The New Year celebration in Hawaii, also known as Makahiki season, covers the lunar months from October/November through February/March. The focus of the season, influenced by the Hawaiian moon calendar, was and is a celebration of the bounty of the land. In the Hawaiian language, Makahiki means ‘year’ as in the change from harvest time to the beginning of the agricultural season.
Multi-Grammy and Hoku Award-winning master slack key guitarist, native Hawaiian practitioner and entrepreneur Uncle George Kahumoku Jr. explained it well, “The ‘āina (land) is considered a living entity. We are the earth and the earth is us. We must remember that what we do to the ‘āina, we do to ourselves. It is our kuleana (responsibility) to mālama (care for) our keiki and all life in a healthy, nurturing environment. The festive Makahiki season always offers entertainment, lawn games, lei-making and a true expression of the never-ending circle of aloha with friends and ‘ohana alike. This time of year has always focused on bringing the community together in the spirit of abundance, gratitude, peace and healing.”
Kahumoku added, “Amazing communities of people are dedicated to cultural and sustainable agriculture on Maui, reaping fruits of labor and love before new seeds are sown. The Makahiki season is also a time to celebrate the earth’s bounty and those who seek to improve the productivity of the land. Throughout the new harvest season, we are reminded of our spiritual connection to the earth and to each other. The premise is simple. The earth with everything on it is an integral part of the whole solar system. The better we understand this insight, the more we understand Makahiki.”
Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) President and CEO, said, “As 2021 comes to an end, MEDB applauds our Focus Maui Nui community filled with amazing people doing extraordinary things to enhance our island home. Looking back at the stories we shared in this column, and the thousands of other people and organizations working tirelessly to make Maui nō ka ‘oi for residents and visitors alike, we say Mahalo.”
The Nutcracker, a perennial holiday production, was performed on Maui this year by The Alexander Academy of Performing Arts (AAPA). Debuted in 1892, the two-act ballet was originally adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The famous musical score by Tchaikovsky has become as well-known as the ballet itself.
Steeped in tradition, the Nutcracker has been a staple of Christmas celebrations for generations. The ballet is set on Christmas Eve, when family and friends have gathered in the parlor to prepare for their Christmas party. The story tells of young Clara, her brother Fritz, and a wooden soldier doll given to them by their Uncle Drosselmeyer. That night the nutcracker, himself a messenger of goodwill, comes to life and whisks Clara off into a dream world where toys come alive, a battle ensues against an evil Mouse King, and a fairy-tale ending with a Sugar Plum Fairy breaks the curse on the nutcracker, who then turns into a handsome prince. Sugar Plum Fairy Gabriella Craft said, “The Fairy is a motherly figure in her Kingdom of Sweets, hoping to bring a bit of sweet joy to all she meets. I hope my unique wonder of dancing this part inspired that same pure joy in others.”
Danelle Watson, AAPA Director and Teacher, said, “I am incredibly grateful for our dancing ohana and staff who brought the Nutcracker ballet to our island. It took a village! I wanted to offer something special to our students and our community to help take away the stresses of challenging times. To be safe and to meet county requirements, we constructed an outdoor theater.”
Watson explained, “Whether you have witnessed it once or dozens of times, the magic of the Nutcracker never fades. The glow of the holiday tradition amplifies Clara’s timeless story and Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable music coming to life through dance. Audiences enter a land of snow, full of fairies, life-sized dolls, dancing snowflakes, and a procession of other beloved characters. With the Sugar Plum Fairy, herself a creature of magic, and an astonishingly diverse cast, the Nutcracker never fails to delight audiences, bringing Christmas joy to all.”
The cast, with seemingly effortless beauty of movement and electrifying brilliance, enchanted audiences with the radiance of the season.
Santa Claus came to town and what an entrance! Leaving Rudolph and his reindeer at an undisclosed Upcountry location, Santa was escorted down South Kihei Road in a vintage 1944 fire truck by the Maui Classic Cruisers. Upon his arrival at The Shops at Wailea, hula performers welcomed Santa and the guests with aloha. He was accompanied through the shopping center to the Wailea Window Wonderland at the Shop’s upper valley where the holiday hula show commenced. As an added treat, Santa’s elf was also present handing out Peppermint Macadamia Nut Cookies from the Honolulu Cookie Company.
In keeping with holiday traditions, the Shops are hosting numerous festivities and cultural activities, including Lei Po’o Making, Coconut Frond Weaving, Coconut Husking and Papa Hula, as well as free photos with Santa. After another challenging year of Covid-19, the festive parade, Santa photos, and the community food drive are contributing to the holiday spirit.
“We want our guests to experience memorable moments and feel the magic of the season even though celebrations may be slightly different this year,” said Diana Whitt, General Manager and Vice President of Property Management for The Shops at Wailea. “We have also begun our holiday food donation drive, Aloha Can Make a Difference, in partnership with the Maui Food Bank. During this season of giving, we invite our guests—both locals and visitors—to support those in need in our community. There is still time to visit Santa at Wailea Window Wonderland on Saturday, December 18th from 4-7pm and to donate to the Maui Food Bank. Most-needed items include canned meat and tuna, canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, soups with proteins, rice, pasta, and monetary donations are always welcome.”
Santa reflected, “I need lots of helpers this year! The task has been spread among us all. Remember, it is all about the hearts that we touch and the care that we show. There is no better way to celebrate the holidays than by giving back. I like to see people helping each other, especially for families in need. We can all make a difference!”
Believe in love. Believe in magic. Believe in others. Believe in yourself. Stay safe and keep the holiday spirit all year!
Serving Maui and the people of Hawaii since 2014, Maui Search and Rescue (MSAR) is an all- volunteer organization dedicated to providing expert search and rescue assistance, plus community outreach education. They respond to calls from police and fire departments; however, in situations where these groups have not been activated yet, family members and loved ones may contact MSAR directly. As a nonprofit, MSAR does not charge for their services. They train and search in all types of weather and terrain, day and night, assisting and supporting in times of need.
“If you believe a family member or loved one may be lost or missing please do not hesitate to call us as well as other county organizations,” said Jen Regan, MSAR Vice President. “In many situations when somebody has disappeared, there is a time period when loved ones are not certain whether they are lost or missing. In that case, one does not need to wait to call MSAR. The sooner a phone call is made the better. In some situations, police or fire departments are unable to respond, or require a waiting period, but MSAR can usually respond directly and immediately even in those kind of circumstances.”
MSAR searches for all kinds of people in all kinds of situations including missing hikers, children, Alzheimer’s patients, mentally ill, suicide victims, body recoveries, and evidence searches. They are prepared to do a lot more than just find missing hikers. They have come together as highly trained and concerned citizens whose knowledge of emergency systems you can depend on. They often face real life-and-death issues for the benefit of the community.
“Search and Rescue is not a single discipline,” Regan explained. “We provide monthly search trainings for our volunteers to keep them safe in the field, and there is also special training for our K-9 rescue dogs. We want the community to know about us. Families should not have to scramble to find our information at the worst time of their lives. Our volunteer work is from the heart. We put in hundreds of hours and are here to help.”
Sometimes those in our community find themselves in unfortunate situations. There are lives being saved on a daily basis and that is important to those on both ends of the rescue.
Maui resident Dr. T.S. Kelso was honored with an award from the Space Data Association (SDA) at the 22nd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference, for his outstanding contributions to space flight safety. AMOS, presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), is the premier technical conference in the nation devoted to space situational awareness (SSA); keeping track of objects in orbit.
“We are honored that Dr. Kelso received his award at the AMOS Conference,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “The award will be presented annually to recognize vital contributions and applications to enable flight safety.”
Kelso is an internationally recognized leader in the field of SSA and has driven technical improvements to further ensure that the SDA stays on the cutting edge of satellite safety performance. The award was presented by Major General DeAnna M. Burt, Commander, Combined Force Space Component Command, United States Space Command. Burt said, “I am pleased to present the T.S. Kelso Award for Space Safety to its first recipient, T.S. Kelso. He has diligently worked to promote safe operational practices for all stakeholders.”
Kelso pointed out “My main job has been screening satellites for operators from many nations. We track these satellites to identify close approaches with other satellites and debris in space. Currently, we track over 23,000 objects larger than 10cm. The real challenge is filtering through the hundreds of close approaches we see each day, so that the operators can move the satellite in time to avoid a collision. All the safety considerations of air and sea travel now pertain to space travel at a vastly enhanced level because the costs and risks are even higher. The event of spacecraft colliding is serious to our global economy and security.”
Kelso is also the founder of the CelesTrak website, the world’s first private source for orbital element sets, related software, and educational materials. The site supports everyone from professionals operating satellites in orbit, to faculty, students, and other researchers investigating the space environment, to individuals who just want to go out to see the space station pass over.
I am a big supporter of MEDB’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) programs. In past years, I led teacher workshops at AMOS and hosted a star party to introduce attendees to the wonders of the Maui sky.
Dr. T.S. Kelso, Space Data Association T.S. Kelso Award Winner
Ramsay Taum, a speaker at numerous Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) events, talks about the importance of integrating Native Hawaiian cultural values in every aspect of our lives, including business and educational programs. Mentored and trained by respected kupuna (elders), Taum’s extensive background and experience in business, government and community service makes him a valuable asset in both public and private sectors. In 2013, he received the Distinguished Peacemaker Award in recognition of his long career advocating the spirit of aloha in Hawaii and around the world.
A Kamehameha Schools graduate, Taum attended the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, and earned a B.S. degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is the founder and president of Life Enhancement Institute of the Pacific, and Director of External Relations & Community Partnerships at the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management.
At a recent MEDB event, Taum discussed the importance of Hawaii’s sense of place: knowing where you are from, who you are, and where you are going. Using a lōkahi (unity) analogy, Lessons from the Reef, he described how each part of the reef works in harmony. “Often when we discuss diversity, the purpose is really to come together, in unity,” Taum explained. “Aloha is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence, working in harmony.”
Taum added, “Aloha is a way of being, a way of behaving. Aloha is more than a greeting. It is the art and spirit of giving and receiving. It is to give and not expect anything in return, to receive and not forget to give back. It speaks of sustainability and reciprocity, rights and privileges, responsibilities and obligations. Our actions must express these ways of thinking with kindness and tenderness. Ha in the words aloha and mahalo is the breath that connects us all. Knowing that ha is the spirit of the air that we all share, we realize we are connected in the spirit of community among the people of Hawaii and the world. Thus, we give thanks for all our aloha blessings.”
Defining Hawaii as Ha (life-giving breath), wai (life-giving water), and i (supreme life-giver), connects us in the presence of divine breath where we are made whole in one community. When we agree to disagree, with aloha, we find that we are truly one people.
This summer, the University of Hawaii’s Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) was awarded one of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief grants (GEER) to find innovative ways to teach in Hawaii. Since May 2020, thanks to a NASA Artemis Student Challenge Grant, the HSFL team has developed an educational version of a 1U (10cm on each edge) low-cost cubesat kit, including hardware, software, and educational materials to enable community college and undergraduates, with no formal aerospace program, to do aerospace research. The recent GEER Grant also allows HSFL to bring the kit to middle and high schools in Hawaii.
“Through this grant, our team will provide participating teachers a hardware kit and a basic electronics lab kit to test their spacecraft,” said Amber Imai-Hong, HSFL Avionics Engineer Outreach Specialist. “Educators will be required to participate in an online UH course, at no cost, to provide them with technical knowledge and assistance integrating the kit into their curriculum. As with many scholastic robotics and science fair competitions, HSFL will host a design challenge for the students where they can develop a mission concept around Earth observation, and test their ideas using the Artemis CubeSat kit. There will not be awards; however, we will host an online symposium in April 2022 where the students can present their mission concepts, including designs and modifications to the kit, testing procedures, and results, to engineers from around the state.”
These current projects were inspired by Hiapo, a 1U cubesat satellite built and launched by a group of Hawaii students and staff at the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum. When HSFL was approached in 2019 to build an affordable 1U cubesat, they jumped at the opportunity to reach out to community members. “We were able to train over 30 students at UH and an additional 20 students in grades 3-12,” said Imai-Hong. “The satellite launched on the Firefly Alpha on September 2, 2021, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California — it was an excellent training experience. The entire Hiapo team are already talking about the mission and design of our next satellite!”
We are reaching out to educators at public, private, and charter schools who may want to integrate this open-ended project-based learning into their classrooms. For more information, email outreach@hsfl.hawaii.edu.
Student Space Day went virtual at the 22nd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS) with guest speaker NASA Astronaut United States Space Force Col. Michael Hopkins. Presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) STEMworks™ Program, the popular event for Hawaii’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students, drew over 350 youth in grades K-12. Streaming live from AMOS, teachers and students heard a video and talk about Hopkins’ time on the International Space Station (ISS).
Most recently, Hopkins served as Commander of the Crew-1 mission, SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle named Resilience, which landed on May 2, 2021. He also served as Flight Engineer on the ISS for Expedition 64. In his talk, he engaged students and made the material accessible with student friendly language using ‘Baby Yoda’ as a co-host. The presentation gave a glimpse into the day-to-day life of an astronaut who accumulated 168 days in space with five spacewalks.
“A wide-range of experiments across all scientific fields are being done on the space station,” Hopkins explained. “Scientists focus on research revolving around human health and physiology, agriculture and much more. Examples include: understanding how plants grow in microgravity; how technology can improve liquid movement in space; and how long spaceflight affects the human body. These experiments play a crucial role in planning for future deep space travel.”
Wendy Wells, Lihikai Elementary Science and Math Curriculum Support, said, “The students had many questions for Col. Hopkins such as why the return pods land in water and about weight in space. One student was particularly fascinated by the fact that they were growing plants in space. Another was asking about how long it took to build the rockets used to get to the ISS. Even if students are not inspired to go to space themselves, they could see all the connections to other professions and skills. It is life-changing for any child to feel that their interest or talent may have a use in something as fantastic as space. It motivates us as teachers to provide as many of those experiences as we can.”
I have worked with MEDB’s STEMworks for many years. I am so grateful for the extensive, relevant, and high-quality opportunities they provide.
Wendy Wells, Lihikai Elementary Science and Math Curriculum Support
The East Maui Animal Refuge (EMAR), a kindhearted nonprofit, was established to care for any animal, domestic, farm or wildlife, in distress, when no individual or other organization is available to deliver the necessary care. “We provide this care at no charge to the individual or group who rescued the animal,” said Sylvan Schwab, EMAR Executive Director and co-founder. “Any financial assistance provided to us is given freely as a donation to support the mission of the Refuge.”
EMAR began in 1977 as a unique therapy program for Suzie Schwab, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sylvan, her husband, noticed that her caring for an injured bird gave Suzie the strength to fight her illness, and so he began bringing home more animals in need of her loving care. Consequently, her therapy program developed into EMAR, a unique rehabilitation center with 300-500 animals being cared for at any given time; 365 days a year. “Incredibly, for 41 years the love Suzie showered upon the animals contributed to her recovery from cancer until her passing in 2018,” Sylvan explained. “Suzie’s compassion and love for the animals inspired and sustained EMAR’s mission. Since most of the animals have come to us with injuries or ‘boo boos’ of one type or another, EMAR is also known as the ‘Boo Boo Zoo.’”
Licensed by the state to rehabilitate animals, EMAR continues to care for animals that are unwanted, have been abused or abandoned, or cannot be cared for properly. “We provide a sanctuary where they can live out their lives happy and loved,” Sylvan said. “Our committed volunteers work tirelessly to sustain our organization, many of whom have been with us for over ten years.” Sylvan’s vision is to one day start a Community Veterinary Clinic, with a veterinarian that lives on-site. He reflected, “Many people cannot afford emergency veterinary services, which are presently extremely expensive on Maui. I have always felt that if you do the right thing, the universe will support you. We are not about money; we are about life. We are doing what is pono and that’s what matters.”
I am grateful to all those in the community who help the animals in whatever way they can.” Visit us at: www.eastmauianimalrefuge.org for more information.
Sylvan Schwab, EMAR Executive Director and co-founder
Presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), the 22nd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference, was hybrid this year, having both in-person and virtual components. The premier technical conference in the nation devoted to Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Domain Awareness (SDA), offered a cross-section of government, academic, and private-sector participation to help foster dialogue and international collaboration.
“Thanks to the meticulous health and safety planning by our MEDB Conference Team, we were able to move forward,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “The health and well-being of participants was our highest priority while maintaining the important dialogue and networking opportunities the AMOS Conference is known for. This year, having a hybrid conference allowed our international partners to participate in building collaborations, partnerships, and protocols for good actors in the space domain.”
In addition to the technical sessions, the AMOS Conference included keynote speakers, SSA policy forums, exhibit sessions, technical short courses and networking events. The policy forums, organized in collaboration with Secure World Foundation, were held after the keynote at the start of each day, of the 3-day conference. These sessions brought together the developers and implementers of SSA capabilities and the architects of SSA policy to explore international issues related to space sustainability.
In collaboration with the American Astronautical Society (AAS), the AMOS Conference provided participating authors the opportunity to be published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Astronautical Sciences. At the close of the conference, AAS recognized outstanding efforts by presenting an award for Best Student Paper to Shaylah Mutschler, University of Colorado, Boulder and Best Paper to Maui resident Dr. Channing Chow II, founder and CEO of Cloudstone Innovations LLC.
Chow reflected, “On behalf of myself and my coauthors, we were honored to receive the 2021 AMOS Conference Best Paper Award. We are humbled to be selected amongst a host of such high-quality papers. The AMOS Conference brings together a truly unique juxtaposition of academia, industry, and government working collaboratively towards space safety, security, and exploration. Every year AMOS provides the opportunity to share innovative concepts, challenge stagnant norms, and showcase the latest advances in research and development.”
Space is indispensable to every aspect of daily life. During a live virtual SSA Roundtable preceding the AMOS Conference, experts addressed the current growth of objects in space and the long-term sustainability of the space environment.
