ka ohana december 2012
DESCRIPTION
Student newspaper Windward Community College, December 2012TRANSCRIPT
Volume 42, No. 4 December 2012
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K a O h a n a O n l i n e . o r g
Suppose you were strug-gling in a course and someone said there was a
way to improve your grade by attending free, regular tutor-ing. Would you use it?
Supplemental instruction (SI) is a WCC program in which an advanced student reviews course material in a relaxed group setting before or after your class. Some students say it’s like having a second pair of eyes for the course in-formation you have received.
Now, what if you found out this program could be jeopardized due to lack of funding?
WCC is in its third year of a $4 million, five-year federal Title III grant that supports the SI program as one of its initia-tives. However, the money is slowly running out, leaving WCC with decisions that may come quicker than expected.
When the program began in 2009, only three “gatekeep-er” courses were given SI, but since then the program has grown to include 22 different SI leaders attached to 41 sec-tions in 27 different courses, according to SI coordinator Loea Akiona.
A “gatekeeper” course is one that has a high enrollment with a low passing rate.
WCC history professor Janice Nuckols was asked by Akiona if she would be inter-ested in using SI.
She explained, “I had never heard of supplemen-tal instruction before, but I thought it sounded interesting.
See page 3
Former WCC student wins national award
See page 2
Science and safety: tsunamis
See page 8
Changes at Castle draw mixed reviews
See pages 6-7
Naughty or nice?‘Tis the season
Castle High School undergoes controversial
changes
Learn more about tsunamis and how to prepare for next time
Larry Martin is named the top electrical engineering
student in the nation
Get in the holiday spirit with Ka ‘Ohana’s
gift ideas
SI: Future in limbo? I thought of a student, Phillip Goff, who had just taken one of my classes.
“SI is perfect for those, like Phil, who want to teach, so I asked him to participate as a leader.
“After that first semester when I was approached, I had to request to have SI, and the following semester I had to fight to have SI. They wouldn’t let me have more than two supplemental instruction courses,” said Nuckols.
Instructor Malia Lau Kong explained that the first two semesters supplemental in-struction was at WCC, it was easily accessible. However, by the third semester, the fund-ing wasn’t as readily available.
Title III grants are written for the institution with the understanding that the school will determine if the program can continue with its own funds.
Each year, Vice Chancel-lor of Student Affairs Ardis Eschenberg goes before the Planning and Budget Commit-tee and requests funding for programs like supplemental instruction.
Eschenberg explained that
last year, since SI had three years left on the grant, instead of putting more money into the program then, the college decided to hire an additional financial aid officer.
“When there is campus demand for things, we find ways to prioritize them,” she said.
In the next two and a half years the college will have to make some changes due to available funds left for the pro-gram. Steps are being taken to extend the program until other sources of funding are found.
SI student Greer Waiolama explained how SI benefited her.
“It gave us a chance to ask questions that we were too shy to ask in class,” she said. “It also helped me to be more en-gaged during Professor Frank Palacat’s psychology class.”
SI instructor Goff has seen results, proving that the pro-gram is helpful. Professor Nuckols’ World Civilization 151 class had an average grade of a C- for students who did not attend SI, while those who attended had a letter grade average of a B.
SI gives students the op-portunity to not only go over coursework again, but to re-ceive help with studying, note-taking and test-taking skills.
Goff explained, “I’m kind of like a tour bus guide, and Janice is the driver. She takes you where you need to go and then students come to SI and I just point out, ‘Hey, did you see this? Did you hear her talk about this?”
Both Eschenberg and Nu-ckols agree that SI is key to
effective learning.“SI is providing the re-
sources for students but not the answers. They don’t do the homework for them,” Eschenberg said. “Ideally, SI’s are working on how to study.”
Nuckols added, “I think SI courses demand more from students. I think you’re invest-ing more time and effort than if you didn’t go to SI. It forces you not to be lazy.”
However, there are op-posing views. Some students complain that some classes al-low extra credit only through attending SI or that SI is man-datory, even for those who don’t necessarily need or want to attend.
No matter the outcome of the program, the grant will
eventually run out. Former WCC administra-
tor Lui Hokoana explained that the decision to continue the program or not depends on the campus.
“It will be a difficult deci-sion if they decide to continue funding. The money would need to come from another area because it is unlikely any new money will be available,” he said.
Nuckols, a true believer in SI, expressed her concern for the future of the program.
“It would be hard for me to give it up,” she admitted. “I mean, I would teach es-sentially the same way, but it would be very sad if I knew that my students didn’t have the support that SI provides.”
Santa and Mrs. Claus make an appearance at the annual Kane’ohe Christmas Parade.
Happy holidays from the Ka ‘Ohana staffJESSICA CRAWFORD
b y S k y l e r L u c a sKa ‘Ohana Writer
See page 9
Student sails from Tahiti to Hilo
Read how WCC’s Polynesian Voyaging
class is involved
“We’re looking at as many ways as we can and attempting to figure out a way to keep (SI) going because it works.” -Ardis Eschenberg
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W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E
2 NEWS of the DAYKa ‘Ohana
Living in Hawai‘i can be a paradise of beaches and blue ocean, but having
a coast on all sides is its own danger.
Tsunamis, a series of waves on the ocean caused by “sudden displacement of the sea floor, landslides, or volcanic activity,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), can and have done severe damage to the Hawai-ian island chain.
Hawai‘i ʻs last tsunami came after an earthquake off the coast of British Columbia. Warnings went out across the state as people scrambled to evacuate low-lying areas.
Drastic sea floor changes cause tsunamis because, as Dr. Floyd McCoy, WCC professor of geology and oceanography, says, “Water is incompressible – it cannot be squeezed.”
When a landslide sud-denly occupies a portion of the sea floor that water was oc-cupying moments before, the water does not get squeezed to fit into place.
Instead the energy is pushed in the direction of the displacement, moving under-
water in the deep sea. When the waves reach
shallower points in the sea floor they rise and we begin to see raised walls of water on the ocean’s surface.
The waves can carry con-siderable force with them onto land, but they do not move at the same high speeds with which they move through the sea.
Objects on land are ripped up and carried away by the strong wall of water, called a “bore.”
“Whatever is in that [bore] becomes a battering ram,” Mc-Coy says.
Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis, or DART buoys, are spread around the coasts bordering the Pacific Ocean, with a few in the Indian and Atlantic oceans.
They keep track of the en-ergy moving in the deep sea. They also allow for an early warning system in Hawai‘i, but being warned is only helpful for those who are prepared.
The government-run web-site Ready.gov suggests you put together an emergency kit and create an emergency plan with your family.
Kits should contain basic
items such as food, water, medications and supplies for an entire household.
Each family member of a household should know where the emergency kit is and be able to reach it within a short amount of time.
When planning for emer-gency situations like tsuna-mis, parents should take into account the emergency plans of their children’s school. Some schools require parents to pick up their children as soon as a warning is issued.
During emergency situ-ations, telephone lines fre-quently become overloaded,
making it hard, if not impos-sible, for phone contact.
Therefore, it is essential for
New York family takes direct hit from Superstorm Sandy
When Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast Oct. 29, it was called
“the storm of the century.” New York subways flooded and thousands of people fled to shelters as wind and rain destroyed block after block of homes.
No place was harder hit than Breezy Point, NY, a picturesque com-munity in Queens. The storm sent waves down the street like a river, residents said. To make matters worse, a fire started and spread rapidly, forc-ing residents to grab what little they could before evacuating — some in chest-deep water.
Out of about 2,800 houses on Breezy Point, 111 were completely destroyed. Homes lucky enough to escape the fire’s deadly wrath still suffered from massive flooding and wind damage. The town is still with-out electricity and residents have been told not to expect it to be restored until next year.
One of the survivors whose fam-ily home was reduced to rubble is Jeanie McDonald, a long-time friend of WCC information tech specialist Mike McIntosh. She talked about other family members who all lost virtually everything they owned and how many more families will be
struggling through the holidays.McDonald had moved to North
Carolina only a year ago to work on her bachelor’s degree in nursing and wasn’t in New York at the time Sandy hit.
“I had no idea my town was on fire,” she recounted. “I turned on the TV and there’s Breezy Point on the morning news with a headline ’50 houses on fire.’”
Her brother and parents still lived in the family home. Many of McDon-ald’s extended family had homes there as well. She called her uncle and received word they were safe, but he didn’t know which houses were on fire.
Finally she received a call from her mother saying they were evacuating since there was “nothing to do after that point.”
“I used to think it was great we all lived in the same town,” she stam-mered, “but when the storm hit, there was nowhere to go.”
Her cousin sent her a picture mes-sage later of the pile of burnt rubble that used to be her home. The caption said it all: “There’s no words.”
McDonald made the nine-hour drive to New York through tears and worries. “I tried to focus on the fact everyone was safe, that no one got hurt,” she said. “I kept telling myself it’s just a house, I still have my family.”
When she got to the scene, the dev-astation was beyond comprehension: The entire structure was destroyed down to the foundation.
The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined. McDonald was told it was an electrical fire, but nothing has been confirmed. With the heavy winds and the close proximity of the homes, the fire only spread further, destroying everything in its path.
“The damage is so vast that we ba-sically have to start all over,” she said. Her parents’ homeowner’s insurance covers the fire damage, and FEMA will provide additional assistance, but they were told to go through the insurance company first.
“Every home is ruined at least to the first floor, and many of these places
Be prepared for the ocean’s wrathb y M a r i a H a r r
Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
PACIFIC TSUNAMI MUSEUM
ILLUSTRATION BY PATRICK HASCALL
everyone to know their emer-gency plans and be prepared ahead of time.
(Top) A man stands on a pier facing the onslaught of the 1946 Hilo tsunami. (Below) A graphic representation of tsunami generation.
b y K e l l y M o n t g o m e r yKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
Jeanie’s sister in front of the mass devastation that used to be the McDonald family home. COURTESY OF JEANIE MCDONALD
SEE SUPERSTORM PAGE 12
W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E
CAMPUS NEWS 3Ka ‘Ohana
It ’s easy to walk past Hale’La’akea 234 on your way to The Hub and not no-
tice the sign that says, “Mental Health and Wellness Coun-selor.”
But that is where you’ll find Dan McAlinden, who of-fers personal counseling for all students on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
An appointment can be made by calling (808) 235-7413. The new service was created to help support WCC student success.
Mental health and counsel-ing are often associated with instability and shame. However counseling can benefit a student dealing with simple, everyday stress. McAlinden wants stu-dents to feel comfortable asking for help.
He says that the fear of coun-seling comes from the fear “. . . (that) something is wrong with me and I can’t handle it on my own. When that is not the case, sometimes we are the answer.
“That’s why we put mental
health and wellness (in the title). It’s because a lot of what we do here, it’s not an illness type thing. Everyone has issues. If we work on them, we can improve ourselves.”
Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Ardis Eschenberg en-courages students to use the resource McAlinden provides. “Personal counseling provides an opportunity to set goals, make changes and develop in a sup-portive context,” she explains.
“Our trained staff can assist you in making positive changes and improving the quality of your life.”
McAlinden is a UH alum-nus and holds a master’s in social work. He is graduating this year with his doctorate in psychology from Argosy Uni-versity. When he is not coun-seling students at WCC, he is interning at UH Mānoa as a staff therapist.
Firmly believing that ev-eryone has the ability to solve their problems, McAlinden says, “It’s only when people find their own solutions that it is more effective than being prescribed. “. . . That’s a part of what coun-seling is, to help people figure
how to come to their own solu-tions when counseling is not available.”
Eschenberg says she’s thankful for the services McAlinden has already pro-vided this semester. “In crises, he has been able to provide guidance and support to both staff and students.”
Everyone has to deal with the stresses of balancing work, school, family and friends. McAlinden wants to offer a safe place for students to deal with the struggles of life. He explains that he strives to “. . . create a safe environment where (students) don’t feel accused or criticized.”
If the scheduled times at WCC are inconvenient, he can find outside services that will work with a student’s health coverage.
The position was created this semester to meet students’ needs in a new way. Eschen-berg explained, “There have been a number of situations over the past two years that have made the need for men-tal health counseling services paramount.
“All the other UH commu-nity colleges had such a posi-
WCC grad named top engineering student
Former WCC student Larry K. Mar-tin has been named the most out-
standing electrical engineering stu-dent in the nation, winning the 2011-12 Alton B. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Award.
Martin, 26, earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at UH Mānoa last fall, and was nominated by Eta Kappa Nu, the national electri-cal engineering honors society, to be eligible for the award.
A few months passed and he was notified that he was a finalist. Martin was later named the winner of the award and is currently pursuing his master’s degree at UH Mānoa.
While these accomplishments are exceptional, there are other reasons to look to Martin as a role model, espe-cially for WCC students.
“I wasn’t a very good high school student,” said Martin laughing. “I didn’t have good grades in high school, which is, I think, something good to hear for some people because it’s never too late to turn it around and still be successful, even if you weren’t a good high school student.”
Martin, a Kailua High School graduate, spent one year after high school working to get money for college. He then proceeded to play football at a California community college for three semesters, where a knee injury sent him back home.
It was a natural decision for Mar-
tin to go to WCC upon returning to Hawai‘i. He took an interest in science courses while majoring in liberal arts and was ultimately led to engineering.
“The math courses that really helped me all the way through my classes at Mānoa were those more fundamental courses in algebra and pre-calculus at WCC,” said Martin, giving math teachers Jean Okumura and Wei-Ling Landers a lot of credit for helping him with his background in math.
He says that the fundamentals are key in higher level math courses, and that knowing the basics really well helps.
If given the chance to go back and do everything again, Martin said that he would still go to WCC before Mānoa. Before the end of the inter-
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2
McAlinden offers an open door
KA ‘OHANA STAFF
b y H a n n a h M a r q u e zKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
tion. This fall several factors helped to prioritize this as a top need for our campus.”
McAlinden offers an open
door and an opportunity for a student to be heard. “Students can always walk in, if in a cri-sis,” he says.
New mental health and wellness counselor Dan McAlinden welcomes students to free personal counseling at Hale La’akea 234.
b y E r i c L e v i n eKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
Larry Martin, the award-winning WCC alumnus who earned national honors.
view, Martin was asked what advice he could give to aspiring students at Windward. He said, “Don’t underes-timate the benefit you get from what you can learn at WCC.”
He also said that it just comes down to how hard you study and how much work you put in. One thing he did point out though, was that advi-
sors are an invaluable resource, so if students know that they want to con-tinue to a university, they should find an advisor to mentor them.
“I hope I’m proof that you can re-ally make something of yourself and be successful coming out of (WCC) and even in general, going to school in Hawai‘i,” he said.
• Bookstore Buy-back for fall semester, Dec. 10 - 14• Last day of fall semester, Friday, Dec. 14• First Day of Instruction - Monday, Jan. 7, 2013• Last Day for 100% Refund - Friday, Jan. 11, 2013• WCC Bookstore Extended Hours - Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, 8 a.m. - noon Monday, Jan. 7, 2013 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Service Learning Fair, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013 (noon - 2 p.m. Hale ‘Ākoakoa)
Important dates to remember
The first five students to answer the following questions based on this
December issue of Ka ‘Ohana will win a gift card to The Hub coffee shop. Just email your answers and contact info to [email protected] or message us on Facebook at Facebook.com/KaOhana.
The deadline for entries (one per student) is Friday, Dec. 14 at midnight. Winners will be notified by Dec. 21. The cards are provided by ASUH-WCC.
Win a gift card to The Hub QUESTIONS1. Who received the Regents
Medal for Excellence in Teaching at WCC in 2011?
2. What does DART stand for?3. Who said, “It helps us to real-
ize we have similar issues as island people.”
4. Who wrote the article that mentions a dragon?
5. What is the graduation rate at Castle High School?
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2
W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E
4 CAMPUS NEWSKa ‘Ohana
WCC’s new Library L ea r n i ng Com-mon s h a s b e e n
called “the heart of the cam-pus,” but it took a librarian with heart and vision to make it a reality.
Head librarian Nancy Heu retires this month after 27 years of service, leaving as her legacy a 21st century facil-ity that students have made their safe haven and a home away from home.
“It was Nancy’s solid vi-sion that got us not just anoth-er library, but a central gather-ing place to study, type your homework, do your papers, get tutoring and research help and drink coffee!” said refer-ence librarian Tara Severns.
“Nancy worked tirelessly throughout the entire process of designing, funding, build-ing and furnishing the new building,” Severns continued.
“I wish she would put off retirement so she could enjoy
After five years at Wind-ward, Cliff Togo is ready
to call it a day. The vice chan-cellor of administrative ser-vices is retiring at the end of the semester, after 35 and a half years working in the University of Hawai‘i system.
Togo, who lives in Milil-ani, has worked at all of the O’ahu community colleges, along with Maui CC, holding nine different jobs over the span of his career.
the new building a little lon-ger, but I guess she’s earned a break. We’ll really miss her.”
Heu started at Windward in 1975 and became the head
librarian in 1997. In 2011, she received the
Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of her leadership and talents as
an educator as well as her role in coordinating the myriad of details for the new building.
For her part, Heu said she feels an overwhelming sense
of gratitude when she reflects on her campus career.
“I’ve been incredibly for-tunate to work at Windward,” she says.
“It’s the most beautiful of the UH campuses. I’ve watched the college grow from a rural campus lucky enough to attract a lunch wagon to a sophisticated cam-pus with beautiful, modern facilities.
“What has remained con-stant, however, is the same caring attitude of faculty and staff who are passionate about their areas and want the best for their students and others.”
As for the future, she says, “Now I shall be a student again, starting a new phase. Now I’ll have time to think and explore and discover new paths.
“I’m very grateful for my years at Windward and look forward to new travels and adventures.”
His favorite? “Where I’m ending is the best,” he said with a laugh.
“I really enjoyed working here at Windward. The cam-pus is special … physically, it’s beautiful. Can’t find a nicer campus in the state, I believe.”
Togo’s position encom-passed mostly all the non-aca-demic functions of the college, including the business office, human resources, operations and maintenance, security and facilities management.
“Pretty much all the things that the academic people don’t
really deal with. I make sure everything is in good condi-tion so students are able to learn in a nice and comfortable environment,” he said.
Asked what he liked most about working here, Togo re-plied, “The people. They make it special. The staff here is so friendly and hardworking and dedicated to what they do.
“It’s a small campus so you get to know every em-ployee on campus and that’s nice. Also, the programs here are a good stepping stone for those interested in going to
Mānoa (or other colleges) to continue their education.”
Togo has no plans at the moment to pursue a different
career, hoping to just take it easy and spend time with his family, maybe travel and go on a cruise.
WCC history professor Janice Nuckols — one
of the college’s “founding fac-ulty” — admits to “dithering right up until the last minute.” But it’s official: She’ll retire this semester after more than 40 years of teaching.
Although she says she has some “conflicted feelings,” she says it seems like the right time.
Nuckols came to the Uni-versity of Hawai‘i through an East-West Center grant.
“I remember standing with my feet in the water in Waikiki thinking, “This is paradise; these are the best days of my life. How did I get so lucky?” she says.
After spending some time
in Southeast Asia, she re-turned to the University of Hawai‘i and was hired as a group discussion leader for a world civilization class.
She had never taken world civilization, but she accepted the job anyway. She started at UH running eight discussion groups and says she absolutely loved it.
After three years of teach-ing at UH-Mānoa, she applied for a job at WCC, which was opening as a brand new cam-pus. She, along with a few others, were hired as the first faculty of the new community college.
“There weren’t many of us, maybe 15 or so, but it was exciting. We were like an extended family,” she recalls.
Forty years later, Nuckols
looks back and can’t figure out where the time went. She has seen old buildings torn down and new buildings construct-ed, student diversity increase, and third-generation students walk through her classroom doors.
“I won’t miss the grading, but I will miss my students,” she explains.
Nuckols has no long-term plans after retirement outside of some traveling. Until then, you can find her sitting on her desk showing the love and dedication she has for her career.
”I’m going to miss being in the classroom and getting to know students,” she says. Although she will leave Wind-ward soon, she will be a part of the college forever.Janice Nuckols (center) with students in 1972 and now, ready to retire.
Nancy Heu retires, leaving a legacy
Togo bids WCC alohab y M a n j a r i F e r g u s s o n
Ka ‘Ohana Editor in Chief
Nuckols says farewell after 40 yearsb y K a ‘ O h a n a
News Staff
Head librarian Nancy Heu takes a break in front of the college’s new Library Learning Commons.
Cliff Togo looks forward to traveling after 35 years of UH service.
JESSICA CRAWFORD
MANJARI FERGUSSON
WCC ARCHIVES
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2
CAMPUS NEWS 5Ka ‘Ohana
Like many high school graduates, Frank Pala-cat went straight to UH
Mānoa, only to feel lost and alone. The hustle and bustle of a university mixed with his own lack of direction led him to transfer to WCC.
“Being a first-time college student, you don’t understand the way it works,” said Palacat, now a psychology professor at Windward. “You just think, ‘Wow, they don’t care if I’m here or where I’m going. I could care less if I went to class. No one else does, why should I?’
“Windward was a place where they care about you,” said Palacat. He felt as though the word “community” was really emphasized at WCC, which led him to feel more comfortable and ‘at-home’ when it came to learning.
Now Palacat is taking the idea of lending a helping hand and applying it in the class-room. He’s doing this by way of his unique teaching style, known as “cooperative col-laborative,” which engages students to take ownership of their learning.
He said he tries to stay
away from the traditional way of teaching by getting students involved in group activities and interactive discussions so they can apply themselves. “He’s always thinking out-side of the box, and every class was a mystery because I didn’t know what he would have in store for us on that given day,” said Greer Waiolama, a former student of Palacat’s.
“There was never a dull
moment and he was always willing to do whatever it took to help his students learn.”
Not knowing exactly what he wanted to learn in college or do for a career, Palacat looked to WCC for guidance. All he knew was that he wanted to pursue a career involved with helping people; which is what led to the field of psychology.
Several psychology classes later, along with advice from
his counselor about a univer-sity with similar characteristics to WCC, he decided to transfer to UH West O’ahu, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
It wasn’t until he worked in the DOE system as a school counselor that he decided to pursue a doctoral degree in educational psychology.
“A colleague had asked me, ‘What do you think could
help a certain student in the classroom?’ As a counselor and as a therapist, we deal with individuals in the context of their behavior. They’re hating someone, we know what to do. When they misbehave, we know what to do. But when it comes to education, I was floored,” he said.
“I was like ‘You know what? I don’t know what tools I can give the teachers or stu-dents to help them learn more in a classroom and better them-selves,’” he continued.
“Remember, I’m all about helping people better them-selves. So I went back to school to learn more tools and tech-niques that will help people to learn and to grow.”
His five-year journey is rapidly coming to an end, as he is about a month away from receiving his doctoral degree. This will make him the only person in his family to have achieved this level of education.
So does he see himself retiring years from now at WCC?
“Honestly, I enjoy inter-acting with students because they are me. That’s how I see it. Windward gave me a start, so I want to give these students a start.
Palacat: lending a helping hand
Erin Yafuso, a former WCC student, never thought her
academic journey would lead her back to where it all began.
Now as a botany lecturer, she’s grateful for the oppor-tunity to teach a subject she loves.
Teaching botany 130 Plants in Hawaiian Envi-ronment, Yafuso said, “It’s important to know about na-tive Hawaiian plants because many are endangered.
“I want to deliver informa-tion, ‘science’ at the college level that would be palatable to the average person,” said Yafuso. “After all, we live in a natural world and should try to understand and learn what we can.”
Soon after graduating from Moanalua High School in Fall 2000, she chose to at-tend WCC. “As a child, I never planned to go to college and didn’t value education much,” she admitted.
Yafuso is an advocate for WCC. “Windward has many excellent professors and they care,” she said. “You can go and see majority of them dur-
ing office hours and they’ll help you along.”
She took advantage of the math lab while taking calculus and other campus services. “TRIO tutors and supplemen-tary instructors really pro-vide a student with the best chances of success.” Wanting to major in agricul-ture, she decided to continue at WCC after receiving her A.A. degree in 2002, taking classes like calculus and the general sciences. While at Windward, she interned un-der Dr. Dave Krupp for the water quality laboratory.
She decided to pursue a certificate in plant biotechnol-ogy and was lucky enough to travel to Cambodia for an in-dependent study with Dr. Inge White to learn about edible fruit grown in Southeast Asia.
Shortly after, she trans-ferred to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and earned her bachelor’s of science in ag-riculture and later her master’s degree in plant and environ-mental biotechnology.
“I was prepared to be suc-cessful, learn and work hard to achieve my academic goals,” she maintained.
While at UH-Mānoa, she
worked at the Hawaii Agricul-ture Research Center. HARC is where she engaged in tissue culture/micro-propagation and also started her under-graduate research project.
After getting her master’s degree, she started teaching at WCC as a botany lecturer in 2009. While teaching, she was still doing research at UH-Mānoa, specializing in plant molecular biology.
She explained, “I like to learn, I like to do new things, so when I’m stuck doing the same thing over and over and over again, I get bored. That’s why research is appealing to me because you move on and go on to the next part of the project.”
Yafuso expressed her gratitude to WCC and other colleagues, saying, “I have always been fortunate to have people who were always there for me, providing support and advice to achieve my goals.”
Her students seem to appreciate her approach to teaching and learning. “Erin provides a lot of interesting information about Native Hawaiian plants that we see every day and didn’t know about,” said former student
Shylynn Duarte. Yafuso recommended uti-
lizing all of WCC’s resources. As a teacher, she said, “I value
every student! Words can-not express the fulfillment of watching students grow and mature academically.”
The campus counts among its faculty and staff several folks who are proud to be WCC graduates.
As art teacher Rob Molyneux said, “I now teach in the room I took photography in. That’s cool. I love this place and am thankful for opportunities WCC has given me.”
The list of alumni includes:
More WCC grads among faculty & staff
b y Z a c h a - R y a L u n i n gKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
KA ‘OHANA STAFF
Professor and WCC graduate Frank Palacat (second from left) engages students through collaboration.
Understanding the natural worldb y S u s a n B a s c u k
Ka ‘Ohana Writer
KA ‘OHANA STAFF
Teacher Erin Yafuso reviews information for a test in her botany class.
Falisha HerbicRob MolyneuxAnnette PreismanBonnie BeatsonCarla RogersSteve Moulden
Kalehua MuellerKalani KuloloiaKuulei Daniluck MirandaThomas YoungGus Cobb-AdamsScott SutherlandKaulana McCabe
Mike KatoDayna IsaDesi PoteetHylie SantosSarah InouyeLoea Akiona
Pre-sortedNorth Pole MailNo postage required
ELF FLIXEEEELLFF FFFLLLIIXXX
Pre-sortedNorth Pole MailNo postage required
Volume 112, No.4 December 2012
Ka ‘Ohana
now on facebookK a O h a n a O n l i n e . o r g
Here are a few film recom-
mendations to get you in
the holiday spirit!
ELFElf? Whether you love to hate
it, or hate to love it, the Will Fer-
rell comedy is a classic.
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
It may be old, but there’s
a reason people are still talk-
ing about it: It’s fantastic. The
original 1947 version is the best
“You better watch out, you better not cry,
you better not pout, I’m telling you why,
Santa Claus is coming to town . . .”
#6 LAST CHRISTMAS BY
WHAM!Big hair has gone out of style,
and so should this depress-
ing ’80s ballad about lovers
who broke up after their “last”
Christmas.
#5 GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER
BY A REINDEER BY ELMO &
PATSYWhat better way to celebrate
the holidays than with a happy
tune about your grandma dying
on Christmas Eve?
#4 I SAW MOMMY KISSING
SANTA CLAUS BY JIMMIE
BOYDIs there a child out there
who doesn’t hear this song and
imagine their mother kissing
the jolly man for real? Is the
mental trauma worth it?
#3 SANTA BABY BY EARTHA
KITTAs novel as it is to hear Cat-
woman sexily seduce Santa into
gifting her with every luxury
imaginable… wait, this is a
Christmas song? This Eartha
Kitt song has got to go.
b y M a r i a H a r r
Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
‘Season of Light’: Imaginarium’s new show
WCC’s Hōkūlani Imagina-
rium will present two spe-
cial December shows — “Season
of Light” and “Tales of the Maya
Skies” — for audiences of all ages.
“Season of Light” is a new
show playing only for the 2012
holiday season, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m.
and Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
It’s described as a “visually rich”
presentation about the darkest
and coldest time of year, winter.
“Despite the chilly weather,
winter is home to some of the
warmest and brightest celebra-
tions,” said Imaginarium man-
ager Mary Beth Laychak.
“The show explains why
b y K a ‘ O h a n aNews Staff
we have seasons and traces the
origins of many of the world’s
most enduring customs from
Christmas trees to the Hanukkah
Menorah, Santa and the Star of
Bethlehem.”The second show, “Tales of the
Maya Skies,” is set for Dec. 21 at 7
p.m. Frequently misreported as
the date the Mayans predict the
world will end, the Imaginarium
staff will dispel misconceptions
by answering audience questions
about the Mayan calendar .
Costs for the shows are $5/
child (12 and under); $6/UH,
military or senior (65 and up); $7/
adults. For more details and reserva-
tions, call 235-7433.
#2 THE TWELVE DAYS OF
CHRISTMASEvery student knows the best
way to commit something to
memory is repetition. This song
needs to be banned, lest it is ac-
cidentally memorized instead of
vocabulary for your final exam.
#1 CHRISTMAS WITH THE
CHIPMUNKS
While it’s the season to be
bombarded by cute singing
animals, most do it without
singing in the squeakiest voice
possible. The Chipmunks are a
whole new breed of annoying.
’Tis the season for holiday movies
b y M a n j a r i F e r g u s s o n
Ka ‘Ohana Editor in Chiefway to see this movie with your
whole family.
A CHRISTMAS STORY
This became an instant clas-
sic after its release in 1983, set
in 1940s America. If you haven’t
seen it yet, now would be the
time do so.
LOVE ACTUALLY
This London-set romantic
comedy follows the lives of eight
different couples during the
holiday season. Note: this movie
is rated R for a reason.
Every student knows the best
way to commit something to
memory is repetition. This song
cidentally memorized instead of cidentally memorized instead of cidentally memorized instead of
Six Christmas songs that really need to be retired
ing about it: It’s fantastic. The
original 1947 version is the best original 1947 version is the best
Silly-Billy: Crazy Straw
Cheap, fun and available at any dollar
store near you, crazy straws are sure
to be a hit with your silliest friends
.
Jock: Original Body Stick
A device used to massage muscle tissue, the “
Body Stick” looks like a
long stick and is easy to use to incr
ease circulation, disperse lactic acid
and diffuse muscle stiffness.
Bookworm: Reading light
Reading lights stand the test of tim
e as one of the best gifts for book
lovers who read late into the night, o
n airplanes and in dark cars. Even
with an e-reader, your bookworm still needs a hand
y book light.
Surf Bum: Subscription to“Surfer” magazine
For those times that your buddy is regrettably not
surfing, “Surfer” will
bring the waves to them.
Artist: Creative Handmade Poster
Artists appreciate the homemade and creative, so
hit the craft store
and pick up some supplies to make a special, personalized poster for your
artist friend. Write their favorite quote
on it or an inspirational say-
ing about their specific brand of art.
Nerd: Ultimate 5-in-1 Geek Pen
The only thing nerds love more than gadgets
are more gadgets! The
5-in-1 pen from ThinkGeek.com is a pen, stylus, LED flashlight, UV
light, and a red laser pointer. Batte
ries are included, so your favorite
nerds can begin playing with their n
ew gadget immediately.
Girly-Girl: Emery Boards
Stuff the stocking of the girly-girl i
n your life with interesting
and fun nail files. You’ll be surprised by
the large selection of cutesy
emery boards you can find at local stores
and around the Internet.
From cheetah prints to turtle motifs, there’s something for every
fashionista on your list. Thespian: Original T-Shir
t
Hit Zazzle.com for some silly thespian-themed T-shirts for act
ors and
techies. Search “thespian” in the searc
h bar.
Hipster: Adhesive Mustache
Pricebusters carries the perfect stockin
g stuffer for the hipster in your
group of friends in a packet of fuzzy,
wearable mustaches.
Mr. GrinchMr. Grinch3000 Foot High Drive
3000 Foot High Drive
Mount Crumpit, N. Whoville
Mount Crumpit, N. Whoville
122512 122512
Frantically scrambling to find a gift for your nerdiest friend?
Does buying gifts for the actor in yo
ur group have you stumped?
Check out our list of gifts for your
“stereotypical” friends.
PAGE DESIGN BY PATRICK HASCALL
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2
W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E
8 Ka ‘Ohana community news
My vote didn’t count. That’s exactly how I felt
after my first voting experi-ence.
Before the elections I was excited to exercise my right to vote. On Nov. 6, I joyfully checked the small squares and sent my opinion into the bal-lot machine. I skipped home, confident that my vote would make a difference.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
As I awoke on Nov. 7, I heard of countless blunders on election day.
Here is a list of the ri-diculous events that made our election seem like a tragic joke:
According to KHON 2 News, 17 percent (24 out of the 140) of O‘ahu’s polling sites ran out of ballots.
CNN reported on Nov. 9
that people waited more than two hours for the emergency ballots. Fed up, hundreds of people left without a chance to make their voice heard.
CNN also reported at Hōkūla n i Elementa r y school people were given ballots in a different language – Japanese.
Hawaii News Now found, on Nov. 7, that the state Office of Elections printed only 274,885 bal-lots when 702,765 people were reg-istered to vote.
According to Hawaii News Now, some people waited till 8 p.m. to vote, two hours after the polls were scheduled to close.
KHON 2 news also found that some ballots were sub-mitted with the wrong city
council candidates.I find myself doubting
the validity of our election. D o e s n o t democracy
depend on an accurate vote count to makes decisions?
Why is our state seemingly undisturbed by these absurd events?
It is frightening to imagine how many votes were tossed aside during this elec-
tion. We cannot be sure
of the exact number of Japanese ballots that
were filled out in-correctly or people who left the lines or were given in-correct ballots.
But t h i s I k n ow : vo i c e s were ignored.
I think every-one wants to feel
their vote matters. I want to make a dif-
ference at home, here in Hawai‘i. However, I hope it’s
not too late.According to a KHON 2
News Nov. 7 report, the last day to legally challenge the
make their voice heard.CNN also reported at
Hōkūla n i Elementa r y school people were given ballots in a different language – Japanese.
Hawaii News
According to Hawaii News Now, some people waited till 8 p.m. to vote, two hours after the polls were
imagine how many votes were tossed aside during this elec
tion. We cannot be sure
of the exact number of Japanese ballots that
were filled out in
one wants to feel their vote matters.
I want to make a difference at home, here in
Hawai‘i. However, I hope it’s not too late.
election was Nov. 17. Yet the first attempt to address this mishap will not be until Dec. 10 when the Elections Com-mission meets.
I used to wonder why our voter turnout is one of the lowest in the nation. Perhaps because we feel that our votes are frivolous. Does our gov-ernment care about how many votes go through correctly? Or are they only concerned that the charade of an election continues?
Personally, I will write to my representatives about my concerns. I want to continue to have an impact on my com-munity.
An integral part of our voice is our right to vote. I will ask my representatives to not let these mistakes slip away, unaddressed.
We need to keep our government accountable. If we don’t speak up, no one will.
Changes at Castle draw mixed reviews
In an attempt to rectify its poor Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), Castle High
School has implemented a va-riety of changes in the 2012-13 school year.
Some of the changes have been described as helping make students “college and career ready.” Others have triggered controversy and left some parents still wondering about the value of a Castle education.
Castle has not met the re-quired graduation rate nor has it met the required proficiency rate in math for the past five years. The reading proficiency was just barely reached.
Last year, the graduation rate was 73 percent, the read-ing proficiency was 72 percent and the math proficiency was 37 percent. In order to meet AYP, the numbers should have been 82, 72 and 64 percent re-spectively.
However, this year, Castle implemented its own redesign program that has been three years in the making.
Different from the “recon-stitution” that happens when schools fail to meet AYP over a certain amount of time, the redesign program hopes to rectify Castle s̒ problems before reconstitution has to be done.
“Reconstitution is not a threat, but it is a strong possibil-ity and a very unattractive al-ternative,” said Lea Albert, the Castle Complex superintendent
One part of the “redesign” are the Small Learning Com-munities (SLC). This is essen-tially a program geared toward career-based learning.
There are currently three SLCs for 10th, 11th and 12th grade students to choose from: Arts and Media; Health Sci-ences and Electronic Technol-ogy; and Agriculture, Business, and Culinary.
Freshmen will focus pri-marily on the transition into high school, as well as college and career awareness.
Various Castle faculty and administrators could not, and in some cases, declined to com-ment on how this will change the AYP or how it’ll affect the students in the long run; how-ever, one member of the Castle faculty was willing to talk.
“Iʻm an advocate for SLCs,” said Roberta Yamamoto, the reading specialist at Castle. She explained that the SLCs will take time and collaboration, but will be worth it in the long run.
SLCs aren’t the only thing that’s changed this year. Castle has implemented a new grad-ing policy that has been un-dergoing much scrutiny from teachers, parents and students because it appears to lower academic standards.
According to the new sys-tem, students can receive a “D” by earning 50 percent on a test or assignment. The same percentage would result in a failing grade at WCC.
The breakdown of the grading system is as follows: A: five points, 90-100 percent;
B: four points, 80-89 percent; C: three points, 65-79 percent; D: two points, 50-64 percent; F: one point, 49-0 percent. Zero points are given only if no work is done. There are no pluses or minuses.
There have been a myriad of complaints about this sys-tem. The first is the fact that the D has been dropped to 50 percent.
The second is that even if you turn in work that’s com-pletely wrong and done last minute, you still get points. This results in making it incred-ibly hard to fail.
“It’s really dumb, really easy. I don’t have to do [any-thing]. I’m not complaining though,” laughed Chase Arii, a Castle sophomore.
This grading system change doesn’t only affect low-scoring or less motivated
students. It also affects the 4.0 students.
“On paper it all looks fair, but it’s really not,” said Lori Rawleigh, a parent of one such 4.0 student. She explained that if you get an 89 percent or something similar on a test, it drastically lowers the grade because it drops immediately from a five to a four. In the old system, it would be an A- to a B+, which isn’t that huge of a jump.
She also explained that regardless if you score a 90 or 100, you get the same number of points. “Even the good stu-dents, when they know that an A is from a 10-point range, they’re not going to work as hard,” she said.
“I have mixed feelings about the grading,” said Ya-mamoto. While she said there are good points and bad points,
she agreed with Rawleigh, saying, “If you can pass with a D, there s̒ no motivation to get a C.”
Rawleigh added that stu-dents can turn in homework as late as they want and can also retake their tests, which many students do.
So what exactly does this mean for Castle students in the future?
Some critics have said the new grading system and lack of deadlines for homework may result in Castle students being ill prepared for college work. Most college classes will not accept late homework and will not allow test retakes.
Again, Castle faculty and administrators could not be reached for comment. It seems parents, teachers and students will have to wait to see whether or not this new system works.
b y E r i c L e v i n eKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
ERIC LEVINE
Castle High is undergoing various changes that have raised questions about students’ academic progress.
b y H a n n a h M a r q u e zKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
Ballot mix-up: A first-time voter’s reaction
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 ‘OhanaD e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2
CAMPUS NEWS
WCC instructor Ian Mas-terson will offer a new
course in spring 2013 — PACS 108, Pacific Island Studies — that he hopes will open students’ eyes and minds to reconnecting with the rest of Oceania.
“This introductory course (Pacific Worlds) will carry us through history and look at some of the issues facing Pacific Islanders, both envi-ronmentally and culturally speaking,” says Masterson.
“We’ll look at the way people approach the Pacific Islands, especially the gov-ernment, over the last 40 to 50 years and how we might as a people move forward.”
He continues, “I think what PACS does for Hawai‘i’s people is it places us in the broader context of Oceania and gives us a much more con-nective feeling with the rest of the peoples of the Pacific.
“It helps us to realize we have similar issues being is-land peoples.
“We’ll be looking at con-temporary expressions, both
researched-based as well as performance art and culture.”
Masterson will introduce his students to prominent educators and leaders of the Pacific Islands, such as the late Epeli Hau‘ofa, a Fijian writer and anthropologist of Tongan descent who grew up in Papua New Guinea.
Hau‘ofa reminds us that the ocean is in us as we are part of the ‘āina. Therefore, the ocean doesn’t divide us but connects all the Pacific Island peoples.
He said we’re always the “moana” people—the people of the ocean.
As Hau‘ofa wrote, “We’re all a sea of islands, not islands in the far sea.”
With that in mind, Master-son will gather all the islands of the Pacific Ocean and their peoples and present not only where they are geographi-cally and historically, but also how they are facing the same issues in regards to health, government support and in-fluences, global warming and their valuable yet vulnerable natural resources.
For any islander, the pros-pect of rising sea levels due to
global warming is devastat-ing and the impacts would be severe.
Even now, Kiribati (KIRR-I-bas), a nation of islands is already threatened by ocean submersion.
Some have already chosen to leave their ancestral roots and move elsewhere to start anew.
PACS 108 is just the be-ginning. There are plans for 200-level courses as well.
“I recently went to a meet-ing at UH Mānoa. The Center for Pacific Islands Studies has created a unique initiative to align our SLO’s (student learning objectives), build a textbook and curriculum and have a united front to Pacific Island Studies within the UH system,” Masterson says.
“That level of cooperation is a model to reach out and build these programs.
“We will see the PACS courses grow here at WCC as that is part of our mission to serve our indigenous com-munities.”
Masterson also instructs HWST 275 Wahi Pana (legend-ary places), ANTH 175 & 175L Polynesian Surf Culture.
KA ‘OHANA STAFF
b y G r e e r W a i o l a m aKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
New course reconnects Pacific Islanders
Instructor Ian Masterson offers PACS 108 with a shaka and a smile.
IS 160: The art of Polynesian voyagingb y M a n j a r i F e r g u s s o n
Ka ‘Ohana Editor in Chief
Imagine sailing from Tahiti to Hilo, learning traditional Hawaiian navigation along
the way. It may sound like a pipe dream, but it’s more of a possibility than you may think.
Darienne Dey, 30, a sec-ond-year doctoral student in education at UH Mānoa, made it happen. Dey works as a gradu-ate research assistant for the College of Education and also helps develop curriculum with Bishop Museum, Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) and educators from throughout the state.
She found out about the class that WCC offers, IS 160A Polynesian Voyaging & Stew-ardship (or B with the lab, IS 160L) and wanted to learn more.
“I was curious to see how it was taught and meet the people teaching it. It’s obvious they’re very passionate about their subject,” she said.
Dey was already involved with PVS and had the expe-rience of being around the Hōkūle’a and meeting PVS ex-ecutive director Nainoa Thomp-son, along with other prominent PVS members.
She also took Hawaiian astronomy and Hawaiian navi-
gation at HCC, learning at the Marine Education Training Center (METC).
“I regularly attended Hōkūle’a drydock sessions, crew trainings, and other PVS community events, includ-ing Hōkūle’a’s relaunching on March 8, 2012,” Dey explained. “Often as a result of being physi-cally present at METC, I was in-vited to participate in a number of Hōkūle’a’s initial sea trials.”
She said, “I decided to focus my eventual doctoral research on various aspects of traditional navigational education, and out of personal interest… enrolled in IS 160B & IS 160L at WCC,”
the class taught by Dr. Joe Ciotti, Dr. Floyd McCoy, and Bonnie Kahape’a-Tanner.
By the end of October, Dey learned that she would be an official crewmember on the Hōkūle’a’s escort boat.
“The canoe I was on is named Hikianalia, built so she could accompany the Hokule’a when they go on a worldwide voyage next June,” she said.
Made in New Zealand, Hikianalia was making her way to Hawai‘i, and Dey was able to be part of the second leg, from Tahiti to Hilo.
The 18-day journey kicked off on Nov. 1 and the 15-strong
crew had a smooth trip. “All of us who got to go
were very, very lucky, especially the ones whose first voyage it was. We were on a new catama-ran with an indoor bathroom and specialized equipment. I felt really secure — practically and spiritually. I can imagine how it would feel sailing along next to Hōkūle’a.
“There were motors too, so if there was no wind we could just motor on. The combina-tion of people on board, too, was pretty good. We had one traditional navigator and a lot of pretty special people,” Dey reminisced.
On board, each crewmem-ber had to take shifts being on watch; Dey had the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift and the 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift. She had to be on deck and manipulate the sails and position them so they wouldn’t have to use the helm.
On watch she would also ensure that no lines or ropes were chafing, along with check-ing for other hazards and look out for other ships, animals and birds.
How else did the crew spend their time? “(They would) read, sleep, play music and sing songs, help prepare for dinner, clean,” Dey said. “It was also nice to just not do anything, ob-
serve the ocean and the sky and how it changes. We were trying to notice subtle differences.”
“I feel like I cashed in all my luck in the last year; it’s been so overwhelmingly awesome. I was able to make so many connections with people. So many other people want to be involved and experience the same thing too and share their stories, to inspire others.“
WCC is one of the few in-stitutions that offer this kind of learning opportunity.
“It’s so accessible, so much more accessible than I ever imagined,” Dey said.
“People think it’s an elite group who get called to do it (go on a voyage), but its not like they exclude people. You do have to pass a swim test for safety reasons, so you can feel secure to survive. I don’t know how cognizant people are about op-portunities that are available.”
So what should you expect if you take WCC’s Polynesian Voyaging courses?
“It’ll call upon your algebra skills; it’s probably the most worthwhile use of algebra and geometry,” said Dey. “It’ll chal-lenge you intellectually and physically, but it’s very, very rewarding. You’re automati-cally a part of this legacy, this traditional path.”
WIKIPEDIA
A map of Oceania shows the proximity of Hawai‘i and Pacific Islanders.
Student Darienne Dey with other crew members aboard the Hikianalia.POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY
Editorial10W 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 1 2
If I could enter a time machine, I would love to be able to go back in time when I was a child. Taking the knowl-edge I have now from the life lessons I have experienced, I would definitely be able to change my life and take ad-vantage of things like my parents and a high school education.
Your parents try to explain to you the importance of school and an educa-tion when you are a child, but it is only after when you become an adult that you realize the value and importance it has and how it will benefit your life and future.
I guess you can say as a parent, you are going back in time with your children, except you are hoping that they will learn from your experiences and live their life how you wish you could have.
– Christine Rombawa
I would go back in time to the 1950s. Things were very cheap. I could wear a suit everywhere I go. JFK would still be alive and, most importantly, I would be in pursuit of making Marilyn Monroe my wife.
– Lawson Kurosu
I would go back 50 years. Assum-ing I had no money, I would work until I saved $20,000 and invest it all in Apple. Also, I would have brought with me a game book with every sports event in it. I would take my Apple earn-ings and bet on every game, becom-ing the richest man in the world and donating half to WCC and, 1 million each to the writers and editors of the Ka ‘Ohana.
– Austin Lau
I would go back to Samoa during the 1960s to learn and live through customs and traditions of the culture so that I can teach my children to carry on and make them appreciate their heritage.
– Dana Yamauchi
I would go back to the 1980s and try to convince people to stop wearing those ridiculous clothes and hairstyles.
– John Murry
If I could go back in time, I would go to the generation of the Beatles. Yes, I love music and it would be an honor to live in the era in which the foundation of (alternative) rock was created. But It is more so because of the changes our society was facing at the time. There was war and chaos but still free love and peace was broadcast and lived. Everyone seemed to try to see the beauty of the world rather than just all of the hell surrounding them. And they conveyed it through music.
– Janine Nagle
Honestly, if I could go back in time, I would go back to when I was a kid because life was so simple then. When I was a kid, there were no wor-ries about paying bills, the rising cost
of living, political issues, having kids of my own, etc. I would want to relive my childhood because it was full of fam-ily, friends, playing outside and inside the house. There’s this bliss that comes from the ignorance of being a kid and I miss that. The world doesn’t seem so corrupt or negative when you’re a kid.
– James Wolcott
If I could go back in time, I would probably go back and stop the annexa-tion of Hawai‘i and notify the Queen of all the wrong-doing that is going to happen if she doesn’t stop it. She didn’t have to lose her nation the way she lost it, and she suffered locked away for so long. To me, I would have been honored to put my life on the line for such a beautiful queen.
– Kenneth Hanohano
I would grab my speargun, fishing poles, surfboard and some friends and go back to Hawaii 100,000 years ago. No roads, no tourists or people, just us, empty beaches, pristine waves and the biggest fish you have ever seen. With-out people, the land runs wild, food is plentiful and the Earth unspoiled by condos and golf courses. Walking through the forest hearing nothing but the hum of insects, the calls of now-extinct birds and your own breath.
– Alexander Hernandez
I would want to go back to Rapa Nui when it was a thriving community. I have never understood how a society could completely deplete their resourc-es to the point where the native people either had to move elsewhere or resort to cannibalism to stay alive. I’ve always been curious about the huge moai that they created–who were they modeled after? Was it beings from outer space? Where did they all go?
I guess learning more about the demise of past civilizations could help us learn to better appreciate what we have before it’s gone. As the saying goes, “Those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”
– Jackie Jackson
If I could go back in time, I would
go back to the inventing of the time machine so that I can prevent it from being created. Everything that has happened in this world happened for a reason. No one has the right to change the course of history.
– David Morimoto
Although there are many sig-nificant events that have occurred throughout human history, I would choose to prevent the 9/11 attacks from happening. The loss of thousands of innocent lives that day is an unques-
If you could journey back through time, where would you go, what would you do and why?
tionable tragedy, but I feel that the new paradigm of fear and suspicion that has since arisen is even more tragic.
The shining beacon of freedom that many would argue the United States once represented has dimmed to a barely visible glow. Endless wars against sovereign nations abroad com-bined with a seemingly constant at-tack on civil liberties domestically has transformed this nation into one that is hardly recognizable when compared to what existed prior to 9/11.
– Robert Fread
I would stay right here in Hawai‘i but move to the Big Island where there is plenty of land and the opportunity to grow my own food. I would become a farmer. I would work my land to provide for my family. I would grow my own medicine. I would share my food and medicine with my neighbors. I want a peaceful life that’s simple and not so fast-paced. I would surf in my free time and play in the sun.
– Tri K. Le
I would go back in time to meet Ansel Adams. I would want to learn from a master of photography. Then I would come back and use what I’ve learned from him to make a living as a photographer.
– Edward Humphrey
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2
W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E
Editorial 11Ka ‘Ohana
I honestly think the only way to achieve worldwide peace is for every-one on Earth to understand love. When the priorities become less about “me, me, me”and more about “you,” then the world will know peace. When the world wants what’s best for our neigh-bors just as much as we want what’s best for ourselves, then the Earth will know peace.
– Grant Kono
I don’t think we can ever achieve world peace. Conflict is necessary for growth and realistically too many people have too many opinions to be able to achieve this.
– Malia Medeiros
We can achieve peace on Earth through global nuclear disarmament, proper food and energy distribution and better global communication and tolerance. It’s a tall order, but if we educate the youth of the world, then the next generation could be less focused on attaining status, power and retribu-tion (religious or racial), and be more focused on global improvement and efficiency. I think that would stamp out war, but only if we educate on a massive scale.
– Megan Jessee
I believe the only way we can ever achieve peace on Earth is by accept-ing everyone for who they are. Then by learning about and understanding other cultures, races, and religions,
the world may be at peace with one another. We always compare the differ-ences in one another; let’s start sharing the commonalities we have with people around us.
– Zachary Rupp-Smith
I’m not sure that “peace on Earth” is possible for the main reason that there are too many self-serving individuals who thrive off greed. Money brings power, and power is something most people desire in life. Eliminate greed and the desire to rule and we might have a greater chance at world peace.
– Jared Matsumoto
There are a few ways. First, get rid of religion. Most wars have started over religion. Next, get rid of labels for peo-ple like “black man,” “white woman.” They’re only one race, the human race. I feel if we did not have either (of these things), the world would be in a more peaceful place.
– Edward Humphrey
I think we take the whole mili-tary budget and spend it building basic structures (schools, clinics, etc.) in impoverished countries. Peace on Earth is equality and how can we ever expect to achieve it with huge social and economic gaps between people and nations. Not only do we spend money on wars and violent crimes in other nations, but it leaves death and destruction in its wake. So it’s a lose-lose for everyone ultimately. While
there is still inequality on Earth, peace will never be attainable.
– Jesse Rowell
If we really want to achieve peace on Earth, we would have to get rid of a few things in order for this to work. We would have to eliminate currency. By doing this, we would eliminate greed. In my opinion, greed is the root of all evil. Second, people are not going to
like this, but we would have to get rid of religion. Almost every altercation, genocide and war was/is brought on by religion. Everyone thinks that their god is ‘the god’ and is unwilling to ac-cept othersʻ beliefs. I’m sure there are many more (ways to achieve peace), but to me, these are the two majors facing the world. Unless it s̒ changed in some way, the world will never know peace.
– Christopher Keliinoa
How can we achieve ‘Peace on Earth’ in the near future?
IMAGE BY PATRICK HASCALL
Ka ‘OhanaEDITOR IN CHIEF
Manjari FergussonSTAFF REPORTERS
Maria Harr Eric Levine
Zacha-Rya Luning Hannah MarquezKelly Montgomery Greer Waiolama
(The Family)JOURNALISM WRITERS
Susan BascukPHOTOGRAPHER
Jessica CrawfordWEBMASTERS
Patrick HascallJessica Crawford
ADVISORLibby Young
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.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM KA ‘OHANA’S STAFF: (from left) Maria Harr, advisor Libby Young, Hannah Marquez, Greer Waiolama, Eric Levine, editor in chief Manjari Fergusson, Kelly Montgomery, Zacha-Rya Luning and Jessica Crawford. (Not pictured - Patrick Hascall)
SARAH HODELL
CAMPUS NEWSD e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2
W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E
12 Ka ‘Ohana
After the success of last year’s musical, “How I Became a Pirate,” creators/composers
Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman sug-gested to Palikū theatre manager Tom Ho-lowach that they give their new material a try.
“I was shocked but honored when they contacted me with their proposal for a new play,” he said.
In the spring, WCC will present the fairy tale musical “Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale” directed by Ron Bright. WCC will be one of the first schools in the country to produce this play. The hour-long shows will run from Feb. 9 -17 at 7:30 p.m.
There also will be daytime performances of the play for school children Monday through Friday, Feb. 4 through 8 at 8, 9 and 10 a.m.
“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale” brings a modern twist to the classic story and is sure to please audiences of all ages.
“Children and adults will get a kick out of this play because of the modern references to pop culture,” said Holowach.
The magical cast of characters consists of Rapunzel, the evil queen Lady Zaza, a handsome suitor on a quest to find his pur-pose in life and the kingdom’s hairdresser searching for the per-fect head of hair.
“Oh, and there is a dragon! They don’t make very many plays with dragons in them anymore,” said Holowach.
fter the success of last year’s musical, “How I Became a Pirate,” creators/composers
Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman sug-gested to Palikū theatre manager Tom Ho-lowach that they give their new material a try.
“I was shocked but honored when they contacted me with their proposal for a new
In the spring, WCC will present the fairy tale musical “Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale” directed by Ron Bright. WCC will be one of the first schools in the country to produce this play. The hour-long shows will run from Feb. 9 -17 at 7:30 p.m.
There also will be daytime performances of the play for school children Monday through Friday, Feb. 4 through 8 at 8, 9 and
“Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale” brings a modern twist to the classic story and is sure to please audiences
“Children and adults will get a kick out of this play because of the modern references to pop culture,”
The magical cast of characters consists of Rapunzel, the evil queen Lady Zaza, a handsome suitor on a quest to find his pur-pose in life and the kingdom’s hairdresser searching for the per-
“Oh, and there is a dragon! They don’t make very many
RAPUNZELb y Z a c h a - R y a L u n i n g
Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
International Week
are bungalows that have only one floor.
“Most of my family is scattered in apartments all over Brooklyn and Queens. No one has the money to start over. It’s going to be a four-year process until we can return to Breezy Point.”
The community is made up of teachers, nurses, firefighters and many young newlyweds whose fami-lies have lived there for generations. McDonald recalls all the summers she spent at her grandparents’ bungalow watching the annual Fourth of July fireworks display over the bay.
“It’s the kind of place where kids can be kids and parents don’t have to worry. A place where you don’t own a house key because you never need to lock your doors,” she said.
As far as the relief efforts, Mc-Donald said local fire and police were the first ones on the scene along with sanitation.
“It was so flooded only SUV’s could get through. We had to wait at the bridge, and I remember garbage truck after garbage truck passed us by,” she said.
Since a number of firefighters live in the community, Breezy Point has its own volunteer fire department.
“The volunteers that came to help were wonderful,” McDonald said. “However, I’m slightly disappointed in the other relief efforts.”
Although the storm hit on Mon-day, McDonald didn’t see Red Cross arrival until almost a week later on the following Sunday, followed by the National Guard.
“My family’s story is the same as
everyone else in the community; we all lost everything. Yet, people are still giving to each other even though they have nothing for themselves.”
There were many items lost in the fire that can never be replaced: old photos of her grandparents and albums from her parents’ wedding, which never got scanned or digitized. She lost her nursing cap from grad school, even the handkerchief made from her grandmother’s wedding dress, given to each granddaughter to be their “something old” at their own weddings.
“It’s all sentimental belongings, but it was so much I cared about,” she said through tears.
At this point, the best help for the people of Breezy Point would be monetary donations. McDonald said it will be an ongoing struggle for the next few years as residents try to re-build their lives.
“The important thing is that people don’t forget us in six months. News changes, others move on, but we will still be struggling and still need help.”
To donate to the Breezy Point fund, please mail donations to: Breezy Point Cooperative Disaster Relief Fund, c/o Lee & Kane. 2175 Flatbush Avenue. Brooklyn, NY 11234
To donate to the McDonald fam-ily directly, please mail donations to: McDonald Family, 150 Oceanside Avenue. Breezy Point, NY 11697
To donate to Red Cross: Visit www.redcross.org or call 800-RED CROSS (733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Superstorm FROM PAGE 2
WCC’s International Week event Nov. 14 featured masters demonstrating their knowledge of flower arrangement, calligraphy and tea ceremony.
(Clockwise from above left): 1) A student holds up her work of art. 2) Master calligrapher Yoshiko Morimoto demonstrates calligraphy brush techniques. 3) Botany students (l-r) Jonathan Kahala Lau, Shayna Kauhi and Aaron Tui help serve participants food provided by Inge White and her class during the tea ceremony. 4) Master Karen Kirk observes as participants arrange flowers. (Photos by Jessica Crawford)
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