Hawai'i high schools that preach and practice academic achievement and good sportsmanship in their athletic teams will be rewarded under a new program sponsored by the state's largest health insurer.

The Hawai'i Medical Service Association unveiled its "Kaimana Awards & Scholarship Program" yesterday, announcing plans to reward 10 schools and give out 21 individual scholarships at the end of the 2005-06 school year. The program will be coordinated with the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association and includes coaches education featuring workshops and certification training.

"This is all part of building a culture of healthy lifestyles," said Robert Hiam, HMSA's president and CEO. "Good health doesn't just happen; it's important to encourage our youth to participate in physical activities and establish that culture of good health. We want to offer them opportunities to point their life in a healthy direction."

The program, which HMSA has committed to for three years "in the six-figure" range financially, is similar to the 22-year-old Nissan Hawai'i Hall of Honor but is much more broad and complex.

The Nissan program awards scholarships of $2,000 each to 12 senior student-athletes, with the emphasis on athletic achievements but also taking into account academic performance and school/community service. The Kaimana program also will award $2,000 scholarships, but to 21 seniors who must have a minimum grade point average of 2.75 and may fit a different profile from the Nissan honorees — most of whom were well known through extensive media attention.

"We recognize Nissan's as a fantastic program and we don't want to detract from or compete with it," said Mike Stollar, HMSA's vice president for corporate communications. "We're looking for kids who might have a lower profile, and we also want to honor the schools for academics, sportsmanship, community service and participation. When there's (good) participation, it encourages everybody."

The winning schools will not receive cash awards, but the top 10 each will be presented with a crystal trophy. The winners will be determined by a point system incorporating achievement in athletics (league championships and participation), academics (collective GPAs), sportsmanship and community service.

HHSAA executive director Keith Amemiya called the program "all-encompassing," since it weighs all schools and sports (Division I and II) equally.

"It takes care of the big schools and small schools, O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands, bowling and football," Amemiya said. "We've always wanted to do something like this, but we never had the financial support, so we're very grateful to HMSA for that."

Stollar approached Amemiya with the idea in May, and HMSA enterprise development specialist Bill Tobin worked with Amemiya in developing the program's detailed plan.

O'ahu Interscholastic Association executive secretary Dwight Toyama said the Kaimana program "fits perfectly" into the Department of Education's initiatives regarding athletics.

"The DOE expects every school to improve in every area," Toyama said, "so this will help."