masuda (Gatch) and Castle 2012 graduate Gabe Wright (Bratt).
A host of other young talents portray various executives and secretaries of the corporation.
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Fatboy Eateries Help Kapiolani
Inspired by the good care their infant daughter received at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, the Fatboy restaurant owners are wiping out set prices for all of March to help the hospital.
Between now and March 31, on Tuesdays and Sundays, owners Carroll and Rariyo Ung are “erasing” prices and letting customers name their own price for orders. Then all proceeds over cost will be matched by Fatboy’s and donated directly to Kapiolani Health Found-ation.
The Ungs own five Oahu eateries, including two on the Windward side – the concession at Pali Golf Course and The Hibachi deli at 515 Kailua Road. Known for their “high-end” plate lunch experience, the diners vary in theme and also serve customers on Keeaumoku Street, at Koko Marina Center in Hawaii Kai, and on Ka Uka Boulevard in Waipio. The business monicker is Carroll Ung’s childhood nickname.
Shortly after birth at Kapiolani, the Ungs’ daughter Leah was found to have a critically low platelet count, Ung explained, but the hospital’s care saw her through to become the thriving 2-year-old she is today.
“I can’t express how capable, professional and comforting the doctors and staff were during such a stressful time for our family,” he said. We will always be grateful to Kapiolani and we wanted to give back.”
To contact the Kailua restaurants, call 263-7980 (Hibachi) or 380-6670 (Fatboy’s Fairway Bistro).
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Special Kind Of Monarch Grows To Adulthood At Kailua School
School mascots can be fun and frivolous, but students at Huakailani School for Girls – home of the Butterflies – are learning about life cycles and our fragile environment by raising and releasing Monarch butterflies on their Kailua campus.
“All of the butterflies raised in the school are caterpillars that the students have personally rescued from the school’s urban crown flower garden,” explained head of school Kaori Brown. “This school year, they have raised and released more than 100 butterflies.” About 30 were released on Feb. 27 alone.
“The project has been a perfect fusion of science and environmental stew-ardship,” Brown noted. Huakailani is working in cooperation with the Butterfly Restoration Project, and the 5- to 12-year-old humans have become enthusiastic caretakers of the pretty Monarchs.
They need the protection, Brown explained, because overuse of pesticides has decreased their population over the past decade.
Monarch are believed to have been released here originally or “lost their way from California.” Pesticides aside, Hawaii’s climate is just right for their caterpillar-to-butterfly lifestyle. Monarchs can be identified by bright orange with black and white markings and black body. Look for white dots that are found only on the wings’ black edges. They prefer milkweed, but settle for crown flowers and other close-cousin plants.
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Waipio Restaurant Letting Customers Name Their Own Price
Inspired by the good care their infant daughter received at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, the Fatboy restaurant owners are wiping out set prices for all of March to help the hospital.
Between now and March 31, on Tuesdays and Sundays, owners Carroll and Rariyo Ung are “erasing” prices and letting customers name their own price for orders. Then all proceeds over cost will be matched by Fatboy’s and donated directly to Kapiolani Health Foundation.
The Ungs own five Oahu eateries, including one on Ka Uka Boulevard in Waipio, near Costco. Known for their “high-end” plate lunch experience, the diners also serve customers on Keeaumoku Street, at Pali Golf Course, in Kailua town and at Koko Marina Center in Hawaii Kai.
The business monicker is Carroll Ung’s childhood nickname.
Shortly after birth at Kapiolani, the Ungs’ daughter Leah was found to have a critically low blood platelet count, Ung explained, but the hospital staff’s care saw her through to become the thriving 2-year-old she is today.
“I can’t express how capable, professional and comforting the doctors and staff were during such a stressful time for our family,” he said. “We will always be grateful to Kapiolani and we wanted to give back.”
For more information, contact the Waipio restaurant at 680-7520.
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Grant Brings ‘Joy Of Music’ To Kailua Keiki
Windward Choral Society will conduct a pilot singing camp next month for children in fifth and sixth grade, offering a one-day experience in “fun, musical learning and performance.”
The free program runs from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. April 6 at Kainalu Elementary School for students in the Kailua and Kalaheo Complex schools. Enrollment is limited to the first 50 students who register. The Atherton Family Foundation is funding the choral society’s unique project, titled “Joy of Music Youth Choral Festival.” Registration began March 8 on the WCS website, thewindwardchoralsociety.org, or call 261-4436.
Break-out sessions will run throughout the day led by certified music teachers and WCS artistic director Susan Duprey. Training will include music reading, vocal techniques, rhythm and movement, and group choral singing of multicultural songs – just like the grown-ups sing at WCS concerts. The finale for the children will be a concert with WCS at 5:30 p.m.
“It’s unfortunate that so many schools have cut their music programs,” noted WCS member Ann Auman, “so Windward Choral Society got this grant to do a workshop for the kids.”
The group’s mission is to promote joy, love and appreciation of multicultural music. Led by Duprey, the chorus of about 100 non-auditioned singers (from high school age on up) perform in Windward Oahu and around the state in a variety of free concerts each year. Coming up soon are shows at Pohai Nani at 7 p.m. April 2 and a community choral festival at 4 p.m. April 7 at Sacred Hearts Academy. They practice at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Holman Hall at Kailua United Methodist Church. For more information, call 261-9879.
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Waha Nui
Aidan Millar
Kailua’s Donna Festa, a volunteer with Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Team Oahu, has some good news. A seal just gave birth on Rabbit Island after much worry on the part of her human monitors. “We had an all-points bulletin about a pregnant seal in the Mokes,” she reports, “and we didn’t know what she would do, since it was her first time. It’s a huge relief to all of us that she went back to her birthplace for it. Seals do what they want to do.” For more on Donna’s work, see Page 11 …
All four Windward Hawaiian civic clubs were part of the Prince Kuhio Day Parade and Ho’ike last weekend, including Kailua club vice president Mina Elison and member Ryan Kalama, who emceed both events … Central Pacific Bank promoted Kaneohe’s Aidan Millar to senior vice president and director of strategy and project delivery. Aidan comes with London and Hong Kong banking experience …
You can get all you need to know about the Merrie Monarch Festival (March 31-April 6) from a new iPhone app, Ke Ao Hula, created by Kaneohe resident and WCC student Gabe Spencer and girlfriend Kim Shibata for $2.99 by going to iTunes, emailing info@keaohula.com or visiting keaohula.com. They are dedicating this huge labor of love to “connecting everyone passionate about hula and Hawaiian culture” …
Community Helping Schools’ Kathie Wells says Dr. Seuss books are in high demand for Windward special ed second- and third-graders; also a beanbag chair is welcome, and Kailua High art teacher Noni Floyd needs potters’ wheels and art canvas. Visit communityhelpingschools.org or call 263-6703. Meanwhile, here’s the response from readers to Kaaawa El. needs: Retired Kalaheo teacher Kathy Campbell donated several soccer balls, and Kailua swim school instructor Pat Lancaster wrote a check for sports equipment …
Think you had busy holidays? Julie Dugan reports that, among other things, students at the Waimanalo-based Job Corps Center cut out 500 Christmas trees for Life Foundation clients, baked 1,800 pieces of gingerbread for 350 “houses” for city parks, served drinks to 2,500 at Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving lunch, served appetizers to 400 at Honolulu Firefighters Foundation gala, catered pupus for 400 at a Kailua United Methodist Church party, raised $1,500 for breast cancer research, and marched 50 strong in the Waimanalo Christmas parade
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Art Immersion All Day April 6
Do-it-yourself art must be hot stuff, because Windward Community College is putting on its third annual Paliku Arts Festival with that in mind.
Planned for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 6 on the grounds of Paliku Theatre and the Library Learning Commons, the college arts fest is designed to draw folks of all ages into the magic of creativity – along with food, entertainment and a few free shows to watch, of course. But the main idea is to roll up your sleeves and make something.
“This festival has an open and adventurous ‘learn-by-doing’ vibe,” explained chairman Ben Moffat. “We provide free art supplies and guidance, so you and your family can play! You can take home whatever you create.” The list includes painting, drawing, sculpting, acting, making music, prints, masks, poetry and prose. Experts will be on hand to help with gymnastics, pottery, photography, woodcarving, fiber art, stage combat, screenwriting, raku firing and much more.
Paliku Theatre, Hokulani Imaginarium and Gallery ‘Iolani also will be open and have special shows and displays to enjoy. Visitors can take self-guided tours of the new library complex or listen to stories there. If you prefer music by others to hearing your own, the lineup on stage includes the Royal Hawaiian Band, 111th Hawaii Army National Guard Band, The Robert Joyce Experience, Alice Neel rock band, UH Saxophone choir, Kailua High School Band and other Windward groups.
Food? Yep – everything from shave ice to crepes to pizza to Indian food, plus fresh coffee and frappes served up at WCC’s own The Hub Coffee Shop at the library entrance.
For more information, visit palikuarts.com or call 235-7374.
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Farmers’ Dinner Set At Cactus
A Windward restaurant and a hui of local farmers are joining together to showcase island agriculture through a Farmers’ Dinner, a unique dining experience April 4 in Kailua.
The event is booked for 6 p.m. that night at Cactus restaurant, 767 Kailua Road next to Mu’umu’u Heaven.
As part of a quarterly series, this Farmers’ Dinner will feature a five-course tasting menu developed by Cactus owner and executive chef John Memering, using ingredients provided by Hanohano He’eia, a collaborative of Paepae O He’eia, Kako’o ‘Oiwi and Papahana Kuaola. Price is $65, or $95 with wine and cocktail pairings for each course. The samplings may include Samoan crab, he’e, limu, kalo, sweet potato, fern fiddleheads and more, harvested from the ahupua’a.
Seatings begin at 6 p.m., and tables are available throughout the evening by reservation only. For more information, call 261-1000 or visit cactusbistro.com.
Cactus bistro already is known for its use of local produce, pork from Shinsato Farms in Kahaluu, meats from Hawaii Island and sustainably caught or farmed island seafood.
A highlight will be talk-story sessions with the Hanohano He’eia organizations, which are working together to restore the ahupua’a of He’eia to ‘Aina Momoa (a land of abundance and plenty) via traditional and modern management techniques.
Paepae o He’eia cares for the 88-acre He’eia Fishpond owned by Kamehameha Schools; Kako’o ‘Oiwi is working to restore productivity on 405 leased acres of Heeia wetland, across Kamehameha Highway from the fishpond; and Papahana Kuaola is steward to the lands in the upper Heeia Stream region, restoring native plants and sharing ways to protect and enhance the native ecosystem and cultural values of the land.
(Hanohano He’eia also has a booth at Windward Mall Farmers Market from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Find them on the second floor by Macy’s.)
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Waha Nui
North Shore artist Heather Brown now has her work on iPhone cases from the smartphone accessory company Tru Protection, with some proceeds from case sales going to Waves for Water and Kokua Hawaii Foundation … ‘Tention! Army Sgt. Stefan Morales (Mililani 2004), Capt. Caleb Hyler (Leilehua 2000) and Sgt. Lan DelosSantos (Leilehua 2007) have returned from Operation Enduring Freedom deployment.
Stefan is a machinist, Caleb an infantry officer, and Lan a combat engineer, all assigned to 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska … Reece Brady and Kevin Fuentes (Mililani 2011) and DavidHazlett (Mililani 2008) all have graduated from Air National Guard basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas … Jon Mangca (Mililani 2011) has graduated from Air Force basic training at Lackland …
Joseph Roy Cabrera (Leilehua 2011), Wahiawa’s EdwardMaynard and Faris Brown (Leilehua 2012) all graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. … Warren Duke II (Mililani 2008) graduated from Air Force Reserve basic training at Lackland … Hawaii folks still go to Vegas, and yes, some of them win. Here are a few Central Oahu slot players who recently got lucky at Sam Boyd‘s downtown casinos: Wahiawa’s really lucky Josephine Chargualaf ($42,095), Haleiwa’s pretty lucky Char-lene Terukina ($10,006), Mililani’s Francis Kikuchi ($5,950) and Bret Peavy ($5,000), and Waialua’s Juanita Sadoy ($4,766)
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Stairway To Heaven Heading For Dump?
The Friends of Haiku Stairs asked the city Parks and Recreation Committee last week to reopen the access roads to the stairs and implement a management program similar to that at Hanauma Bay.
The March 25 testimony came amid proposals from nearby residents and government officials to tear down the stairs in order to eliminate the trespass and liability issues that have cropped up following the $875,000 restoration in 2001 of the steel ladder steps. The stairway of 3,922 steps was first installed out of wood by the U.S. Navy to access radio transmission antennae in 1942.
“Haiku Stairs is a historic marvel that is far too valuable to destroy – particularly when there are more effective, sensible solutions available,” said Friends president Vernon Ansdell, a physician. (The city owns the popular-yet-forbidden stairway, and suggestions are circulating to remove the bottom rungs of the structure.)
“We can’t turn the tide alone,” Ansdell added. The nonprofit group also has a petition on its website, haikustairs.org, with the statement “We support the reopening of Haiku Stairs.” Members conduct a few work days each year to clear the trail and remove alien species.
The Friends and others consider the stairway trail a valuable environmental and cultural resource. At ground level, however, neighbors to the trail see unruly, noisy strangers tromping through their yards, using their water hoses, etc.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell recently weighed in on the stairs dilemma by indicating the possibility of reopening them, if the illegal trespassing problems raised by Haiku residents can be resolved first. The parks committee chairman reportedly will form a working group to look into solutions.
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Waha Nui
Kailua’s Nadia Busekrus has won a 2013 Junior Travel Award ($3,000-plus) for her skills and high scores on the National Spanish Examination. A junior at Sacred Hearts Academy, Nadia will join 11 other winners for a July visit to Costa Rica … Two WCC students, Tanti Septianti and Anyah Albert, have won the Central Oahu Soroptimists Women’s Opportunity Award for achievements and triumphs over domestic violence. The cash awards support their goal of educating teens about domestic abuse …
Alas, artist David Friedman now lives in Honolulu, despite labelling him a Kailua resident in the March 20 Waha Nui, but some of his paintings are at Island Treasures … Butterfly update: Kaori Brown reports that Huakailani School has rescued another 40 caterpillars at its Kailua crown-flower garden and is running out of leaves (263-2020) …
Le Jardin Academy eighth-grader Hayley Dietrich earned the No. 2 spot in the State Spelling Bee March 23 in a tense spell-off with Kauai winner Akira Takabayashi. Well done, Hayley … Kathie Wells of Community Helping Schools says Kailua High’s food science class needs measuring cups and spoons, pots, pans and bowls. Call 263-6703 or go to communityhelpingschools.org. …
Kailua’s Gary Asato has been named to head marketing and sales for Hawaii Dental Service, the state’s largest dental benefits provider. Gary has two decades of experience with health plans, including United Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente, and degrees from University of Washington and Chaminade … Kailua’s Victoria Kapuni, a former Philadelphia debutante and attorney, has published The Kahuna and I: A Remarkable True Hawaiian Story, recounting her spiritual connection and marriage to the late Bill Kapuni, a native artist and descendant of Kamehameha III, “in the autumn of my life.” Visit thekahunaandi.com …
Thumbs up for Castle High’s Erin Kanda (first in biotechnology) and Troy Peiler (first in sports medicine) and four colleagues in the school’s HOSA club, whose performance at the state level qualifies them to go in June to the nationals in Tennessee. HOSA stands for Health Occupations Students of America
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LKOC Plant Sale To Aid WCCC
It’s called a plant sale, but Lani-Kailua Outdoor Circle’s annual fundraiser next weekend is just the tip of the green iceberg.
Sale proceeds from the club’s huge inventory of healthy plants will go directly to the Women’s Community Correctional Center to support the cultivation of hydro-ponic lettuce, herbs and vegetables for the prison kitchen.
“Thirty women have been in this Learning to Grow program over the past four years,” said LKOC member Claudia Webster. “A team of nine volunteer teachers and a volunteer hydroponics consultant meet with the women six hours a week in the (prison) garden to teach various methods of backyard vegetable and plant gardening to the very receptive students at WCCC.”
The inmate crew in turn puts in time five days a week to maintain the crops as they learn cooperation, self-valuing, responsibility and many more skills and lessons to help them on the outside later on. These inspired horticulturists are the same ones who grow the plants for the plant sale.
The sale will be open from 8 to 11 a.m. April 13 at Kailua Elementary School. The public is invited to “buy in” to the Learning to Grow project with a little green from their wallets.
For more information on the sale and the prison program, call LKOC/WCCC liaison Margaret Brezel at 263-4040 or email her at mlbrezel@jps.net.
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Great Lawn’s Plan Spawns Great Talk
Though public dialogue is far from over on The Great Lawn/Strip Mall proposals, Hawaii Kai residents had the ear of landowners and a potential anchor tenant for nearly two hours March 21 in a packed school cafeteria.
Toward the end of the town hall meeting sponsored by area lawmakers, Kamehameha Schools (KS) officials promised “to do the process together,” and Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board invited everyone to a key meeting of the board’s planning and environmental committees to further examine the issues.
That meeting is at 6 p.m. April 8 at Hawaii Kai Library with an agenda heavy on planning and zoning impacts, the East Oahu Sustainable Communities Plan and cemetery stockpiling in Kamilonui Valley.
At the forum, meanwhile, it seemed that everyone was a KS alum or related to one, and they all loved Foodland – but loved their great lawn’s green space even more.
The Kuapa Village concept promoted by KS would bring Foodland back to the area as an anchor tenant, add other retail activity, bike and walking paths, and a dog park. Opponents prefer the 4.5-acre great lawn (across the highway from Maunalua Bay) remain as is with only minor enhancements, such as a boardwalk and canoe hale. Both sides touted opinion surveys supporting their stance.
Kalama Village Center, Koko Marina’s old Block-buster space – and even the JAIMS campus – were suggested as homes for a supermarket, but Foodland’s Roger Wall explained that shopper convenience and smaller size ruled out other sites.
“They could (actually) make it a great lawn,” said NB chairman Greg Knudsen, noting its preservation zoning. “And it’s in a tsunami zone, which is no place to build, and violates the current sustainable communities plan.”
“We’re not anti-development,” said Livable Hawaii Kai Hui’s Ann Marie Kirk, “just pro open space.”
At the end of the heated talk, state Sen. Laura Thielen advised that the planning process only works if people testify to the City Council at each step: 1) speak out on the sustainable communities plan, 2) speak out on the zoning changes, and 3) speak out at the building permits stage. “Don’t wait for the specific plans (to emerge),” she told the crowd. “The time to weigh in is now.”
“We’re open and truly will look at alternatives,” added KS area development director Susan Todani, “and we are four years away from doing anything.”
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Waha Nui
Doug Murata
Kalani High graduate and Bank of Hawaii vice chairwoman Donna Tanoue, now the first lady of Honolulu, will be honored as a community leader by the Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation, and veteran Palolo Elementary teacher Joyce Luka will receive the Tom Adams Award for an outstanding Good Idea Grant project, both at the foundation’s awards Banquet April 11 in Waikiki …
East Oahu’s Jasmine Tyson won a $1,500 grant from Scholarships for Military Children Program, which she’ll use at UH Manoa. She’s been a tutor and a volunteer for Hawaiian Humane Society and Amnesty International … Jonathan Tsujimura of Niu Peninsula graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., making him an Army 2nd Lt. … Hawaii Kai resident and HPU professor Leslie Correa is the new chairman of the board for Catholic Charities …
Local high school transition coordinator Amanda Miyamoto reminds college hopefuls that the correct website is fafsa.gov for college financial aid, NOT the scam site fafsa.com … Top winners at the Honolulu District science fair include Kaiser High’s Caleb Hsu (first place, computer science research), Stephanie Spear (second place, asteroids) and Niu Valley Middle’s Hanamei Shao (carbon filters). On to the state fair April 7-9 … The DOE has appointed Hawaii Kai’s Doug Murata to head its new Leadership Institute, designed to develop more effective leaders in the public schools. Doug also serves as DOE assistant superintendent for Human Resources …
Kahala’s Ingrid Middleton, author of The Secret of Healing by Touch, does workshops and seminars and is eager to help couples and families at her new psychotherapy practice downtown (639-5053) … Not so fast on the celebration, writes Rev. Wayne Gau of the St. Louis Heights Community Association: The city’s restoration of Bus Route 14 is only during midday hours and doesn’t cover all former stops (737-5654) … Still no sign of Hawaii Kai “bike mom” Natalie Iwasa‘s custom bicycle, stolen last summer near Honolulu Hale. Call HPD or 395-3233 … The recent “Night in Bali” showcase at Leeward Community College featured 10 musicians and dancers from East Oahu, including Waialae Iki’s Putri Dewi Agung and Hawaii Kai’s Made Sumayasa, who are both from Bali themselves
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Waha Nui
Art Gladstone
Kaneohe’s Art Gladstone began his career with Hawaii Pacific Health in 1990 as an RN at Pali Momi. Now he’s been appointed CEO for Straub Clinic & Hospital as part of HPH executive restructuring. Art oversees 350 physicians, 50 clinics and the 159-bed hospital. The award-winning nurse executive also advises HPU’s nursing department and is active in Positive Coaching Alliance Hawaii …
Former Dan Inouye aide Alan Yamamoto will lead Hawaii operations for U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono. She announced the Kailua resident’s appointment as her state director last month … Popular pre-school park play programs: On April 16 the keiki can study the joy of ducks at Ho’omaluhia along with a hike to the reservoir and picnic (see calendar). The one-hour program in March was about “The Sun.” According to park aide Donna Takahashi-Gomes, that one attracted a total of 106 keiki and adults, who crowded into the workshop room to make a sun clock …
If it’s not too late, you can still catch activist Walter Ritte at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday (April 9) at the Hawaiian Homestead halau in Waimanalo. He’ll discuss plans for a community-based subsistence fishing area on Molokai with members of the Waimanalo Community Coastal Manage-ment Group (230-3654)… Catie Tejeda is an education/vocational specialist with Hale Kipa, a nonprofit that helps at-risk youths in many ways. It reports that Ed/Voc teens got some meaningful cultural experiences last month at KEY Project by helping build an imu, preparing food for KEY’s open house and hiking to Waihee Falls. Got more ideas? Email cteheda@halekipa.org …
Kailua jewelry designer Renee Rokero has a Mother’s Day 20-percent-off special going now through May 12 on her unique custom creations in gold and sterling silver (kolohegurl.com) … In a unique Earth Day promo, Aqua Hotels will donate $1 for every room booked at any of their 24 Hawaii properties on April 22 to local watershed watchdog Hui o Koolaupoko. “Water is an intrinsic part of our culture,” explains Aqua marketing senior VP Elizabeth Churchill, “and HOK does excellent work to protect our waters” …
Windward students are prospering at Oregon State, especially if they’re named Tyler. The OSU winter honor roll lists Kailua’s Tara Imamura, Hannah Smith and Lindsey Wright-Joy; and Kaneohe’s Gerrit Evensen, Tyler Kon and Tyler Mendes
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