Who is Hanalani? Mel Rapozo wanted to know while he waited on the arrival of the Hawaiian Airlines flight bringing the Kapa‘a High School girls varsity basketball team, the new Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II state champions, back to Kaua‘i.
Who is Hanalani? Mel Rapozo wanted to know while he waited on the arrival of the Hawaiian Airlines flight bringing the Kapa‘a High School girls varsity basketball team, the new Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II state champions, back to Kaua‘i.
Mel said he watched the game via the Hilo High School athletics livestream, and the announcers kept talking about Hanalani … what about Kapa‘a? Mel finally broke down and checked on Hanalani on the internet.
Hanalani Schools are small, private, Christian-based facilities in Mililani, O‘ahu with around 750 students in grades pre-kindergarten to 12.
Kudos to all the organizers (they even had a balloon arch created for the girls to pass through) on the impromptu welcome home celebration that even Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami attended (did Sarah Blane go to Hilo, Hawai‘i Island, or like Nash Graham, just to Honolulu?).
We need to come up with a Kaua‘i-accepted design that’s available in green, red, or blue so we can wear this to the milestone greetings (remember when the Waimea High School football team won its DII title?) instead of scrambling to find University of Hawai‘i wear. This is Kaua‘i, not the University of Hawai‘i, whose fans and supporters live here.
OK, time to get ready for the Valentine’s weekend at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e, where Brian Atendido said Halau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leina‘ala is going to make an appearance, although he didn’t have a day (the weekend includes Sunday) or time.
In the meantime, we have the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation wrestling championships taking place on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. at Bernice Hundley Gym on the Kapa‘a High campus.
•••
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
