Posted on: Friday, September 3, 2004
Salutes
Advertiser Staff
Salvation Army honors volunteer
Jennie Onitsuka has been volunteering with The Salvation Army since the age of 7. The 19-year-old Mililani High School graduate currently leads an award-winning Salvation Army children's singing group, teaches sign-language class and assists in the preschool and other youth programs.
The Salvation Army has honored her with its Territorial Youth Service Award. She is among those being considered for the Salvation Army's National Youth Services Award to be given in a special ceremony in Washington, D.C., this month.
"Volunteering always makes me feel good," said Onitsuka. "I've always liked working with kids, and spending my time with them allows me to give back for the blessings I've received."
Two American history and civics teachers from Hawai'i public schools were selected to attend a major national forum last month at the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Pa. They are Robert Hu and William Ogle. This year's forum theme is "American Politics and Elections."
Hu teaches civics at Mililani High School. He was also selected as 2004 Teacher of the Year by the Department of Education.
Ogle teaches U.S. history at Iao Middle School on Maui.
Both teachers plan to use what they learned to pique their students' interest in the upcoming elections.
The Gallery of Distinguished Achievers has inducted Francis Keala and Edith Leong for their service to Saint Louis School and the Hawai'i community. Rodney Santos received the Brother Edward Gomez Award honoring an exceptional Saint Louis employee.
Keala served 14 years as chief of the Honolulu Police Department. He is presently director of the Saint Louis Education Foundation and St. Francis Medical Center-West.
Leong, the mother of two Saint Louis graduates, has served the school as a board trustee and presently directs fund-raising for the Saint Louis Center for the Arts.
Santos was a full-time teacher and volunteer tutor for the school for 36 years. He established the Rodney P. Santos Scholarship.
University of Hawai'i at Manoa English doctoral candidate Ku'ualoha Ho'omanawanui was one of 35 people in the nation to receive a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship.
She was awarded $21,000 toward the research and writing of her dissertation.
She is working on a literary analysis of Pele literature published in 19th century Hawaiian language newspapers
2 teachers sent to national forum
Achievers gallery inducts three
Doctoral student wins fellowship
