Ka ‘OhanaU N I V E R S I T Y o f H AWA I ‘ IWindward Community College

N E W S F R O M C A M P U S T O C O M M U N I T Y

Volume 38, No. 4 December 2009KaOhanaOnl ine .org INSIDE

2 Walking wounded5 Find your future 6-7 Christmas fun9 Top of the world

Richard Fulton, the equip-ment was purchased with past summer session revenues. Funds from summer sessions, which are typically reserved for equipment and for the depart-ments teaching the courses, can also be used for new campus projects.

The total WCC cost of the equipment (with worms and training) was $5,434.55. In-creases in the cost of materials have pushed the retail price of the same equipment to almost $7,000, according to Mindy Jaffe, owner of Waikiki Worms.

The system’s ingenious de-sign is the culmination of years of hard work and trial and error by Jaffe. “Emphasis on the er-ror,” Jaffe said, referring to her development of the first com-mercial, self-harvesting worm composting bin.

Accidental discoveries and years of observation combined, creating a system that requires minimal effort and takes ad-vantage of the worms’ natural behavior.

The result? WCC’s newest residents will silently munch away 2,000 pounds of leftover food, paper and cardboard. Jaffe said after the first year, that ton of organic waste will become 125 pounds of commer-cial-grade fertilizer.

A similar yield of valuable plant nutrient can be expected every six months, all without ever having to sift through the muck to harvest the vermicast and separate the worms to start the cycle over.

This compost could be used to feed on-campus plants or for an herb garden for the cafeteria. It could also

Tucked quietly away on Windward’s cam-pus will soon be the

seeds of change — a wriggling revolution in 20 feet of pipe on the mountainside of Hale ‘Ākoakoa.

WCC is one of the first sites in the state to invest in this state-of-the-art, low-tech Pipeline Worm System. Other vermicompost pioneers are Hokulani Elementary School, the Hawaii State Hospital and KCC.

Unearthing worms“This is happening,” said

Media Center’s Sandie Carmi-chael, “and the worms will need consistent care, year-round.”

Carmichael, who initiated the project, said the worms would be composting a com-bination of food waste from the WCC cafeteria and paper from the copy center.

Cooperative efforts with cafeteria staff and the commit-ment of Media Center student help will be integral to the gen-eral care of Windward’s living investment.

According to Vice Chan-cellor of Academic Affairs Dr.

b y T h e r e s a W o r d e nKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

Over the holiday break, WCC is joining the other

UH system campuses to achieve energy savings and accommodate provisions of the recent Hawaii Govern-ment Employees Association settlement.

The result is several cam-pus offices will be “closed to the public” Dec. 21-31 and will reopen Jan. 4. The first day of classes is Jan. 11.

b y K a ‘ O h a n aNews Staff

Plan ahead for your holiday break

Students looking for some extra holiday cash can

take their textbooks to the book buyback at the WCC bookstore, Dec. 14 – 18.

Just beware that other people may also be coveting your books and looking for opportunities to steal them.

“I’ve been here 19 years,” sa id bookstore assistant Elaine Manuel, “and the prob-lem just gets worse every year.”

She described students’ cars being broken into for the books in the backseat and books gett ing stolen

while students were in the bathroom.

The book buyback sys-tem is one way students can recoup some of the original cost of their texts.

The bookstore will buy textbooks from students for all UH campuses. So, even if WCC professors don’t re-quire certain books for their classes, they might be used at other UH campuses.

Generally, students can get back 50 percent of the book’s retail price. However, the bookstores have a limited number of used books they can buy, so the advice for stu-dents is to sell their books as soon as their finals are over.

b y K a ‘ O h a n aNews Staff

Get a bit of cash back to help you with your holiday shopping.

WCC is one of four sites in Hawai‘i to install the new Pipeline Worm System.

ThErESa worDEN

Ka ‘ohaNa STaff

Here are a few reminders to plan accordingly:

• Students should pay their library fines before Dec. 18 so they can register and get their grades.

• The WCC bookstore will be closed so try to buy spring textbooks as soon as possible.

• The WCC testing cen-ter will be closed during this period.

• There will be no cam-pus mail delivery or postal services.

• The Financial Aid of-fice will be processing fi-nancial aid packages with reduced staffing but will not be open for walk-in in-quiries.

• Most campus build-ings will be closed to the public, with the exception of Hale Alaka‘i.

• Academic advising, as well as advice about the on-line application form and general financial aid advice, will be available in Hale Alaka‘i, Room 113.

Cash in at WCC book buyback

Happy Holidays

Co-chair Audrey Chang and artist Christy Rogers trim the tree at WCC’s Christmas Fantasy in Gallery ‘Iolani. For more holiday fun and entertainment, see pages 6 and 7.

KIm moa

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2 NEWS of the DAYKa ‘Ohana

Ka ‘Ohana

JOURNALISM WRITERS

Summer CavassoMegan Hardin

Scot LycanPHOTOGRAPHER

Tori Langley

E D I T O R IN CHIEF

Patrick Hascall

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Patty Yonehiro ADVISOR

Libby YoungDESIGN STAFF

Theresa Worden

Ka ‘Ohana is published monthly by the students of Windward Community College. 45-720 Kea‘ahala Rd, Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i 96744. Phone (808) 236-9187 or 236-9185. The newspaper reflects only the views of its student staff. Visit Ka ‘Ohana’s website at www.KaOhanaOnline.org.

(The Family)

STAFF REPORTERS

MJ ChristopherBaron Hashimoto Damian LymanLance Sabado

When the planes hit the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, it shocked the nation. It en-

raged the nation. It united the nation.It was war, and many answered

Uncle Sam’s call to arms. Enlistments rose to a record high in the aftermath of 9/11.

Young men and women commit-ted their lives for love of country. But their story does not end there.

We watched on television from the comfort of our homes as they fought for us in Iraq and Afghanistan. We mourned for those who perished. But what of those who came home?

According to a 2003 New England study, “1 in 6 soldiers returning from Iraq suffered from PTSD (Post-Trau-matic Stress Disorder).”

It goes without saying that war takes a toll on a person. Many of the men and women go into battle as one person and return as another.

Dr. Victor Voth, a licensed clinical social worker, counsels couples after a spouse returns from Iraq or Afghani-stan. According to him, when the sol-diers serve in Iraq or Afghanistan, they suffer from lack of sleep.

“The stress of what they are doing (and) lack of sleep takes an incredible toll,” said Dr. Voth. For many, this has led to PTSD.

PTSD is not originally a military term; it is used for others such as rape victims. In fact, you can see many similarities in the symptoms.

“They avoid talking about it,” said Dr. Voth. “They re-experience it, they are emotionally numb, they have flashbacks and nightmares or they experience hyperarousal.”

Hyperarousal is a condition where a soldier is extremely reactive. He or she could “go from 0 to 90 miles an hour” in a second when something as simple as a helicopter flies over, said Dr. Voth.

He has counseled men who didn’t want their wives to touch them in the middle of the night because they might bolt up and attack them.

Joshua Mears, a specialist in the Army who has served in Iraq and is now preparing for a second deploy-

ment, said it was difficult to adjust back to “normal” life.

“You were used to only four hours of sleep,” he said. “You were used to hearing explosions throughout the night. You would wake up in the mid-dle of the night on fire, ready to fight.”

Many soldiers also struggle with regret. “You always think if I did something differently, if…” sighed Mears. “You wake up a lot thinking of the lost soldiers, asking why they had to die and not us.”

Although it has been about a year since he returned to Hawai‘i, “to this day” he experiences nightmares. “You wake up with a cold sweat.”

Mears lost five fellow soldiers

Supporting the walking woundedduring his deployment; one was his best friend. These were hard blows for Mears. “(I) cried a lot, relied on other soldiers who went through it before” and the support of family and friends.

Now, as the time draws close for his second deployment to Iraq, Mears is remembering the thoughts and feelings of his first deployment. “I was terri-fied,” said Mears. “(There was) a lot of exploring and thinking about death.”

Does he have any hesitation or fears about his impending deployment?

“Not really, knowing that we’re go-ing to Iraq where there is less fighting,” he replied. If they were being deployed to Afghanistan, the current “hot spot,” he said he would feel much the same as the first time.

With his second deployment, things are a little different. He will be getting married in a couple of weeks and will enjoy his honeymoon and Christmas with his family before leav-ing for Iraq.

And this deployment is not at the beginning of the war but rather at the end. His team will be tearing down the bases and preparing to exit.

The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has affected and changed the lives of so many in our armed services.

However, the Army has learned to recognize PTSD and help the men and women who suffer from it through counselors such as Dr. Voth and the support of the government and com-munity.

The goal is to give these soldiers the support they need — both on the battlefront and when they return.

Hawai‘i more at risk with onset of El Niño

b y S u m m e r C a v a s s oKa ‘Ohana Writer

A U.S. Army soldier provides security after an attack during a situational training exercise as part of his basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

SENIOR AIRMAN DESIREE N. PALACIOS/ DOD

Long l ines at t he gas pump…barren grocery

store shelves…empty battery displays…and skyrocketing bottled water sales. Scenes such as these are sure signs that a hurricane is heading our way.

It seems almost unbe-lievable that these beautiful islands could be scarred by a natural disaster, but anyone who has lived through a hur-ricane knows they should not be taken lightly. Just ask someone from New Orleans.

A hurricane is a tropical cyclone in which winds reach speeds in excess of 74 miles per hour. Along with these winds come torrential rains and the ability to produce high waves and damaging storm surges. They are the largest storms on Earth.

Though not as frequent as hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands are no strangers to these monsters.

b y P a t r i c k H a s c a l lKa ‘Ohana Editor in Chief

homes and killing six people. Damage to O‘ahu and other islands was also extensive.

Fortunately, the Hawaiian Islands have been spared from any disasters such as these in recent years, but WCC profes-sor Floyd McCoy warns that

NOAA

The eye of Hurricane Iniki slams into Kaua‘i on Sept. 11, 1992.

The last two hurricanes to make landfall in Hawaiʻi were Iwa in 1982 and Iniki in 1992, and damages exceeded $2.5 billion statewide. Dur-ing Iniki, the eye of the storm passed directly over Kaua‘i, destroying thousands of

changing conditions could lead to another whopper head-ing this way soon.

“We’ve been so lucky,” said McCoy, “because the storms this season stayed south, though a couple did head this way.”

McCoy stressed that a cur-rent shift to El Niño conditions in the Pacific will heighten Hawai i̒’s chances for a major storm.

“What fuels a hurricane is heat…warm water,” said Mc-Coy. “Where we (Hawai i̒) get

this warm ocean is an El Niño in the equatorial Pacific.”

An El Niño occurs when easterly trade winds weaken across the Pacific, and warmer waters of the western Pacific migrate eastward and eventu-ally reach the South American coast. This periodic shift is thought to happen roughly every four to seven years.

“With an El Niño the storms track right into us because the warmer water is

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CAMPUS NEWS 3Ka ‘Ohana

A new campus wireless sys-tem that provides students with greater coverage and

faster speed is now available, thanks to WCC’s Computing Services and a Title III federal grant.

Since August 2006, the college has had wireless hotspots in every build-ing that provided wireless access from the lobbies, conference rooms, and selected common areas such as the library and the cafeteria.

Coverage didn’t extend to most classrooms, though, and the system wasn’t very reliable with various ac-cess points freezing every week and needing to be manually reset.

Now, students and faculty will have reliable wireless access wherever they go in campus buildings and in adjacent outdoor seating areas. Upload and download speeds will be faster too, thanks to stronger signals and added support.

The primary means to gain wire-less access is now through the “WCC Campus WPA2” network using the

passphrase “windward96744.” The original “WCC Campus”

network password, “96744,” will continue to be available for older devices that can’t support stronger WPA2 security, but it won’t provide the faster speeds.

Students having difficulty gaining wireless access can contact the Comput-ing Services staff for assistance by call-ing 235-7314 or stopping by their offices in No’eau 121. WCC’s wireless network is built on cutting-edge ZoneFlex 7962 access points from Ruckus Wireless.

Ruckus is a relatively new company founded in 2004. The outstanding per-formance and cost-effectiveness of their products have led it to being ranked #1 on Inc. Magazine’s 2009 list of America’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Tele-communications Companies.

WCC’s wireless network upgrade was made possible through Title III funds secured by Vice Chancellor of Student Services Lui Hokoana that pro-vided $35,000 for the Ruckus Wireless equipment and $15,000 for upgrades to the underlying wired network.

The new Ruckus Wireless sys-tem should serve the college well for at least the next five years and possibly much longer. I believe we’re the first campus in the UH system to provide its students with ubiquitous wireless coverage at fast 802.11n speeds, and we have a sys-tem that’s prepared to accommodate significant growth.

We’re already seeing up to 100 simultaneous wireless connections from laptops and portable devices such as iPhones and the iPod Touch, and I wouldn’t be surprised for that number to quadruple in the coming years.

Hurricanes from page 2there,” said McCoy. “It’s when hurricanes cross land or get into cold water they lose their engine. As long as it is able to continue getting warmth from the ocean, it’s going to continue to be a hurricane.”

Both hurricane Iwa and Iniki occurred during an El Niño year.

So conditions are ripe, and as history has shown, these storms are a real threat to our isolated home and should not

be ignored.“We are overdue…we are

in for a lot of damage out here that we’re not prepared for,” warned McCoy.

So how prepared are you for a hurricane?

According to the Na-t ion Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), early preparation is essential.

People in hurr icane-prone areas should develop

b y M i c h a e l To mSpecial to Ka ‘Ohana

WCC wireless whenever and wherever

Students Scott Sutherland and Hylie Santos enjoy WCC’s new wireless system.kA ‘ohANA StAff

a family hurricane prepared-ness plan, create a disaster supply kit and be aware of evacuation routes and shel-ters in their area.

They also should learn how to properly hurricane-proof their home and have a pet plan (many hotels and shelters will not allow pets).

For detailed instructions visit www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/disaster_pre-vention.shtml.

At the ASUH-WCC induction: (front) Jason Kamalu-Grupen, Elijah Martin, Cherine Fernandez; (back) Leslie Opulauoho, Ali Sek, Chancellor Doug Dykstra, Vice-Chancellor Lui Hokoana, Casey-Blu Judd, Jason McMullen.

ASUH-WCC plans more events for spring

ASUH-WCC president Casey-Blu Judd sa id

students can look forward to another full semester of activities in the spring.

They include a Welcome Back event Jan. 11, a “Speak Out” session on a current community issue Feb. 11, more Mid-Month Munchies and a free concert with food and games and the possibil-ity of Okla Moc performing in a free campus concert in April.

“We’re on a good path now, “ said Judd. “The stu-dent government has really grown and developed as a group.”

Judd said the highlight

of the fall semester was the Halloween Haunted Ho-tel, a project coordinated by t he s t udent gover n-ment, which drew crowds of people.

“That project was really inspirational,” Judd said. “It showed us we could do a bigger event for the com-munity.”

Judd said there are also plans to incorporate leader-ship training into the stu-dent government experience with independent study and service learning opportuni-ties.

A n y s t u d e n t w h o wants to get involved can contact student life advi-sor Lesl ie Opulauoho at 235-7469 or stop by Hale ‘Akoakoa 207.

b y K a ‘ O h a n aNews Staff

lANCE UyEdA

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4 CAMPUS NEWSKa ‘Ohana

WCC students conquer WorldQuestb y K a ‘ O h a n a

News Staff

A WCC student team placed among the top winners in the

University WorldQuest com-petition at the UH-Mānoa campus Nov. 19, sponsored by the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council.

Joshua Garcia, Jason Mc-Mullen, Phillip Michaels and Vandeth Sek took third place in the rigorous competition against over 20 teams from four-year colleges and uni-versities.

A UH-Mānoa Honors Col-lege team took first place and a combined team from UH-Mānoa and Hawaii Pacific University took second. WCC was the only community col-lege represented, with 33 students on different teams participating.

“I’m very proud of our teams,” said political science professor Roy Fujimoto. “This WorldQuest was even tougher than the one held in the spring

WCC team members Ali Sek, Mike Michaels, Joshua Garcia and Jason McMullen with UH-Manoa vice chancellor of academic affairs Reed Dasenbrock (second from right) at the recent WorldQuest event.

for only community colleges.”The winning WCC team

is the same one that took first place in the 2008 spring com-petition.

“We were happy to place in this one,” said McMul-len. “Almost every question

was long with multiple parts. There were 60 questions and we had only 45 seconds to respond to each question.”

Fujimoto said there were six categories of subjects: wa-ter, population and devel-oping countries, alternative

fuels, globalization, people in the news and geography of Asia and the Pacific.

Now, the winning WCC team is looking forward to competing in the spring WorldQuest competition with other community colleges.

UNITED NATIONSWhich country from the

following list is the newest member of the United Nations?

A. MontenegroB. Timor-LesteC. SwitzerlandD. Tuvalu

2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS GAMES: HAWAII This Olympian’s nickname is “The Bird.” As a student at Kaiser High School, he didn’t play volleyball. But at the Uni-versity of Hawai‘i, he tied the school record for aces (54) in 2000. Who is he?

A. David LeeB. Lloy BallC. Clay StanleyD. None of the above

WORLD RELIGIONSDiwali is a festival of lights

in which of the following religions?

A. SikhismB. JainismC. HinduismD. Islam

pASt SAMpLE QUEStIONS:

offset the estimated 750 pounds of fertilizer purchased yearly by the WCC agriculture program, according to Dave Ringuette, AG coordinator.

“The only way this was ever going to (work) was by designing a successful – a truly operational – self-harvesting bin,” Jaffe said. After three years of testing and fine-tun-ing, Jaffe is finally confident the Pipleline system will be successful at sites like WCC.

The biggest drawback to worm composting on the com-mercial-scale in the past was the labor-intensive “harvest-ing.” Separating the worms from the castings, or harvest-ing, is necessary twice a year in regular worm bins, and hap-pens — you guessed it — one handful at a time.

Without harvesting, tra-ditional bins cannot sustain living conditions to keep the

worm population healthy.The management of the

Pipeline system has been ultra-simplified, amounting to about 15 to 20 minutes of feeding and watering twice a week, accord-ing to Jaffe.

However, talking about sustainable practices is easier than implementing them.

“Systems change is the easy part – that’s getting in the equipment,” said Jaffe, “The challenge is getting people committed to run the system.

“It’s the social change –that’s the hard part.”

The challenge for WCC faculty, staff and students will be to determine a way for a community that cries “green” to make the behavioral changes necessary to actually be green.

Although this will only represent a percentage of the actual garbage generated on campus, WCC’s performance

will demonstrate to other facili-ties how to implement changes at their own sites.

Figuring out incentives to get the job done may sound easy, but it will take training, time and commitment for the system to work.

The worms will consume about one ton of organic waste per year, according to Jaffe. But WCC’s worm composting system can be more than just a source of fertilizer – bigger than the mere 20 feet of pipe that will quietly recycle food scraps and paper waste.

WCC can lead the way, becoming a model other worm sites will look to for inspiration. But only if we – as individuals and as a campus – can commit to the simple changes necessary to step up and become leaders.

Got ideas? Join the discus-sion by going to blog.KaOhana-Online.org.

Windward worms from page 1

Phi Theta Kappa induction

Newly inducted members of Windward Community College’s academic honor society, phi theta Kappa.

WCC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor

society for two-year colleges, welcomed 27 new members this fall. Membership in the group provides opportunities for leadership, services and fellowship.

The group sponsors blood drives and other service proj-ects for the community. Mem-bers can also qualify for schol-arships at four-year colleges and universities.

The new inductees are:Kimberly Anderson

Kaela BryantMicah CastroNatalie Choe

Patricia CorreaMichael Fellezs

Debra FordRyan GilardyJohn Gonzales

Naomi HanawahineVictoria Hiraoka

Sharon HolckLeah Joseph

Jason Kamalu-GrupenTabitha KauanoeSterling Lambert

Tri LeLeah LedwardJessica LeonardCarrie Masoe

Mike MichaelsCheri Pokipala

Sharon SagapoluRona Silva

Michele TavaresTanya Tilley

Bonnie-Gae Valmoja-Kaleikini

Help Hawai‘i be represented with a medal design for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Become a fan of “Sam Bui’s Design for the Youth Olympic Games Medal” page on Facebook.

Vote for the design from Dec.7 to Jan. 22.

For more details, email samuelbui@gmail.com or visit the FB page above.

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blog

PHOTOG

RAPHY Curious about the media?

Wonder how we get the news?Want to expand your skills?

Then check out:

JOURN 205 (WI)Basic News Writing9:45 - 11 a.m. T,Th

JOURN 285V (WI)Newspaper La11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. T, Th

Both meet the writing-intensive requirement.

For more info, email libby @hawaii.edu or call 235-7396.

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CAMPUS NEWS 5Ka ‘Ohana

Nowadays, you’re lucky if you can find a job — much less a career.

Indeed, the reality is that unemployment is climbing, companies are closing down and the job market is extremely competitive.

But if the future of mass media intrigues you, there’s a way to find out if the field is for you.

WCC is offering its Journalism 205 (basic news writing) and Journ 285V (newspaper lab) classes this spring semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:45-11 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. respectively.

The courses cover a range of subject matter —from writ-ing in journalistic style to graphic design and photography — which can ultimately lead to various careers in TV, print, Web, public relations and advertising.

The courses have helped to launch careers for some very successful people in Hawai‘i’s local media. Here is a look at their journey towards journalism and their thoughts on the field and its future:

Find your future in journalismb y L a n c e S a b a d oKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

The award-winning Ka’Ohana newspaper has recently add-

ed blogging for the Honolulu Advertiser to their repertoire.

The new blogging site, my-AdvertiserU, is to help UH stu-dents share their news, ideas and multimedia with each other and the community.

In a recent article about the launch of the site, Honolulu Ad-vertiser community news editor James Gonser said, “For the past three years, myAdvertiser.com has provided a free venue for community groups to post news stories and promote events online.

“We created myAdver-tiserU to give students experi-ence writing and posting stories online to help them with their careers and to let our readers know what is happening on campus,” added Gonser.

Ka ‘Ohana boys bloggingb y L a n c e S a b a d oKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

Journalism 285V students Baron Hashimoto, Damian Ly-man and Lance Sabado represent WCC on the website. They blog about sports, music and entertain-ment respectively and you can expect their blogs weekly.

Hashimoto says he values the opportunity. “Blogging for

the Honolulu Advertiser is a fun experience. The joy I feel knowing someone is actually reading my blog and commenting on it gives me a small taste of success.”

You can visit the Ka’Ohana’s home page at kaohanaonline.org or its blogging page at wccskao-hana.honadvblogs.com.

thErESA WOrdEN

Bloggers Baron Hashimoto, Damian Lyman and Lance Sabado.

James GonserCommunity News/Web Site Editor, Honolulu Advertiser

James Gonser’s love affair with journalism began almost immediately.

“When I f irst went to WCC, I didn’t know what I was going to study in college. I just happened upon the journalism class and it really altered the course of my entire life,” says Gonser.

“It opened a lot of doors for me. The class showed me that there was something I could do. I just found that I loved journalism,” says Gon-ser.

After Gonser earned his bachelor’s degree in journal-ism, he was awarded an in-

Melissa Malahoff-KameiSenior Account Executive, McNeil Wilson Communications

For Melissa Malahoff-Kamei, majoring in journal-ism once seemed far-fetched.

“I took journalism classes at WCC as electives and really enjoyed them. But at the time, I didn’t think of it as a career. As I went through college, I learned that there were a lot of things that interested me,” says Malahoff-Kamei.

After getting her Associ-ate in Arts degree, Malahoff-Kamei transferred to UH-Manoa. When a friend de-cided to change her major to journalism with an emphasis on public relations, Malahoff-Kamei saw an advisor about taking some classes in the same subject. She enjoyed the classes so much that she chose to make it her major, too.

It was then she realized that the journalism classes she took at WCC were not in vain.

She says about this, “The WCC journalism class helped give me an introduction to the field and allowed me a glimpse into the industry before fully committing to it.

“I realized I enjoyed the WCC class so much that when

the opportunity presented itself the second time around, I decided it was a really good option.”

Currently, Malahoff-Ka-mei is s senior account execu-tive at McNeil Wilson Com-munications, with major cli-ents in the travel and tourism industry. Although she loves what she’s doing, she adds that the public relations field is continually growing and becoming more demanding.

“It ’s not your typical broadcast versus print any-more. The field is changing—the availability of content online, the fact that people are turning more towards online media than ever before. The field is evolving and a lot more journalists are doing blogging and a little bit of everything.”

Brooks BaehrNews Reporter, KGMB 9 News

Although Brooks Baehr is now a household name, he’s had to work his way up the ranks to get where he is today.

Baehr has worked at the Sun Press, KHVH Newsradio 99, Oceanic Time Warner Cable and KHNL.

But he had his first, true taste of journalism at WCC.

Baehr says, “The jour-nalism class at Windward gave me direction. I’d taken a journalism class in high school and wrote a few things for the school paper, but hadn’t really considered journalism as a career until I enrolled at WCC.”

He adds, “What I liked

most about journalism class at Windward, other than the teacher, was the variety of ‘real life’ stuff we did. We interviewed newsmakers. We wrote. We did the lay-out. They even let me take pictures.”

Today, t he c lass has served him well and he is a news reporter for KGMB 9.

Occasionally he fills in as both a play-by-play voice on KFVE and sports anchor for Hawaii News Now.

Baehr feels that hands-on-experience is key for suc-ceeding in the journalism field.

“Anyone who is really interested in a career as a re-porter or news editor should study journalism in college. Write for the school newspa-

per. If your school has a TV or radio station, get involved.

“And while you’re in col-lege try to land an internship at a local newspaper or with a radio or television station. The value of true on-the-job train-ing cannot be underestimated.”

ternship and worked at Pacific Business News.

Then later, he worked at the Sun Press newspaper (now MidWeek) as managing editor for six years.

Today, Gonser works at the Honolulu Advertiser and

currently is their community news editor.

He has some advice on be-coming successful in both life and the journalism industry.

Gonser says, “The thing to do right now is to get a job and not be so worried that you’re getting the top pay or getting some type of quick recogni-tion or quick advancement.

“Do anything you can to learn, and make yourself more valuable to the employer.

“Journalism is going to be around, and the more things that you’ve done, the more valuable you are to the com-pany. Develop skills and you will become more hireable and that will help your career every time.”

A Christmas Carol: Over a Century

Charles Dickens’ classic tale

tells of a seemingly heartless man who is taken on a journey through his past, present and future that changes his at-titude and outlook on life. Over the last century, this story has been depicted in many different ways.

From the classic 1900 movie format to plays, cartoons and now in 3-D, the story’s timelessness endures. Mickey Mouse and friends, Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones, Kermit the Frog and his pals and Sesame Street inhabitants have all done renditions of the classic.

Now, in the recent film, Jim Carey lends his vocal talents to all the major characters while you are taken on his three-dimensional journey.

Notable Scrooges: George C. Scott (Fire-starter), Patrick Stewart (Star Trek), Bill Murray (Ghostbusters), Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Jim Backus (voice of Mr. Magoo), Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show), Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), Tori Spelling (Beverly Hills 90210).

through the decades

1942 Holiday Inn Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire

Vaudeville performer Jim Hardy decides to retire after his partner runs off with his girlfriend. He starts a farmhouse inn in New England and opens it to the public on major holidays. Things work out well for him until his old partner shows up and Hardy’s new friend, Linda Mason, catches his eye.

1946 It’s a Wonderful LifeJames Stewart, Donna Reed

George Bailey is a man who has given everything he possibly could to his hometown at the expense of his own dreams. One Christmas Eve, he decides that his life is not worth it after discovering he has lost a large loan. His guardian angel Clarence comes to Earth to persuade him that suicide is not the answer. George isn’t convinced, so Clarence shows him what the town would have been like had he never been born. He realizes the impact he made and concludes that he really does have a wonderful life.

1947 Miracle on 34th St.Maureen O’Hara, Natalie Wood

When the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is out a Santa Claus, event planner Doris must find a new one soon. A man calling himself Kris Kringle arrives to take the place and does a great job. Doris is skeptical about his being the real Santa Claus, as is her daughter, Susan. To prove who he really is, Kringle allows himself to be institutionalized at Bellevue and put on trial. It takes a lawyer who believes in him to show that he really is Santa Claus.

1983 A Christmas StoryPeter Billingsly, Darren McGavin

Ralphie knows exactly what he wants for Christmas: a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot, Range Model Air Rifle. Throughout his mission to convince everyone that it is the best gift and he should have it, his friend gets his tongue stuck to a pole on a triple-dog dare and his request is shot down by his parents, teacher and even Santa Claus with the infamous line: “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.”

1989 Christmas VacationChevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid

The Griswolds are having Christmas at their house this year, and they are hoping for the best. When do you ever find perfect with this family? The normal craziness ensues as relatives arrive and, of course, who can forget dear Uncle Eddie. However, Clark continues to try for the greatest Christmas because he knows that his Christmas bonus is coming soon.

1990 Home AloneMacaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci

Kevin McAllistair is eight years old and has just been forgotten by his family as they fly off to France for a Christmas vacation. At first he likes living alone; it has its perks compared to before when he was picked on because he’s the youngest. Kevin soon realizes he was wrong, especially when he learns he has to defend his home against Harry and Marv, two bumbling idiot burglars.

Classic Christmas movies

b y M J C h r i s t o p h e rKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

Amidst the stress of final exams and the holiday season, it’s easy to get

overwhelmed with the idea of Christ-mas shopping for loved ones.

All across America, stores are run-ning specials to entice customers into their stores. But with money so tight, how do you afford presents for friends and family this year?

There are many ways WCC students are becoming savvy shoppers — from making homemade gifts to just putting the plastic card away and spending with cash instead.

“I leave my (credit) cards at home,” says WCC student Scot Lycan. “When I have cash, I see it as much more valu-able.”

Lycan was shopping for his daugh-ter here at Gallery ‘Iolani on campus during “A Christmas Fantasy” Dec. 3 – 6. The event featured many arts and

crafts — from art prints to handcrafted jewelry.

WCC student Monica Spencer par-ticipated in some after-Thanksgiving specials on the day commonly known as “Black Friday. ” That’s when stores across the nation offer special discounts, and consumers eagerly wait in line for the doors to open in the early morning hours.

Arriving at Home Depot at 6 a.m., Spencer got the most for her dollar.

“I saved hundreds,” says Spencer. “I was able to get a Christmas tree that was originally $200 for $50.”

Even online, it’s apparent that stores are trying to get customers to still keep purchasing, with many popular stores such as Target offering their “Daily Deal,” when an item selected for the day offers free shipping.

Other sites such as Overstock.com remain popular, where customers can get name-brand products at half-price.

Student Samantha Frick was able to save money online as well by shopping through BestBuy. “I bought a TV, and buying it online I saved about $250,” she says.

Of course, there are sites that will even find the deals online for you, such as DealRocker.com, which searches the Internet to find you a coupon for that item you want to purchase this Christmas.

If you’re looking to put more of a personal touch on your presents this year, there are still options to save money.

“I’m making everyone’s gift this year,” says student Maria Harr. “Some-times I make accessories, like necklaces, earrings and bracelets.”

Student Josephine Spencer makes homemade gifts as well.

“Sometimes I just go to PriceBusters and start stringing things together. I like cooking too, and baking things as a gift.”

b y M e g a n H a r d i nKa ‘Ohana Writer

I have very vivid memo-ries of gathering with my family to watch “The Sound of Music” and “White Christmas” during the holiday break. Throughout college, and even now, when-ever we can all be home for the holidays, my parents, my brothers and I will gather to watch these shows. The only difference is that now we have the shows on DVD and we can press pause when we want to get more food.

Leslie OpulauohoStudent life coordinator

Ka ‘Ohana staff and Santa Claus, 200

9

Baron, Pat, Libby, Theresa & Lance

Meigan, Santa, Tori

Damian & Patty

The kitchen was al-ways a flurry of activity for Christmas. Each family was assigned a traditional dish to bring. Everything, from cranberries to pumpkin pie, was made from scratch. One real treat was picking at the pieces of turkey while my uncle carved it. Mom making turkey gravy with beer was another special touch. All of it was delicious and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Alan RagainsSpeech professor

A

B

C

D

E

F

Match the childhood photos to the WCC staff

they belong to. Find the correct answers on page 12.

G

Kathleen French Alan Ragains MJ Lewis Christine Akiona Carla Rogers Robert BarclayLibby Young

I believed in Santa Claus long after most of my friends gave him up. I think it was because I was convinced I had seen the “real” Santa when I was about four years old. In truth, this appari-tion was my normally quiet dad who had dressed up in a Santa suit, tiptoed into the living room and chuckled his best “Ho, ho, ho as he lay presents under the tree.

My mom, I later found out, was her own Mrs. Claus. She stayed up late many nights to sew intricate Barbie doll dresses but maintained all along that it was Santa’s elves who did the work at the North Pole.

We followed all the Santa traditions, including care-fully setting out milk and cookies for The Bearded One on Christmas Eve, in case he got hungry on his long jour-ney. I even made my parents move the wood out of our fake fireplace in Detroit so Santa wouldn’t hurt himself coming down the chimney.

Libby Young English professor

A Christmas memory I have was that my family and I would go to a candlelight church service on Christmas Eve and when we got back, Santa would have arrived. Opening presents on the Eve was a tradition in my father’s family. We would sleep late the next morning and enjoy the presents when we got up.

MJ LewisSpeech instructor

Christmas Memories

Holiday shopping on a budgetNewer isn’t always better: vinyl’s steady resurgence

The holidays offer more than a chance to score great loot. We celebrate traditions with

family, indulge in decadent seasonal delights, and reminisce about Christmases past. Enjoy our collection of sugar-coated goodness to add to your holiday cheer.

Sweet Christmas treats for the senses

In the past 120 years, the de-sired music storage device

has evolved from unwieldy wax cylinders to mp3 play-ers – impressive by anyone’s standards.

Modern society constant-ly wants its music technology smaller and faster. And they want apps, too. And phones built into their music players. And cameras.

In the wake of technol-ogy, vinyl records fell hope-lessly out of fashion in the ’80s and ’90s to make room for cassette tapes and, even-tually, compact disks. (Don’t those seem archaic now?)

However, in the past few years, records have enjoyed a growing resurgence into the mainstream. Vinyl is often

preferred over mp3 by music collectors because of its rich-ness of sound.

“Vinyl does have an ad-vantage over mp3s in sound quality, but it’s hard to de-scribe with words. That ’s why people usually end up using words like ‘richer’ to explain it,” explained Hun-gry Ear Records owner Ward Yamashita.

Records add a more hu-man element to music lis-tening. The album art on a record sleeve is large and tangible, as opposed to a mere thumbnail on iTunes.

Albums are divided into an A side and a B side on record, the way the artist intended the listener to ex-perience the music.

More labels are realiz-ing that vinyl is becoming a viable medium for record

distribution. “Some customers buy

older vinyl records because it’s nostalgic for them, but there are also a lot of new artists releasing albums on vinyl,” Yamashita said.

Labels like Matador of-fer all their albums in vinyl, along with a free coupon for the mp3 versions of the songs to solve portability issues.

Amazon.com has recently started a vinyl-only collec-t ion as well. If you don’t trust the Internet, Hungry Ear in Kailua is home to the Windward side’s best record collection.

So when you’re about to buy that obligatory iTunes gift card for the music lover in your family because you don’t know what else to get him or her, consider vinyl. It’s not just for old people anymore.

b y D a m i a n L y m a nKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

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D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 9

W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

arts & entertainment8 Ka ‘Ohana

What is real? That’s the question WCC’s stu-dent performers will

set out to answer this spring in “The Velveteen Rabbit.”

The production is planned for February 2010 in Palikū Theatre, coordinated by WCC theatre professor Ben Moffat and award-winning direc-tor Ron Bright.

“The Velveteen Rabbit” is about a toy that is loved so much by a little boy that his fur is worn off and his nose is kissed bare, but he is still beautiful to the boy. Because of all this, Nursery Magic decides to make Rabbit real.

When it comes to the spring play, Moffat said he looks for a story that has a message. He especially likes to incorporate a literacy aspect for schools by using plays that are also books.

Moffat said that not only is this performance a way for students to give back to the community but it also showcases the students’ talents.

Some may say the children’s shows are not for them; however, he feels students will be “surprised at how much they will learn and like doing them.”

For those who are in his classes, work on the production can get you some course credit.

“Most schools don’t give credit for working on a production, “ Moffat added.

He enjoys children’s plays because of the imagination and the freedom he has to use his theatrical talents involv-ing stilts, masks and puppets.

Getting real with ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’b y M J C h r i s t o p h e r

Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

He also believes that it’s valuable performance t ra in ing as well as a good jumping-off point for stu-de nt s wh o want to pur-sue acting as a career.

Students get “a rea l sense of the hard work, training and dedication it takes to be an actor, “ Moffat explained.

An important measure for choos-ing a play has to do with the director wanting to put on that play. Bright brought the idea of producing “Velve-teen Rabbit” to WCC and has directed other performances here too.

“Ron is incredible and has a lot of experience. He works hard and is well-prepared,” said Moffat.

The auditions, held Nov. 23 and 24, helped set the tone for the production. “All I want to see is (the actors) at their most comfortable, “ said Moffat.

“It helps to see who worked and who worked well with others,” he added.

Unlike most auditions, students are

able to read lines again and try different characters.

According to Moffat, it’s about “ac-tors being bold enough to say I want to read again.”

WCC student Jocelyn Ishihara, who was Badger in the college’s “Wind in the Willows” spring 2009 production, audi-tioned and received the role of Nursery Magic.

Ishihara said, “The auditioning was the same: reading from the script the different characters you wanted to try for, although “Wind in the Willows” needed a song accompanied by piano as well.”

It may have been only a script reading; however, those who tried out showed how comfortable they were on stage. Some used voices for characters and others moved around the stage as

they read. WCC student Zack Gravitt also

auditioned and won the part of Mouse. When it came to reading the lines, he was “pleasantly surprised” to be able to do a scene with a group.

“I was expecting just me and the director reading the lines,” said Gravitt.

Ishihara said she really likes the atmosphere during the auditions.

“Moffat and Bright were really flex-ible, “ she added.

Ishihara said she likes having the opportunity to try for different parts.

“Most productions you have one shot and you have to make it count,” she explained.

Ishihara said she felt the script was well-adapted from the book; however, she added, “I’m biased. I already love “Velveteen Rabbit” and that’s why I wanted to audition.”

What about nerves? She replied, “It’s like learning a new

dance. Of course, you’re nervous at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes really fun.”

Gravitt mentioned he wasn’t nervous about the play, just a little worried about the script.

“I hadn’t intended to audition until that day, (Nov. 24)” he said. “ But I know a lot of people, so it’s going to be fun.”

A serious lack of funding is causing dissonance

and threatening the future of the Honolulu Symphony. This month the organi-zation officially f iled for bankruptcy.

“We’re talking about a $1.8 million debt, and that’s separate of payroll. There are vendor debts, printing, office rental, stagehands, l ight ing, and al l the ex-penses that go into putting on a concert. And these have been in arrears since last sea-son,” says Peter Shaindlin, chairman of the board of the Honolulu Symphony.

He adds, “We have no choice but to reorganize. Fil-ing a Chapter 11 means that we go on a business plan, saying to the judge, ‘This is our situation; please work us through it financially.’”

The Honolulu Symphony

Financial trouble for the Honolulu Symphony

The Honolulu Symphony has filed for bankruptcy after 100 years of memorable performances.

b y L a n c e S a b a d oKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

has been around for over 100 years and describes it-self as “the oldest American orchestra west of the Rocky Mountains.” With its long history of performances, it has become a staple for the community in the perform-ing arts.

To handle the financial cri-sis, they have decided to cancel their concerts for the rest of the year and may decide on cancel-ing some next year as well.

Steve Dinion, timpanist for the Honolulu Symphony and chair of the Honolulu Symphony Musician’s Or-chestra Committee, says of the cancellat ions, “We’re very concerned that the fu-ture of the Honolulu Sym-phony is in serious jeopardy by not producing concerts.”

Dinion adds, “Most of a symphony orchestra’s in-come comes f rom f und-raising. By not producing concerts, it’s going to make it harder—almost impos-

sible—for all forms of in-come.”

The lack of income for the organization directly affects the musicians. “For us musicians, it’s going to be hard to survive here. Some musicians are going to have

to leave Hawai‘i to look for work. Unlike a lot of met-ropolitan areas, there’s not much work available outside of the orchestra.”

To add to this, almost half of the musicians were notified that their HMSA

health insurance was ter-minated at the beginning of November.

There is a major im-pact for patrons too. The Honolulu Symphony has a

Perfomance Dates

Feb. 1 - Feb. 5 Elementary school shows, 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Public performances - Saturday, Feb. 6 and 13, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. & Sunday, Feb. 7 and 14, 2 p.m.

See Honolulu SympHony page 11

Director Ron Bright coaches WCC students (left to right) leah Koepell, mia Harr, and Derek Coble during a rehearsal of “Velveteen Rabbit.”

Tom holowach

courTesy of sTeve Dinion

D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 9

W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

9Ka ‘OhanaSports & Entertainment

Badgers bash Warriors’ bowl dreamb y B a r o n H a s h i m o t o

Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

UH SportS mEdia rElationS

After an awful record of 0-4 in October, coach Greg McMackin has the Warriors still fighting for a bowl with their record of 4-0 in November.

on top of the world with dino

Mike Rowe (left), host of “Dirty Jobs,” and World Wide’s Dino Pertzoff.

b y S c o t L y c a nKa ‘Ohana Writer

Ever wonder who trans-forms downtown Honolu-

lu into a holiday light display? The answer comes from

above, where the windows are. World Wide Window Cleaning makes buildings shine year ’round from 400 feet above the ground. Only at this time of year, the talented blue- shirted crew illuminates the streets as well.

“If we can hang from buildings, then we can hang from trees. It’s all about needs. If I can take care of my custom-ers, it’ll be profitable,” says Constantin “Dino” Pertzoff, 47, the company’s founder.

Yet, this is a man who, despite all of his achievements, started off from the ground up.

“I came to Hawai‘i from Maine to surf and got to the University of Hawai‘i. I started cleaning windows at store-fronts down in Waikīkī to make a living. I cleaned Dom-ino’s windows for a free pizza. That’s how I was able to eat!”

World Wide has t r i-umphed, even though the economy is in a deep recession.

The popular Discovery

Channel show “Dirty Jobs” took note of this and featured World Wide on one of their shows. Dino picked the most complicated building in the city to have host Mike Rowe rappel from — more com-monly known in the trade as “doing a drop.”

It took place at the 40-story One Waterfront Tower. The best way to describe the struc-ture is that it looks like glass piping – but it’s all windows.

Some of the overhangs are so deep that they require a block and tackle to pull you in towards the glass.

Today, World Wide com-mands the contracts of approx-imately 40 Honolulu high-rises and employs approximately 50 people, including the staff.

The key component of Dino’s success was when he di-versified the entire structure of his business for the 21st centu-ry. He set out to establish four new entities to work as satellite companies of World Wide, the “mother ship” as Dino refers to it. Together, they all work in unison and support each other, but ultimately World Wide is still the dominant entity.

In the world of rappelling from the roofs of 40-story

structures, you trust your life to whatever you anchor your ropes to. For most, climbing over the parapet wall of a building’s roof into your boson chair isn’t easy.

Looking 400 feet down can seem like a long way to some, incomprehensible to many. You have many backup strategies in place as required by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Your chair, equipped with your bucket, is secured by a descending device known as an SRT (Single Rappelling Technique), and you have an extra lanyard attached to your safety line.

Up on the roof, you are anchored to a $400 anchor installed by Honolulu An-chor, LLC, a company created by Dino and his friend Dave Anderson.

Should that fail for what-ever reason (by the way, it never has for Dino), you have an additional back-tie to what-ever standpipe or solid object you can find on the roof.

There really isn’t much danger involved at that point — just don’t get your hair too close to the SRT. If it ends up getting caught and sucked up

into the device, you will have a new haircut.

Once your descent begins, it really becomes entertaining. Who knows what you’ll see as you pass people’s apartments and offices.

With great views and jok-ing with your cohorts, you begin to forget that you’re cleaning windows, or even working, as you descend in unison and race each other to the ground.

Dino openly confides that divine intervention is respon-sible for his success as well. “We started the company in 1998. When I turned to God

and stopped my old habits, my life did a one-eighty. Sudden-ly, everything with the busi-ness began to click. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Mike Rowe from “Dirty Jobs” probably would. On the show, it appears that it all hap-pened very quickly, but Dino said it took all day to complete a single drop as Rowe made his harrowing descent for the cameras.

For more about the com-pany, or if you simply want a crazy job hanging lights on downtown trees for the holidays, visit their Web site at worldwidewindows.net.

JaimEE lEE

The University of Hawai‘i Warriors entered the 2009 season like every

other team in college football: playing for a winning record and a bowl game.

Unfortunately, they fell one win short, getting bam-boozled by the Wisconsin Badgers 51 – 10.

The Badgers are a Big Ten team whose “run it down your throat” type offense with halfback John Clay really wore down the Hawai‘i defenders. Sometimes size, speed and strength are just too much to overcome for a team playing primarily on emotion.

For the Warriors, it’s a story of what could have been. The season couldn’t have started any better when they won their first two games.

But after a crushing loss to UNLV in the last minute of the game, the Warriors never looked the same.

Senior quarterback Greg Alexander suffered a season-ending leg injury against Louisiana Tech and the War-riors went on a six-game los-ing streak in which four were double-digit losses to Boise

State, Fresno State, Idaho, and Nevada, the top teams in the WAC.

However, this adversity didn’t faze coach Greg Mc-Mackin as he pushed the team’s goal of “Drive for Five,” which he put in front of the team after their six-game los-ing streak: Win their remain-

ing five games and the War-riors would get their bowl bid.

Whatever the reason, this type of motivation worked as the Warriors went on to a per-fect 4-0 in November, winning three conference games and then upsetting Navy, whom very few gave the Warriors a chance to beat.

“We’re growing, peaking at the right time,” said Mc-Mackin. “We’re all in.”

In November, the team passed for over 299 yards in each game.

Quarterback performance has played a big part in the team’s success. In their six wins, they’ve had 14 passing touchdowns and only four interceptions. In the games they’ve lost, they had a total of 10 touchdowns passing and 11 interceptions.

The defense also stepped up their game in the past month, holding the opposition to an average of 17 points.

McMackin believed his team could accomplish their goal of winning the final five games and get their bowl game. “There’s really just a good attitude on this football team,” said McMackin.

McMackin’s words weren’t taken lightly, and his confi-dence rubbed off on players like senior linebacker Blaze Soares, who’s become a believer.

“Believe it or not, that’s one guy (McMackin) who has had so much confidence in his team,” Soares said. “All of us believe in one another.”

The team certainly faced its share of adversity this sea-son, starting with McMackin’s

gay slur that brought the coach to tears in his apology, the season-ending injury to senior Greg Alexander, and the tsu-nami in America Samoa that affected players on the team.

“I respect and love these players. They’ve fought, com-peted, worked, believed and stayed unified. And if we pull this off (the Drive for Five), I’ll never forget this group,” McMackin said before the final showdown against Wis-consin.

Although Warrior fans didn’t get their Christmas wish of a Hawai‘i Bowl game, which would’ve pitted them against former head coach June Jones and the SMU Mustangs, the team showed glimpses of progress and might have found their quarterback of the future in Bryant Moniz.

McMackin encouraging his team to keep fighting and get-ting back to a .500 record after a horrid six-game losing streak should instill some confidence in Hawai‘i fans.

Maybe we’ll never have an-other magical 12-0 season and make it to a BCS Bowl game again, but one thing is certain with McMackin in charge: the Warriors will play with heart and a belief that they can win.

Community News10W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

Ka ‘OhanaD e c e m b e r 2 0 0 9

Just yards away from Kamehameha Highway in Kāne‘ohe lies an an-cient Hawaiian treasure. Many people are probably un-

aware of He‘eia Fishpond, a 600- to 800-year-old resource hidden in the residential area near King Intermedi-ate School.

The property, owned by Kame-hameha Schools, is being restored by conservation and restoration organiza-tion Paepae o He’eia.

Executive director Hi‘ilei Kawelo says the fishpond and land parcel are used as outdoor classrooms for various educational programs.

The property runs from up the mauka (mountain) side down to Pihi, the loko i‘a (fishpond).

Kawelo explained “Pihi” was the original name of the He’eia fishpond and said, “It’s really important to not only reconnect with the land physi-cally, but to use the traditional place names because within them is their story of how these places came to be and why.”

The name Pihi came from the unique shape of the 88-acre pond. The walls of the loko i‘a create what looks like the rim of an opihi (shellfish),

He‘eia fishpond being restored

The future of another Hawaiian fishpond —

Waikalua Loko near the Ko-kokahi YWCA — rests with a long-time partnership be-tween WCC and the Pacific American Foundation.

Recently, WCC received an $800,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help PAF purchase the fish-pond from its current owners, Bayview Golf Course.

Funds remaining after the purchase will be used to help with restoration of the fish-pond as well as development of programs and service learn-ing opportunities for students.

“Our whole purpose is to become a model for other fishpond sites,” said Herb Lee, Jr., executive director of PAF.

“We’ve developed a cur-riculum, using the fishpond and ahupua‘a practices, that meets the DOE’s content and performance standards in sci-ence, math, social studies and language.”

Students, from kinder-garten to doctoral candidates, visit the pond on a regular basis.

“We also trained about 1,200 teachers statewide in the curriculum and have about 50

Huki i ke kalo! Huki, huki mai! Ku‘i i ke kalo! Ku‘i,

ku‘i mai!...” - Pull the taro! Pull, pull! Pound the taro! Pound, pound! That’s the ku-leana (responsi-bility) of Daniel Anthony as one of the owners of Mana ‘Ai (Pow-er Food).

The small family business sells kalo (taro), fresh poi, pa‘i‘ai (hand-pound-ed kalo) and i‘a malo‘o (dried fish).

Anthony tries to keep ev-erything about Ma na ‘Ai as culturally au-thentic as pos-sible; however, he said challenges regarding Department of Health regu-lations are proving difficult for the traditional practice of hand-pounded kalo.

Ancient Hawaiians be-lieve that kalo is the source of life, both spiritually and physically. It’s evident that Anthony has a deep respect for the spiritual side of kalo. It’s reflected in Anthony’s love

b y P a t t y Yo n e h i r oKa ‘Ohana Assistant Editor

measuring 1.3 miles in a full circle.Just 10 years ago, the breathtaking

area was completely covered in man-grove. It was then that eager volunteer conservationists took on the arduous task of clearing the area.

“This work takes persistence, pa-tience and lots of love,” Kawelo said from the heart.

Thanks to the restoration efforts of Paepae o He‘eia and volunteers, much of the invasive species has been eradicated from the fishpond, allow-ing the indigenous plants to renew themselves.

They’ve also restored about 1,500 feet of perimeter rock wall with an-other 5,500 feet to complete the job.

This pond utilizes the most highly technological system of all the ancient fishponds by incorporating a mākāhā or sluice gate. It allows the water to flow through grids placed at differ-ent locations in the wall, three on the freshwater side and three the ocean side.

On the mountain side of the prop-erty, freshwater from the stream is used to irrigate kalo (taro) crops. The plants act as a filter system for sedi-ment, and the clean water is allowed to flow into the fishpond, creating the perfect brackish water environment wherein micro- organisms thrive, thereby supporting fish life.

Fish cultivation has been success-ful at Pihi — however, only on a small scale. “It’s trial and error; there are no kupuna (elders) to tell us how it was done,” said Kawelo.

More volunteers are always need-ed, especially from WCC and the sur-rounding Ko‘olaupoko area. “We want people to come out and experience; learn the rich history of this place,” Kawaelo implored.

Paepae o He‘eia offers education, restoration and revenue-generating programs for the community to get involved in. For more information on Paepae o He‘eia and their programs, go to www.paepaeoheeia.org.

Take in the view of He‘eia State Park and the yet-to-be-restored portion of Pihi loko i‘a.Patty yoNehiro

Funds for Waikalua Lokob y P a t t y Yo n e h i r o

Ka ‘Ohana Assistant Editor

core volunteers,” added Lee.Waikalua Loko is an 11-

acre site that uses mākāhā or sluice gates to regulate the flow of water and sustain fish and plant life.

Since 1980, WCC has been using the property as a community science lab for many courses ranging from oceanography and marine biology to Polynesian voyag-ing and Hawaiian studies.

“WCC’s faculty, includ-ing Dave Krupp, Floyd Mc-Coy, Winston Kong, and Clyde Tamaru, have had students do water quality testing, analyzing sediment

Clyde tamaru

and provided help with oth-er areas,” said Lee.

The Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) has been another key partner, who wil l work with the college in developing pro-grams and service learning projects.

PAF will be responsible for the upkeep and mainte-nance costs of the fishpond.

Everyone is invited to get involved with restoration on scheduled community workdays.

For more information, go to www.waikalualokofish-pond.org.

This school group is trying their hand at the art of paepae (roundup). This is a Hawaiian fishing practice where you lay a long net in a pond, then form a human line at one side of the pond and walk toward the net to scare the fish in. Once the fish are in the net, the catch is removed.

Pounding out a livingb y P a t t y Yo n e h i r o

Ka ‘Ohana Assistant Editorfor his family and in the way he operates Mana ‘Ai.

“I’ve been around kalo all my life; it’s what I love to do,” Anthony said passionately. He explained choosing to pound kalo as a business “was also a lifestyle choice,” one that

embraces the Hawaiian cul-ture. “I do it for my family, for their future,” he added.

Anthony is enthusiastic to share h is knowledge and teach peo-ple about the many facets of kalo. “I’d like to see the ancient waterways and kalo fields re-stored,” said Anthony. He feels strongly that it could

also help rebuild and strength-en our communities as well as restore a sense of pride and purpose beyond the obvious nutritional benefits and as-pects of sustainability.

Kyrie Kilinoe had the opportunity to experience a first-hand lesson in ku‘i ‘ai, or pounding kalo, from Anthony.

tori laNgly

Daniel Anthony pounds kalo the ancient, traditional way.

See KAlO mAn PAge 12

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My wish is that people realize religion doesn’t need to cause fighting and for everyone to be less greedy. I wish our troops and money would stop being dumped into the Middle East. I wish some sort of peace for Israel.

— Joshua Rodriguez

I wish there to be less ter-rorism in the world. We live in a world where groups and alliances are being formed and taking away many innocent lives.

— Toriano Taulogo

I wish for gas prices to go down or an alternate fuel be made that is equally pro-ductive but cheap. I want the American soldiers to come back home from the war and the countries to compromise

so people don’t have to risk their lives.

— Brent Watanabe

I wish for peace. I wish for everyone to stop judging one another and to see everyone as equal. I wish for us to emerge from this economic crisis. I wish for the world to Go Green!

— Candice Parcher

I wish more people to be eco-friendly. I wish every-one would care about the Earth and more research be done on our own planet and not on Mars. I wish the world would come to a sensible agreement of peace. I wish the world would love more. I wish that not a single person would be a victim of terrorism in 2010.

— Joshua Lamont

My wish for 2010 is that marijuana be legalized so the government can tax it and get this country out of debt. I believe the taxes on that alone can bring the budget to an acceptable bal-ance. I also wish for a hous-ing allotment for full-time college students. It would be nice.

— Rochelle Chambers

I would enjoy it if people in America read more. I want more Americans (to spend) their free time read-ing books instead of watch-ing cheap, frivolous reality shows. I believe this may change the next genera-tion and improve all kinds of things throughout the world.

— Robert Jenner

I suppose my wish could be labeled as unrealistic— but if there were no prejudice that would be a world I’d love to live in. No religious hate, racial discrimination, etc. If every country and person could pull together to help the priorities of the world, not just themselves, that would be my wish for 2010.

— Sam Maxwell

I hope the healthcare bill goes over well and I hope for world peace and unicorns.

— Colin Cassady

My wish is to divide the richest one percent of the world’s wealth to the working poor class, then let s̒ see who runs the show with real democ-racy not bought with money.

— Jason Word

What is your wish for the world in 2010?

fan base—some of whom have been attending the symphony for years and even decades.

“There’s no opportunity for them (the patrons) to hear classical music performed by a full orches-tra—no Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin, Shostakovich—nothing,” says Dinion.

“The symphony isn’t only for people who like classical music. It’s also for people who like the Pops concerts. We do Broadway, country, Hawaiian, rock and roll, jazz.”

Some say the biggest impact will be on the community as a whole and young, aspiring musicians.

Although the Honolulu Symphony is known mostly for its shows at the Blaisdell Center Concert Hall, many of the symphony’s musicians perform and teach music in the community.

WCC’s music appreciation and theory professor So Jin Kimura is saddened by the whole situation and says, “It is most unfortunate that the symphony has experienced all the hardships that it has. The symphony’s musicians are a great source of education for our children and the community. They serve as private instructors and ensemble coaches.”

Kimura remembers a personal exper ience wit h t he Honolulu Symphony.

“As a child, I had the opportu-nity to perform with the Honolulu Symphony three times. The last per-formance was when I was a senior in high school. I performed the 3rd movement of ‘the Gershwin Piano Concerto in F.’”

“I stepped out on stage and the students started to clap and cheer. The music started and I was trans-ported into another world and all I cared about was making music. I forgot about everything around me. At the end of the piece, the stu-

dents were clapping and cheering so loudly that it snapped me back into reality. That moment solidified my decision to make music my life.”

Despite the obstacles, Shaindlin has faith that the symphony will bounce back and grow from all this. “I view this situation—as challeng-ing and daunting as it is—as a huge opportunity for the institution to reconceive itself for the future.”

All in all, time can only tell what the future holds for the symphony.

Certainly, though, the orches-tra’s musicians and the community are not ready for the Honolulu Sym-phony’s final curtain call.

There are a lot of things I would wish for the world in 2010, but I find nearly all of them impossible to become re-ality. I will say, I wish for people to care about what is happening around them because, like in the past, individuals can make a difference.

— Ada Garcia

My biggest wish is for us to come out of this eco-nomic crisis. A lot of people are struggling, aren’t getting paid enough and getting laid off from their jobs. I want America to learn from it. I wish that the war would end. There are so many people dead from it. I’m not even sure why the world is still at war. We need to bring our troops home to their families. I want peace!

— Jennie Ortegon

Honolulu Symphony: a community resource from page 8

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End of Fall Semester

8WCC Fair at Windward Mall

Don’t forget to pay your school fines before the end of the semester.

The business office will not be open over break.

4

Dec. Jan. Calendar

Star of Bethlehem:“The Magi’s Story”7 p.m., Imaginarium

Star of Bethlehem:“The Magi’s Story”11 a.m. & 7 p.m., Imaginarium

Star of Bethlehem:“The Magi’s Story”7 p.m., Imaginarium

First Day of InstructionJan.11Late RegistrationJan. 11 - 15

Merry Christmas

Exa m Week

Kalo man from page 10 She said, “I was embar-

rassed to try at first, but I felt really proud when I was done. I couldn’t wait to share the pa‘i‘ai with my family.” An equally proud Anthony encouraged, “That’s what it’s all about.”

As traditional Hawaiian companies grow, so will the need for state regulations that are culturally sensitive

to their practice, both ancient and modern. Mana ‘Ai’s fu-ture may be uncertain; how-ever, Anthony perseveres to find the delicate balance that will allow him to perpetuate Hawaiian culture in today’s westernized Hawai’i.

For more information on Mana ‘Ai and their products visit http://manaai.com/ or call 542-1326.

A. MJ Lewis B. Christine Akiona C. Libby Young D. Robert Barclay E. Carla Rogers F. Kathleen French G. Alan RagainsAnswers:

12 Ka ‘Ohana