EDUCATION BRIEFS
Star Poets' work to be celebrated
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i's young Star Poets will be celebrating their writing achievements Sunday at Windward Community College's Paliku Theatre.
Sponsored by WCC and Starbucks Coffee Hawai'i, the Star Poets contest drew entries from 3,000 students across the state.
The winning poets from O'ahu, Kaua'i, the Big Island and Maui will read their pieces at 3 p.m.
There also will be free poetry mini-sessions, with sign-ups beginning at 1 p.m. Teachers/writers Sue Cowing, Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Mel Spencer, Susan Lee St. John, Joe Tsujimoto, Corinne Misaki-Wingert and Gail Schroers will lead the sessions.
O'ahu poet, 7, wins grand prize
A poem by Malia Brooks, 7, of Honolulu about her golden retrievers, Reno and Shana, has captured a grand prize in Reading Is Fundamental's "I Love My Pet" contest.
Brooks competed against 1,300 5- to 15-year-olds from across the country who wrote essays or poems about their pets.
As one of two grand prize winners, Brooks will receive an autographed "Because of Winn-Dixie" movie poster and prize package, a $100 Borders gift card and a $25 Fandango.com gift card.
To read the winning entries, visit www.rif.org/readingplanet.
Nene Award ceremony nears
Renowned storyteller Nyla Fujii-Babb will perform tomorrow at the 40th annual Nene Award presentation ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at the Kapolei Public Library. Fujii-Babb will pay tribute to 2004 winner Judy Blume's book, "Double Fudge."
The ceremony also will include the announcement of the 2005 winner — the favorite book voted on by Hawai'i students in grades 4 to 6.
Winners of the statewide children's essay-writing, poster and performance contests also will be honored at the ceremony.
UH Hong Kong alumni chip in
More than 130 Hong Kong alumni of the University of Hawai'i raised about $4,000 for flood-relief efforts at Hamilton Library during a recent reunion dinner in Hong Kong.
Some alumni came from as far away as Macau, a special administrative region of China.
"It's so very heartwarming to receive such a show of support from alumni as far away as Hong Kong," said June Naughton, retired director of International Student Services at UH-Manoa. "Many of our international alumni remain connected to the university and frequently reflect on many wonderful memories of their UH experience — many of those memories, I'm sure, were formed right on the steps of Hamilton Library."
Help offered in culinary arts
Maui public high school students interested in pursuing a career in culinary arts can apply for a $2,000 scholarship from David Paul's Lahaina Grill. The scholarship will be awarded to a student planning to enroll in the Maui Community College Culinary Arts program this fall.
The winner will exhibit a strong academic record with significant improvement of grade-point average through high school, be community minded and have a genuine interest in cooking.
Interested students should contact their school counselor for an application.
