Health Awareness Reaches New Heights

Photo by Kapono Ryan

Students climb a rock-climbing wall donated for use at this event.
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When Karen Harp, dressed like a red blood drop reminiscent of a chocolate kiss, came knocking at classrooms and offices on Monday asking for blood donors, people knew that it was time for Health Fest.  When the Army began to set up its rock wall in front of Freitas, people knew it was time for Health Fest.  And they came—students, staff, and faculty—to talk with vendors, get their blood pressure checked, taste the delicious though a bit strange looking organic health concoctions, munch on apples and energy bars, and sip on Jamba Juice samples.  

More than a dozen vendors shared their knowledge with an audience of more than 60 participants.  Participants could learn about improving their health through diet, exercise, prayer and environmental responsibility—just to name a few. And they could “verb” the lunch hour away – moving, dancing, hula hooping or rock climbing.  

How did participants rate the event?  According to evaluation results, staff helpfulness got all 10s (where a 10 was equal to excellent) and the average overall experience of Health Fest 2007 was rated at nearly a ‘9’.  Now that is something to jump up and down about!

Everyday Environmental Hero

I was excited when I first heard about the AAS program here in Hawaii. I was familiar with it where I was from in Washington State, but I never had the chance to participate in it. So I decided that I would try to form a group at Chaminade that would be interested in keeping Palolo Stream clean. With encouragement and assistance with supplies from the City & County Environmental Services department, the Chaminade group has conducted 7 cleanups in the last year and a half. We did 4 cleanups in the 2005 school year, and are about to do our 4th cleanup this year on April 21st.

All of the cleanups involve rubbish removal. We find things like car parts (including batteries and entire cars), toys, lawn & garden equipment, refrigerators, dryers, etc. We've seen some very bizarre stuff down there. Usually each volunteer will collect 2-3 large bags full of rubbish. The City & County provides us with bags, gloves, painting supplies, shirts, environmental handouts, and usually anything else we need to do our job. I personally provide the bug repellent and bottled water.

If we have enough people, we will also use our painting supplies and remove graffiti next to the stream. Especially if we have younger students, like Saint Louis School students. They seem to like the painting more than the rubbish removal, and they also can see first-hand how much work people do to keep the graffiti under control.

Sometimes it's hard though. When we come back to the stream a few weeks after a cleanup and see what we had looking pristine, once again littered with trash. And seeing brand new graffiti on the walls we had just cleared the time before. That's were the educational component comes in. Our April cleanup is usually our biggest, as it is Earth Month and we are one of several groups who coordinate their efforts all on one day at several sites. This is the event when we usually have the most volunteers, and we use the extra manpower to distribute educational fliers provided by the City & County to residents who live along the stream. The fliers have information about how to properly dispose of various types of rubbish and chemicals, instead of dumping them in or next to the stream. It also has information about the fines and penalties that can be imposed for illegal dumping.

What we are doing has benefits beyond the obvious cleaning of a stream and the environmental impact it has. The residents who live along the stream are happy to see us out making the view of their backyard look better. Our hope is that by them seeing that real people volunteer their time to clean up the stream, they will think twice about how to properly dispose of their rubbish, and maybe even participate in a future cleanup. Another benefit is exposing high school and college students to this type of environmental work. By showing them the effects pollution has on the stream environment when they are young, we hope they will practice being environmentally friendly in the future.

It's great that the City & County recognized Chaminade with an "Everyday Environmental Hero" award. We are proud of the work we have done, and will continue doing it. However, the best reward is at the end of a cleanup, and you look down at the stream and it looks how it is supposed to look, clean and pristine. And you know you had a part in making it that way. It's a real sense of accomplishment and you just feel good about yourself.

Next Cleanup Saturday, April 21st, 2007 9AM - NOON Meet next to the Gerber Field House by the 3rd Avenue bridge.

Student Employee of the Year

Written by: Marianne Lacy, student employee, Career Services

On March 1, 2007, Sierra Williams, senior, was named Student Employee of the Year. Hired in August 2006 as the Student Office Assistant at the Office of Residential Life, Venus Itrualde, Director of the Office of Residential Life, nominated Williams, stating that she is “professional, efficient, enthusiastic, and very resourceful.” Prior to working in the Residential Life office, Williams was a Resident Assistant (RA), where she was described as being “conscientious, industrious, and responsible.” During her time as an RA, Williams was awarded RA of the Year. Dr. Gail Grabowsky, Environmental Studies and former employer of Williams, states that, “She IS the bomb!!!  Sierra worked for me for two years and she was WONDERFUL!” Williams, who is a Forensic Science major, Hogan Entrepreneur, RHA Vice President, as well as a Student Assistant, is described as a student that can do it all. Itrualde also states that, “Sierra compromises nothing and works very hard to excel in all that she does.” Williams’s professional demeanor and her ability to relate to students are clear illustrations of how co-workers, as well as fellow students, can rely on and look at Williams as a role model. However, Williams often rises above her assigned duties, making her reliable and trustworthy. Williams’s professional demeanor and her ability to relate to students are clear illustrations of how co-workers, as well as fellow students, can rely on and look at her as a role model. As winner of Student Employee of the Year, Williams has been entered into the State competition, headed by the Western Association of Student Employment Administrators, and should she win, Williams will then move on to the Regional competition.