Aug 31, 2011 | Community
Continuing our series on newly appointed County Department Directors, reflecting the role of government in responding to community values and needs.
Department of Water Supply Director Dave Taylor approaches his job by taking cues from the community he serves. “The biggest thing I’d like people to see is that I work for them. It’s their water system, not mine,” Taylor said. “I honestly see myself as the water maintenance guy for the people.” As water director, Taylor oversees 200 employees and a system that features 750 miles of pipeline, 125 water tanks and six treatment plants. “That’s a lot to take care of. It’s always difficult and it’s certainly a challenge,” he said. What brings the most enjoyment is working his staff. “We have a fantastic group of incredibly talented people in many different professions. The public would be pleasantly surprised if they knew how deeply our staff members care about what they do. I am proud that they act as if they are working for their own family and their own home.”
Taylor recently outlined several options to the Maui County Council on how the water system could be improved over the next decade. It would take an investment of some $30 million, he said. For now, Taylor focuses his energy on establishing a clear vision for his agency, setting goals that include providing clear and safe water efficiently. He said he drinks water from the tap all the time and considers county water rates to be a bargain, in part because it costs less than $2 per thousand gallons for water to be delivered to each home on Maui. “You can’t beat the value of county water.”
Taylor grew up in Southern California, earning his bachelor’s degree in mechanical and environmental engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He obtained his master’s degree in structural engineering from UC Berkeley. In his spare time, Taylor enjoys windsurfing, a sport he picked up from the age of 16, and keeping fit with regular gym work outs.
Aug 24, 2011 | Education
The Ke Alahele Education Fund has freed Iao School robotics advisor Jayne Hori from worries about fundraising and allowed her and her students to focus on learning. “It fits perfectly with STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) standards and learning opportunities,” she said. Both of Hori’s children, Taylor, a high school senior, and Trent, a sophomore, have benefited from a grant in their middle school days and now in high school. “They both are not afraid of taking STEM type classes or programs in and out of school,” Hori said. Instead of raising funds for travel, Hori said she and her students pour their energy in preparing and then participating in robotics tournaments.
“The Ke Alahele Education Fund has impacted me personally and professionally,” Hori said. Grants have helped pay for registration fees, robotics kits, extra robotic equipment and parts, laptops and travel. According to Hori, a lot of grant making institutions do not pay for travel. “It takes a lot of the worry out of the way when you receive funding from Maui Economic Development Board. The students can concentrate on their project and the parents don’t have to worry about how they going to come up with the money to pay for their child’s travel expenses.” She said it would be hard on students if they worked on robotic projects and then didn’t have a venue to share and test their knowledge. Hori said MEDB’s Ke Alahele Education Fund opportunities are also open to community civic groups such as 4-H and Boy and Girl Scouts, and fund all kinds of STEM activities, not just robotics.
“A Pathway to the Future,” a benefit dinner and auction for the fund, will be held on August 27th at 4:30 p.m. in the Grand Wailea Resort. Guests include U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and Ms. Irene Hirano, and Mayor Alan Arakawa and Ann Arakawa. For tickets, which are $150 per person, call 875-2300 or visit medb.org.
Aug 17, 2011 | Community
Guided by the Focus Maui Nui vision, values and key strategies for action, Youth Alliance members are empowered with the skills and experiences to become leaders for change. For the third consecutive year, 16-year-old Adam Skelton has signed up to be a part of the Youth Alliance. “I’ve learned a lot and picked up experiences I’ve never had before,” the Upcountry student said.
Youth Alliance members in grades 9 through 12 gather monthly during the school year to explore the many facets of the Maui community including the business sector, cultural sites, civic leaders and sometimes a Neighbor Island. This behind-the-scenes look is accompanied by projects and activities that give participants a greater understanding of how the Maui community works. “I wish the program would have been available to me when I was in high school,” said Willow Krause, a 1998 Baldwin High School graduate and Youth Alliance project coordinator.
Skelton said Krause accommodates the students by exploring their fields of interest. For example, Skelton, who has aspirations of building his own business one day, has seen first-hand how local entrepreneurs thrive. He said he’s not interested in a firefighter career, but visiting a local fire station gave him insight into the field. “Firefighters don’t just fight fires. They go out into the community and help out in a number of ways.” Born and reared on Maui, Skelton said it was the Youth Alliance program that brought his attention to local issues such as the previous public school Furlough Fridays, organic farming and points of interests on Lanai.
Skelton said he would highly recommend students to enroll this school year. “I’d say ‘Give it a try and see how you like it. You might just love it.’“ Applications are now being accepted from high school students including those who are homeschooled. The program is free, and the deadline to sign up is Sept. 9. For more information, contact Krause at 875-2432 or willow[at]medb[dot]org.
Aug 10, 2011 | Community
Health care is one of the most important needs in the community, and the Kihei Wailea Medical Center is contributing its time and talent toward helping the island’s uninsured. The staff and its physicians, Dr. Marcus Griffin and Dr. Gayland Yee, have held free health screening clinics for more than 100 patients during the last two years. The most recent event in June drew 60 patients and has inspired other health care providers to follow the medical facility and Office Manager Joel Krause’s lead. “People want to help, they want to give back and that positive energy is wonderful,” Krause said.
Griffin and Krause get so many volunteers from the staff of 28 at Kihei Wailea Medical Center that they had to turn away some for this most recent venture. Krause said they also get a lot of help from other labs and therapists — Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii, Maui Diagnostic Imaging, and Bodies in Motion — as well as Safeway, which supported the initiative. Dr. Griffin started the free clinics as a means to give back to the medical field in which he himself has received so many rewards. “Even if we help only one person, this clinic will still be a success,” Griffin said. Krause said the free clinics are important to the Kihei Wailea Medical Center as it strives to live out an updated mission statement: “Working together to care for our community.”
Krause figures the value of the free clinic day runs to thousands of dollars. It’s meaningful to the uninsured, who often delay getting medical help because it’s unaffordable for them. There are plans to hold a comprehensive free medical screening day that would feature a variety of medical specialists offering services from obstetrics to opthamology plus a blood drive. “Our goal is to be able to help as many patients as possible with all types of concerns,” Krause said. “We hope to have several offices open all over South Maui providing free service.”
Aug 3, 2011 | Community
Continuing our series on newly appointed County Department Directors, reflecting the role of government in responding to community values and needs.
Maui County Parks and Recreation Director Glenn Correa returned from retirement to serve a second-term for a department he feels passionate about. “It’s a golden opportunity,” he commented. Correa said the success of his department falls on the 430 people who work in divisions including recreation, aquatics, maintenance, planning and administration. “We cannot be everything to everybody, but we try very hard to meet the expectations of the community with the resources we have because we know that our parks department impacts everyone,” he said. The Parks and Recreation Department oversees 145 parks covering 1,620 acres on Maui, Molokai and Lanai. This includes the Waiehu Golf Course, 22 community centers, 55 tennis courts and nine swimming pools.
“I know there are many times when the public feels we just don’t have enough park facilities to serve our community,” Correa said. He said there are future plans to add more facilities, and meanwhile, heavy use requires proactive upkeep and maintenance. Correa said he values the teamwork within his department and his hope is that the community will recognize and acknowledge what the department does to serve the people of Maui.
Correa is a 1967 Baldwin High School graduate who served in the U.S. Navy and saw combat in Vietnam. After four years of military service, he returned to Maui in 1971 and was initially employed by American Electric. He was first tapped to work for the County as a electrician’s helper at the Department of Parks and Recreation. He has served under five mayors, nine parks directors and now a two-time appointee of Mayor Alan Arakawa. He loves playing golf and has been married for nearly 40 years to his wife, Lani.
Jul 27, 2011 | Education
With 30 years of teaching experience, Karolyn Mossman knows what works in the classroom. Yet the Kalama Intermediate School teacher says that what happens outside of the classroom — at home — can really make a difference in the academic success of students. Parents and guardians can help by showing they care about their children’s school work and by creating a home environment that sets them up for success.
Keiki thrive on consistent routines, she says. “Bedtime, meal time, study time and leisure time are essential for most children,” Mossman says. “It also means building in adequate time for eating and resting. Sleep is a regenerative process. Children’s brains need rest for learning, retaining, thinking and using all the information we want them to take in.” She also recommends parents try to free their children of distractions, like television, and check on homework. However, says Mossman, “They don’t have to get everything right all the time. Avoid the temptation of doing it for them. If they rush through it at home without effort, correct them by focusing on the effort, not on the product. “If they have no homework, or say they have no homework, have them read, or write a journal entry for an age-appropriate period of time — TV off, video games not allowed. Get them into the routine of completing an academic task at home for a specified period of time daily.”
As students head back to school, Mossman recommends checking their backpacks daily during the year for notes from teachers. “Communication is best when both the family and the school can share perspectives and collaborate for the student’s best progress,” says Mossman, a longtime leader in the Hawaii State Teachers Association. She reminds parents and guardians not to forget about their child’s stomach. “Eating properly increases your children’s wellness and school success,” she says. “Worry less about weight than about healthy food habits.”
Jul 22, 2011 | Community
As one of Maui’s last surviving mom-and-pop stores, Pukalani Superette contributes to the island’s economic sustainability by providing a local alternative to supermarkets and chain stores, buying from island suppliers and providing jobs to Upcountry residents. “Sumiko Nakashima ran the Superette from 1965 to 1990 and always passed the discounts offered from the vendors down to the customer,” says co-owner Myles Nakashima. “We still do this, which is why our prices are very competitive.”Originally called Tanizaki Store, the establishment has its roots in Maui’s plantation past, opening in 1924.
“You can tell our store was built in a time of small towns and plantation camps,” says Nakashima, who owns the business with his brother, Aric. “Our store has approximately 3,300 square feet of sales area and about 1,200 feet of kitchen prep area. The inside is homey with raw wood interior paneling, friendly cashiers and chances are you will run into somebody you know with our prepared foods in hand.” The Superette is known for the potato macaroni salad created by the owners’ mother, Sumiko Tanizaki Nakashima and an aunt. The business buys many of its goods from local vendors, such as island fresh fish, backyard limes 15 pounds of limes at a time or Lahaina pickled mangoes.
Myles Nakashima said the business is also looking to remain competitive in the future by continuing its mission to provide customers with a clean, safe shopping environment, offering the best products available at a reasonable price. “My vision is to have a healthier line of prepared foods, maybe a salad bar and a hot foods bar with soups,” he says. “I believe the future of Pukalani Superette hinges on remaining competitive. Since the economic downturn, most businesses are only now starting to emerge with decent profits. Events that occur thousands of miles away directly affect all of us,” Nakashima adds.
Jul 13, 2011 | Environment, Sustainability
Tucked away in the hot, arid hills above Kihei is a model organic oasis which Nick Oosterveen and his wife Diane have been cultivating since 1987 called Kaimanu Botanical Garden. With generations of agriculture knowledge passed down through his family and a passionate interest in permaculture, Oosterveen has perfected a self-contained ecosystem that epitomizes a “zero-waste” philosophy. Not only does his sustainable farm boast a fertile collection of many exotic vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowering plants and trees—creating what Oosterveen calls a “food forest”—but it also contains an aquaponics system, in which he raises tilapia and plants together in one integrated, soilless system that utilizes a fraction of the water it usually takes to grow the same crops. And being vegetarians, the Oosterveens eat as much as possible from their own land. “The only food I buy from the grocery store is dairy products,” he declared.
Nick Oosterveen is originally from Holland, but moved to Hawaii nearly 30 years ago after a long career in the music industry in Los Angeles. Since then, he has been whole-heartedly committed to the education, promotion, and development of sustainable living through the sharing of information and creating self-sufficient ecosystems. Oosterveen volunteers to teach Maui students and residents about growing their own food which will help decrease the island’s dependence on imports. “Sustainable food production is going to be one of the key issues this island will face in the future, and with this approach, you can raise a lot of food even in very little space,” adds Oosterveen.
Oosterveen welcomes visitors to learn through hands-on workshops every second Saturday of the month. Topics include: Sustainable Living, Permaculture, Food Forests, Aquaponics, Healing Foods, and more. He offers student tours and classes to any Maui School wanting to participate. For reservations or to schedule private educational tours, send an email to nikodesigns@hawaii.rr.com, or call (808) 250-5113.
Jul 7, 2011 | Community
Continuing our series on newly appointed County Department Directors, reflecting the role of government in responding to community values and needs.
The Maui County Department of Housing and Human Concerns provides island residents with assistance in all stages of their lives, says Director Jo-Ann Ridao. “I often refer to my department’s operations as being from the womb to the tomb,” she said. That’s because the department has seven divisions, covering housing, early childhood, immigration services, grants management, the county’s Volunteer Center, Kaunoa Senior Center and the Office on Aging. “My philosophy is to address the needs of a broad range of our community members. An important aspect of my role is to mentor my division heads and facilitate the great work they do,” Ridao said. “I’m the kind of person who enjoys being a mentor.” For Ridao, her department’s priorities are to address the community’s needs for food, shelter and safety.
As budget constraints and limited funding resources present an increasing challenge, the government will need to develop more partnerships and new ways to address human needs, says Ridao. Part of the solution, she believes, is engaging all segments of the Maui Nui community — from unions to churches to businesses — to support the mission of Housing and Human Concerns. “We need to build even further on our tradition of aloha, caring for each other in our community, and volunteerism.” Continuing to provide affordable housing is another community priority close to Ridao’s heart.
A former director for Lokahi Pacific, an independent, private non-profit housing and community development organization based in Wailuku, Ridao has extensive experience in addressing human needs and concerns, and among her accomplishments is selection as a participant in nonprofit management program at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. She was born at the Maluhia Hospital in Wailuku and graduated from St. Anthony High School. The rewards of her job are plentiful, she said. “To see immigrants relieved because their paperwork is in good shape seniors getting the support they need and the new first-time homebuyer who moves in to their their home, all of that is wonderful to see.”
Jun 29, 2011 | Education
Maui students compete in the First Lego League VEX competition
Our children today are more sophisticated at younger ages. They are using advanced technology in their classrooms and are setting directions for themselves even before they enter middle school. To keep up with this trend, building skills in STEM needs to begin at an earlier age.
A recent study by an MIT Aerospace Engineering assistant professor, Dr. Annlisa Weigel, reinforces that point. Weigel’s report, “Survey of Aerospace Student Attitudes,” analyzes causes of a shortage of aerospace engineers.
One element stands out: two-thirds of the engineering students reported they became interested in their career choice before they were teenagers. Weigel found 35 % of the students developed an interest in aerospace engineering when they were 5 to 9 years old; 27% at 10 to 13.
Her study focused on aerospace engineers. But her findings on recruiting students validate the significance of programs that introduce students to STEM at an early age, such as the FIRST LEGO League Robotics programs for students beginning in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Half of the 10 Ke Alahele grants awarded to Maui Robotics programs in 2010-11 were to elementary and intermediate school LEGO League teams.
The MEDB Ke Alahele Education Fund is just one of multiple MEDB programs that work to nurture STEM skills in our students. Whether that foundation inspires a student to create the next IPad app for telemedicine, to become the best EV mechanic on Maui, to improve water resources or to grow our own food cost effectively, a STEM education broadens the life-long options for our children.
Fund The Journey
Help to empower Maui County’s youth by joining us for “A Pathway to Our Future” benefit dinner and auction which supports the MEDB Ke Alahele Education Fund.
Held at the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa on Saturday, August 27th, the event will headline Distinguished Educators U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, his wife Ms. Irene Hirano and Mayor Alan Arakawa and his wife Ann. The Reception will begin at 4:30 pm with hand-on activities for guests and a silent auction; followed by dinner and a live auction at 6:30 pm.
Sponsorships are available and event tickets are $150 per person. For reservations or for more information, contact Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. at 808-875-2300 or visit www.medb.org.
Grantees Progress Report
Fund recipients have been working hard on various STEM-related programs. Here’s a look at their progress.
4-H Dirt Devils
The 4-H Dirt Devils scored big during the 60th annual National Land and Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma City. Members tested their individual and team skills against teams from 38 states evaluating land characteristics (topsoil, subsoil slope and plant life). Team member Tyler Yamada was named National Champion in the Homesite Evaluation, Individual category. In Land Judging 4-H competition, the 4-H Dirt Devils team of Ashley Malek, Devin Vinoray, Jared Shimada and Taylor Hori placed fourth. Ashley Malek placed 8th in the individual category.
4th grade class at Kula Elementary
This past semester, students in Mrs. Gordon’s 4th grade class at Kula Elementary learned how to properly care for their new microscopes, and also worked on identifying and comparing animal cells and plant cells, and identifying protozoa: ameba, paramecium, and euglena.
During the 2nd Annual Maui District Arts and Communication Performance Based Assessment on April 28-29 at UH Maui College, 12 Teams from Baldwin High, Hana High, King Kekaulike High, Maui High, Maui Waena Intermediate and Molokai High competed to create an advertising campaign for a program at UHMC. A five student team from Maui High took first place honors. The winning team included Ryan Bartolome, Kaizzer Fernandez, Eli-Ana Dickson, Aaron Lopez and Regina Prudenciano.
