KAPA‘A – The strains of music from the Kapa‘a High School band served to welcome people to the Eastside Family Summit designed to build stronger families for students attending the Eastside Complex schools. Bridget Arume, coordinator for the Saturday afternoon
KAPA‘A – The strains of music from the Kapa‘a High School band served to welcome people to the Eastside Family Summit designed to build stronger families for students attending the Eastside Complex schools.
Bridget Arume, coordinator for the Saturday afternoon event, said that schools in Kapa‘a to Hanalei were targeted, and representatives from the different agencies on hand were requested to have the specific area representatives attend the event so patrons would be familiar with the names and faces of the people they would need to deal with.
A steady stream of patrons trooped through the offerings that was set up in the central courtyard of Kapa‘a High School with the arena broken down into various categories young children including preschools and children’s activities, spiritualbased organizations, family oriented government agencies, student activities, and a Hawaiiana activities tent.
These were pulled together by a low ropes course set up by Juli Lester of Just Live! “We attend all the family summits,” Lester said. “Just Live!, based out of the Kipu area, features corporate development and training, youth services, community programs utilizing a ropes training course.
One of the teamwork building exercises involved the Trolley Boards, normally a 12person exercise, but being tried out by Interact Club of Kapa‘a High School volunteers who took a turn before having to report to their duty stations.
“This involves communication, problem solving, and working as a team to get from one point to another, each individual ‘strapped’ to a 4×4 plank,” Lester explained.
The Interact Club, comprised of over a hundred Kapa‘a High School students, had about two dozen student volunteers for the event along with the Kapa‘a High School J.R.O.T.C. unit, some of whom could be seen taking a break from volunteering to play for the band.
Representatives from the Church of the Pacific in Princeville were on hand conducting a survey of patrons, the group trying to discover what kind of activities people wanted to see in their area, and how the church could become part of making those activities become reality.
Arume explained that the spiritualbased segment was coordinated by Dely Sasaki.
Designed to be a part of the campaign against illegal substances, the county’s “drug czar” Roy Nishida was joined by Roy Kamita in doing a presentation of illegal drugs and the drug abuse that is commonplace in the community, Kaua‘i mayor Bryan Baptiste also making an appearance at the event and spending time chatting with both vendors and patrons.
Marilyn Wong of the county’s Offices of Community Assistance Recreation Agency was also on hand with details of their Malama Na O‘pio after school program for the EastsideNorth Shore.
Wong explained that the program will utilize the DOE and county bus programs to get students to the programs located at one of three major sites as well as getting the children to their home route.
The after school program sites are the Boys & Girls Club, Kapa‘a Clubhouse, the Kapa‘a Armory, and the Kapa‘a Neighborhood Center. Two other sites include the Children’s Discovery Museum and the Kapa‘a pool.
Following a survey done with students, Wong said the top choices for activities include cooking, ukulele instruction, and sports.
These have been addressed and Wong said, “Now, we gotta make it work.”
Wong said she is hopeful a similar program can be started for the Westside.
Under the direction of kumu Kae‘e Kalika, students from the Kapa‘a High School Hawaiian Immersion program had the task of preparing ‘dinner’ for the event vendors, a grilled chicken Caesar salad in keeping with the healthy theme.
Also on hand for the event designed to build families were representatives from the Central Schools Complex which will be hosting their event some time in March.
A similar event for the Westside was hosted at Waimea High School late last year and served to kick off the series of family summits.
- Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 2453681 (ext. 253) and dfujimoto@pulitzer.net
