West Oahu Roundup
Army National Guard Pvt. Matthew W. Mercado of Kapolei recently graduated from basic Combat Training at Fort Sill in Lawton, Okla. Mercado is the son of Maile A. Vega.
Air National Guard Airman Jarrett K. Corpuz recently graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Corpuz is the son of Jean Corpis of Pearl City and Kevin Corpuz of Honolulu. He is a 2007 graduate of McKinley High School.
Army Pvt. Alif Cahya recently graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. Cahya is the nephew of George Porretta of Ewa Beach.
Cheryl Ann Vierra recently joined the Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties’ (CBP) Leeward office. Vierra has nearly 20 years of real estate experience. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a Realtor-associate at Realty Group.
Ruth H. Kam (RA) of Aiea has joined CBP’s Leeward office. Prior to joining CBP, Kam worked as a Realtor-associate at Properties Unlimited for 27 years. She has more than 33 years of real estate experience, including serving as a project sales coordinator for a number of developments.
Michael Sasano (RA) of Kapolei recently joined CBP’s King Street office. Prior to joining CBP, Sasano worked as a Realtor-associate at Kamaaina Realty. He has been in the real estate industry since 2008. He previously worked in finance as a home equity specialist for Bank of Hawaii and a loan officer at Mortgage Masters and Wells Fargo Home Loans.
Searle Chong of Pearl City and Christopher Wu Jr. (RA) of Mililani have also joined the firm’s Leeward office.
Four exceptional library employees were honored Feb. 23 by the Friends of the Library of Hawaii in the annual Librarian of the Year and Excellence in Service awards presentation. Nominations for the awards were submitted by library patrons and by their colleagues.
Among the honorees was Rofina Rivera, a janitor at the Ewa Beach Public Library. In recent years, the branch has seen large downsizes in its staff, and Rivera has been there to take on extra tasks, even if they are not in her job description. She is known around the library for going above and beyond to help patrons. One of her recent projects has been to educate older patrons to changes in the library, such as the computer-based catalog or using the Internet.
“You have to go along with the changes,” she explained.
Manoa Valley Theatre currently is showing the Tony Award-winning musical, Spring Awakening, through March 25.
Cast members include Jonah Ho’okano of Aiea as Melchior, James Mares of Kapolei as a vocalist, Michelle Boudreau of Makakilo as Anna and
Niki Badua of Ewa Beach as Martha.
Created by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, the musical is an adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s 1891 controversial coming-of-age play about a group of teenagers.
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $35 general, $30 for seniors and military, and $20 for youths 25 and under.
Call 988-6131 or visit manoavalleytheatre.com for more information or to purchase tickets.
Three public school students have been recognized by the “Thank You … Very Much Award” for writing letters of appreciation for a person who has impacted their lives.
Among the awardees is Britton Treadway, an eighth-grader at Kapolei Middle School. Treadway honored his former intensive home therapist, Kali Ikemoto.
The contest was designed for students in grades 4-12 as a way to increase awareness, civic mindedness, respect and gratitude among students.
Treadway, along with the other student winners, will receive a $100 gift certificate and $250 for his class. The sponsoring teacher gets a $250 gift certificate from Lex Brodie’s Tire Co., and the person thanked will receive a two-night stay at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. A charitable organization of the student’s choice also will receive $250.
Winners of the Oahu Arts 2012 Mozart Festival, including a few West Oahu residents, performed in concert last month at the University of Hawaii Orvis Auditorium.
The contest, which was held in January, was open to students in grades K12 and showcased several musical categories.
The competition promotes the study and performance of Mozart’s music in conjunction with the celebration of his birthday.
Moanalua Elementary School sixth-grader Eugene Son, who lives in Waipahu, was among the winners, taking second place in the Intermediate Piano Division. Punahou School sixth-grader Chelsea Cline of Pearl City took first place in the Intermediate Strings Division, and Io-lani School freshman Erika Lin of Pearl City won second place in the Advanced Strings Division.
