PUHI — Students from the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Leadership Class will be working this weekend to honor veterans. “We’ll be at the Hanapepe Veterans Cemetery, joining the Boy Scouts in laying lei on gravestones for the Veterans Day services,”
PUHI — Students from the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Leadership Class will be working this weekend to honor veterans.
“We’ll be at the Hanapepe Veterans Cemetery, joining the Boy Scouts in laying lei on gravestones for the Veterans Day services,” said Gail Thompson, the Leadership Class instructor and adviser. “The Boy Scouts are supposed to be there at 8 a.m. to start setting out the flags for the 10 a.m. service. We’ll be there, too.”
On Friday, the CKMS library bristled with activity as students in the Leadership Class juggled final inspection for the lei while collating the final items of the month-long food collection benefiting the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank.
“These are all projects headed up by different students,” Thompson said. “Helena Huffman headed up the food drive, which involved each grade and lasted through the month of October. We don’t want to exclude anyone, these are school-wide projects, which give back to the community.”
Huffman said during the food drive, the Leadership Class made collections each week, offering incentives for the different grades to motivate the food drive.
“At the last count, we had 765 cans of food,” Huffman said while presenting Kelvin Moniz, the food resources director for KIFB, with a poster to accompany the food.
Moniz said the contribution from the Chiefess Kamakahelei students are needed because the holidays are approaching and there are families who would otherwise not have a holiday meal this season.
“I want you to know you are the first school collection for this year,” Moniz said. “We appreciate what you do, and I’m sure the people who will be receiving this food are truly appreciative.”
Thompson said the food collection is just one of the projects being spearheaded by the CKMS Leadership Class.
“On Nov. 21, the entire class — this project has no one leading — will join The Salvation Army to help during the Salvation Army’s annual Community Thanksgiving Luncheon,” Thompson said.
“The kids need to see the impact of giving back to the community.”
Earlier in the year, Jaykob Naka‘ahiki-Young and Jenny Villanueva headed up the Alzheimer’s Walk where the Leadership Class was one of the youngest groups walking to help end Alzheimer’s disease at Kukui Grove Center.
This project was followed by Huffman taking the lead for the school-wide food drive for October, and Cheyenne Fujii and Madison Torres-Lopez head up the effort for the Veterans Day lei, Thompson said.
“Our goal is 1,500 lei and the Leadership Class has already sewn or created more than 800 lei,” Thompson said.
“We need everyone’s help, but unfortunately, the freezer can only hold so much. The deadline for submitting lei to help the students is Friday.”
Following the Veterans Day lei project, the Leadership Class with Hokulani Iseri and Ku‘uipo Pau at the lead, will be visiting Hale Oma‘o in December to visit the kupuna, Thompson said.
“The students need to learn that community service takes a variety of activities,” Thompson said. “There is no such thing as being to young to give back.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
