West Oahu Roundup
After participating in the school-based Hawaiian Electric Co. Home Energy Challenge, the Sialana ohana of Ewa Beach won their very own KumuKit photovoltaic system. As part of the challenge, schools across the island were invited to compete against other students and families to see who could reduce their home energy usage by the highest percentage over six months. The Sialanas joined others to help Keoneula Elementary take third place. Each participating family was entered for a chance to win the KumuKit.
More exciting HECO-related news: Four area students participated in a two-week summer internship at HECO for hands-on, real-world experience in the electric utility industry. Campbell High students Peter Agustin and Del-Louis Oliveira were placed with the professional electrical service and safety & health departments, respectively. Keoni Estoy, a Waianae High senior, and Jesus Unpingco, a senior at Nanakuli High, also participated in the program, working in the construction and maintenance department.
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Linda Virtudes recently took the reins as vice president and district manager of the West Oahu region at Central Pacific Bank. Virtudes brings more than 15 years of experience to the job and has worked in other leadership roles, including branch manager and area manager. In her new position, she manages the Kapolei, Waipahu and Royal Kunia Times branches of the bank.
Kapolei resident Shara Correa has been promoted to senior marketing specialist of Servco Automotive. She started at Servco in 2008 as a marketing assistant and now will assist in planning and implementing promotions and partnerships for Servco products.
Student swimmers from American Renaissance Academy competed at a meet on Kauai earlier this summer. They include Emma Asuncion, Hunter Bruno, Michael Gillis, Reece Ichinose, Shayne Ichinose, Cody Porter, Derek Tanizaki-Hudson, Kiana Tanizaki-Hudson, Lani Tanizaki-Hudson and Sean Walrod.
Local solar company RevoluSun welcomed independent project developers to its team in June, including Kapolei resident Corey J. Huntz. The developers educate and works with residential and commercial customers to achieve energy independence by designing custom solar systems and finding financing options.
Two area students wrote their way to the top in the “Take Charge of Your Future Commercial Script Writing Challenge,” which received 145 submissions. The contest was last school year, and the winners were announced in June. Kellyn Murakoshi, then an eighth-grader at Ewa Makai Middle School, took first place in the grade 6-8 category, and Kristan Jerald Daenos, then a junior at Waipahu High, took second place in the grade 11-12 category. Students were to write a script for a 30-second commercial that would encourage their peers to prepare for college and a career.
Kapolei High School student Penina Lima took top honors at the HMSA Kaimana Awards and Scholarship program in June, which recognized scholar athletes from around the state. Lima, who participates in soccer and cross country, was one of 22 students to receive the honor and was awarded a $3,000 scholarship. In addition, she was one of only five students to earn the title of “distinguished scholar,” which comes with an additional $2,000 award.
Army National Guard Pfc. Cristopher K. Dimond recently graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. Dimond is a 2002 graduate of Aiea High School.
Air Force Airman Melody L. Molina-Labrador recently graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. Molina-Labrador, who is a 2011 graduate of Waipahu High School, also earned distinction as an honor graduate.
