Apr 18, 2012 | Community
A retired optometric physician, Bernard Brown, now eyes guests at the Maui Ocean Center with smiles and warm embraces as he greets them to the island’s only aquarium. “The visitors who come to Maui are very interested in what the island has to offer, and I’m happy to tell them all about it,” he said. Brown, a part-time Wailea resident with another home in Salem, OR, has been volunteering during the winter season for six years. His most recent assignment has been to speak to the hundreds of visitors who arrive by bus to visit the Ocean Center. “I just want these people to feel real comfortable and glad that they’ve come to Maui,” he said.
Brown has won admiration for his welcoming mannerisms from visitors who offer tips (he doesn’t accept any) and from the staff at the Maui Ocean Center. This year, employees treated Brown and his wife, Selma, to lunch at the aquarium’s restaurant for their 66th wedding anniversary. The staff also writes mahalo notes to Brown each year. “Bernard is a treasure, always with a smile on his face and ready with a warm embrace … His contribution is greatly appreciated,” Maui Ocean Center General Manager Katie Zolezzi said. Selma Brown said she supports her husband’s volunteer efforts. “He’s great at what he does, and they treat him so well too,” she said.
Brown said that while he appreciates the compliments, he makes sure to give them right back. For example, when greeting Ocean Center visitors, he recognizes their bus driver who brought them to the aquarium. “No one seems to give them credit,” he said. He also praises each individual for taking the time to visit the island. “Vacation people are great. For the most part, they’re in a good mood. I love the downers too. I try to get them happy,” Brown said. “This is all fun and very rewarding for me.”
Apr 11, 2012 | Education, Stemworks
The third annual Hawaii STEM Conference drew 200-plus teachers and students to Maui and kicked off the state’s first Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Week. King Kekaulike High School teacher Emily Haines Swatek was grateful for the opportunity, bringing 10 students to the event held in Wailea in late March. “It’s so great to be exposed to all these different options in technology,” she said. This year’s conference brought students in from more than a dozen intermediate and high schools, teachers, parents, community and business members together with innovative companies including Google, National Geographic and Apple.
For many of the Hawaii STEM Conference attendees, this was their first experience at a regional technology conference complete with STEM breakout sessions, software competitions, an on-site 3C’s Digital Media competition and exhibits. Haines Swatek said the conference provided her a chance to learn more about what she can bring to the classroom. Amongst the things she’s prepared to use almost immediately from the conference are online Web design resources, ideas for 3-D modeling with the use of Google Earth, and online book publishing. “It’s amazing, there are so many things we can do,” she said. Her student, Lotus Chen, also found the conference beneficial. “I feel like it’s broadened my horizons,” Chen said. “There certainly was a lot to explore here.”
The 2012 Hawaii STEM Conference was sponsored by MEDB’s Women in Technology project in partnership with the County of Maui, and the Office of the State Director for Career and Technical Education. Haines Swatek said she expects to have “more inspired, more engaged” students now that they’ve been able to learn with other students from around Maui County and the state. “They’re fired up when they come back from something like this,” she said. Emily Schell of National Geographic also praised the event, “Hawaii educators and students have it going on! The stars are truly bright.”
Apr 4, 2012 | Environment
Eighteen-year-old Chelsea Aviles has a better appreciation for playgrounds having just poured out her heart in a Community Work Day project in Haiku. Aviles, a Lahainaluna High School senior, and 14 other members of the Focus Maui Nui Youth Alliance recently refurbished the Kalakupua Playground in Haiku. Three hours on a recent Saturday was spent pulling weeds, repairing the playground equipment and its tarped ground covering. “It was a lot more hard work than I expected but it was all worth it,” Aviles said. She said the project gave her a chance to reminisce about her own “small kid time” while enjoying the opportunity to refurbish the playground for the next generation.
Community Work Day Program Director Maile Carpio said she was impressed by the hard work of the high school teenagers. “You can see these kids totally understand what it’s like to give back to the community,” Carpio said. “I thought it was fantastic.” Community Work Day on Maui has long been known for its debris cleanups on highways, on shorelines and in the ocean. But the county program also takes on projects such as community gardens, homeless campgrounds, graffiti removal and the Kalakupua Playground built by a group of parents by Giggle Hill in Haiku. “The big words these days are “green” and “recycle”. Peoples’ eyes are opened to this and I saw that in the young people involved in the playground project,” she said.
Aviles said that her first year in the Youth Alliance has provided her with experiences to give back to the community she grew up in. “This keeps me active with the community and makes me want to give more and care more about the environment I live in,” she said. Aviles dreams of a future career in business and a life that will involve community service projects throughout the island. Led by the Maui Economic Development Board, the Youth Alliance members gather monthly to explore the many facets of the community and conduct a variety of community service projects.
Mar 28, 2012 | Education
Retired teacher Ed Ginoza left the classroom 12 years ago, but continues to learn as a volunteer mentor and coach for high school students competing in math and science competitions. Ginoza served for nearly 30 years as a teacher, mostly at Maui High School where he taught math and science. Following his retirement, he stepped up to coach high-achiever science students in competitions such as the Science Bowl and the Ocean Bowl. He’s developed relationships with students he never really had when he was working in the classroom. “If you want to influence kids’ lives, you don’t get to know them in the classroom. You get to know them outside of it,” Ginoza said.
Motivated by the drive in advanced students at Maui High School, Ginoza said he uses all kinds of tools to prepare for contests including the Internet, videos and high-tech web sites. He and his students have been successful, not only in placing high or winning titles, but also in ensuring that Maui’s brightest are enrolling at the best colleges in the country. For example, Ginoza regularly writes recommendations and assists students applying to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. He said at least one student has been accepted by MIT in all but one of the 29 years he’s helped out. He said students are earning good grades and getting into good colleges because they take advantage of the technology offered to them while also studying hard. “Three hours of studying per night to them is the norm,” Ginoza said.
Aside from helping students, Ginoza works part-time as a resource teacher, helping schools with administrative reports and math improvement programs. “In some ways, teaching has come a long way,” he said. “The good part of it is that technology has come along and teachers have a lot of resources to draw on. They can actually take kids places or observe things we couldn’t do in the past,” he said, referring to videos and Internet resources. “The students are as good, if not better in some respects…Learning is never boring.”
Mar 21, 2012 | Community
In a time when businesses are struggling, VIP Cash N’ Carry continues to increase sales according to Store Manager, Leila Maddela. The store in Kahului recently updated its digs, expanded its space, increased staff to 30 employees and added more retail to serve the needs of Maui families. The success comes from a commitment to provide “better value for your ohana” and a willingness to respond to a changing client base. “We adapted so we could serve household consumers, not just food service companies,” Maddela said.
Valley Isle Produce was established in 1951 by the late Roy Okumura and his wife, Lorraine, who still checks into the store along with her son, Nelson, who serves as the president of the company. As a division of VIP Foodservice, VIP Cash N’ Carry opened in 1986 with five employees, primarily offering products for foodservice customers and families hosting large parties. That changed in the last decade with a move to cater more to families, whether they were having parties or not. “Our customers are family to us. We know our regular customers and serve them with full hearts and a spirit of gratitude,” Maddela said. Since its client base is family, Maddela said the store also promotes family-friendly attitudes toward its staff, offering profit sharing bonuses, holding appreciation luncheons and supporting associates in their time of family loss. “We try to support each other,” she said.
Even in its success, Maddela said there is still much more to be told as she finds instances when people are surprised at the broad selection of retail products in the store. Its store name also appears to give the incorrect impression about forms of payments — VIP Cash N‘ Carry accepts cash, major credit cards, debit cards and checks. There are plans in place to open a second location in West Maui. “The future looks great as we continue to provide better value for the ohana of Maui,” Maddela said.
A retired optometric physician, Bernard Brown, now eyes guests at the Maui Ocean Center with smiles and warm embraces as he greets them to the island’s only aquarium. “The visitors who come to Maui are very interested in what the island has to offer, and I’m happy to tell them all about it,” he said. Brown, a part-time Wailea resident with another home in Salem, OR, has been volunteering during the winter season for six years. His most recent assignment has been to speak to the hundreds of visitors who arrive by bus to visit the Ocean Center. “I just want these people to feel real comfortable and glad that they’ve come to Maui,” he said.
