Letters to the Editor

Underground utility poles could've averted troubles

It occurs to me that if the utilities along Kamehameha Highway were underground, the Aug. 28 accident near Kualoa Ranch would not have blocked the highway for four hours, the car would probably not have been as badly damaged and 900 residents of the area would not have lost power for four hours.

Bob Gould
Kane'ohe

Goal to prepare students to be good citizens

The remarks by Board of Education Chairman Herb Watanabe and DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen ("Public students post slight SAT gain," Aug. 28) warrant clarification.

The Catholic schools in Hawai'i have a long tradition of educating a very diverse population of students. The ethnic background, income level and academic ability of students in Catholic schools today remain as diverse as that in public schools. Watanabe needs to look elsewhere for an explanation for the "gap" in SAT test results.

Knudsen said the goal of private schools is focused specifically on preparing students for college. His statement is an unfounded generalization. Although a large percentage of Catholic school students go to college, the schools' purpose is to prepare students to be caring individuals, productive citizens and educated persons of faith. A contributing factor to the success of Catholic school students is the high standards of achievement expected in Catholic school programs.

Hawai'i Catholic schools prepare citizens of the state to function effectively with basic skills, academic training and experiences in social living. The Hawai'i Catholic schools teach the foundational truths of democracy and promote the morals and values that help build a caring, contributing citizenry.

Carmen Himenes

Janice Hirata cared about students

I've heard it said you can tell the worth of a society by how it treats its people, especially those who have given so much and received so little in return.

Janice Motoko Hirata was a teacher who worked for the state for more than 25 years. I made her acquaintance when I started my teaching career in 1969 at Moanalua Intermediate School. She was like many of those in the social studies department at the time: a strict, caring disciplinarian who challenged her students and demanded only the best from them and would accept no less.

In today's news, with all the wrangling about how much teachers with professional diplomas and master's degrees should be paid, very little attention is given to those working "in the trenches," delivering quality education to their students without any mention of the remuneration they're receiving. Quality teachers like Janice never care how much compensation they receive, for they accept whatever comes with the job and do it to the best of their abilities.

Janice's focus was always on helping students fulfill their potential, whatever that may have been. Working with intermediate-age students requires tremendous strength, enthusiasm and caring, for they are "fickle youngsters," to say the least. Janice was one of the best teachers ever to teach at Moanalua Intermediate School, helping it become a nationally ranked "blue ribbon school."

As Janice has gone quietly into the night, may her legacy continue to be fulfilled in the form of new, fresh-faced educators entering this most undervalued, but critical, field of public education.

Louis Vierra

Councilman betrayed trust over minor event

Trust is like virginity: Once it's gone, you can't get it back.If Councilman Jon Yoshimura was willing to compromise his personal integrity and betray the trust of the public over such a relatively minor event, then he does not belong in a public office.

Robert Becker

Article, writer helped to find lost dog

Back in July, I lost my dog Maizie. Because my dog is a pet therapy volunteer, Eve Holt of the Humane Society thought there might be a story to be told, so she put me in contact with Wade Shirkey at The Advertiser. Wade wrote a wonderful story about Maizie, her work at Maunalani Nursing Center and the nursing home residents' sadness over her absence.

Thanks in part to Wade's story, Maizie was found after being lost for a month. The story helped raise community awareness about her, and the sensitive way in which it was written tugged at people's heartstrings, making them want to help. I had five or more calls a day from as far away as Maui, offering help, advice and even prayers.

Once Maizie was found, Wade did a follow-up story. Numerous people have told me how deeply that story affected them — they say they got chicken skin reading it. Once again, I received many calls, this time congratulating me.

I am very grateful to The Advertiser and to Wade for all of their help in recovering Maizie. A whole nursing home full of people are grateful as well.

Virginia Rose

Officers go out of way to help retrieve keys

A few weeks ago police officer Paul Ledesma came to our rescue after we were locked out of our vehicle at Zippy's restaurant near to Washington Intermediate School. He and officer James Yee assisted us by retrieving the keys to our vehicle, which allowed us to go home after an exhausting family function and this unfortunate event.

These two gentlemen deserve our heartfelt thanks. While it was not an extraordinary life-saving or dramatic rescue, it was the gesture, effort and care that they both took upon themselves in a small way that made a big difference.

This goes to show that our men and women of the Honolulu Police Department deserve our respect, gratitude and appreciation as Hawai'i's finest.

Michael Crabbe and Ipo Vaughn