Waiau Elementary School held their Adopt-A-School Day Campus Clean Up on Saturday, September 29, 2012. Volunteers representing several community groups and organizations, Pearl City High School staff and students, as well as Waiau Elementary School staff, parents, and students came together to spruce up and beautify the campus grounds in front of the school.
The Adopt-A-School Day was created and is presented each year by the Hawaii Jaycees. The objective is to mobilize the community in service to Hawaii schools. The Hawaii Jaycees will hold the Fifth Annual Jaycees Adopt-A-School Day (Statewide) on Sunday, October 14, 2012.
On Saturday, a surprising amount of volunteers showed up bright and early at 7:00am and got right to work with chores that included: planting over 70 Hibiscus and other plants in front of the school, trimming hedges, trees and shrubs, painting parking lot curbs and visitor parking stalls, and raking up leaves and debris along walkways and stairs.
It was impressive group of volunteers that worked together to get the job done. Pearl City Community Association Board Member, Leroy Ching coordinated the event with Makanoe Kawasaki from Waiau Elementary School and Patrick Tomiyasu and Michelle Itsuno from the Hawaii Jaycees.
Tomiyasu, Itsuno and Principal Troy Takazono were excited to see the turnout and the terrific results that the group of volunteers was able to accomplish in beautifying the campus in just a few hours.
"This Adopt A School project was started in 2008 when I was President. I'm always happy to support this project. For the past five years we've been visiting projects and encouraging people in the community to get out and support a school in their community. The model for Adopt A School Day is we ask organizations to do three things, to pick a school that has some meaning or that they have a connection to, ask how they can help, and how they can lend a hand. It's basically organize a bunch of people and get out there and spend one day to try and make a difference in a school.
Today I was here at 7:25 and I heard power tools going and saw a lot of young people taking some interest in a school in their community. I saw Lions and other people here just really getting out and enthusiastically trying to improve the school. This is really what we're trying to do."
Patrick Tomiyasu, past President of the Hawaii Jaycees
"I was actually so surprised today when I came here. I just saw tons of people here, volunteering, organizing and painting parking lot curb lines. I was even talking to one of the Pearl City High School Key Club kids who were digging a little hole to plant a Hibiscus bush inside and talking to his teacher who was here from Pearl City High School helping out as well. It's great to see such a huge turnout, so many organizations like the Pearl City Community Association, the Lions Club. When I was first talking to Leroy (Ching) from the Pearl City Community Association and Jitsuo (Fujimura) they said that they were looking to adopt Waiau Elementary and getting a lot of other organizations involved with helping out. Principal Troy Takazono said this is the first time Waiau Elementary has done an Adopt A School Day and its just great to see all this community support come out. So many organizations and people including their own students and also students from Pearl City High School. It's really amazing what the community can do, and get involved in just adopting a school and the impact that they make on the school, the students, and the school pride on top of that."
Michelle Itsuno, Hawaii Jaycees Executive Vice-President
“We were contacted by Leroy Ching from the Pearl City Community Association and he asked if we wanted to participate in Adopt-A-School Day and we said definitely. We see all this participation and we love it! We have people from the Pearl City Community Association, also volunteers from the Lions Club, Pearl City High School, the Key Club and the Pace Project at the high school, and our parents and staff and our students. The main objective was to spruce up the front of the school. So, all of our curbing was painted in red where we don’t want the cars to park. Shrubs were put in the front of the school. The hedges and trees were trimmed. A lot of worked was done in the last couple of hours.
The students are going to love it. What I love about this project is it gives us an opportunity to engage our parents. The parents that did come, they can talk to other parents about supporting the school in these ways. When the parents come back from break, they’re going to see all the work that was done and they’re going to ask questions and we can share with them that as a community we take pride in our school, and the little things we can do to help.”
Principal Troy Takazono, Waiau Elementary School
Mahalo to all the volunteers for their hard work! Your community volunteer efforts are truly appreciated!
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
(From left to right) Michelle Itsuno, Hawaii Jaycees Executive Vice-President, Principal Troy Takazono, Waiau Elementary School, Patrick Tomiyasu, past President of the Hawaii Jaycees, and Breene Harimoto, Pearl City Community Association Board Member.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Mana Loa-Nimitz Lions Club President, Warren Hiromoto pictured with Principal Takazono on Saturday.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Volunteers planted dozens of Hibiscus bushes and other plants in front of the school on Saturday.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Pearl City Community Association Board Members Molina Gomez and Calvin Ebesutani take break while volunteering on Saturday, September 28, 2012 at Waiau Elementary School during Adopt A School Day.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Gregg Takayama prepares a hole that will be the new home of a Hibiscus tree when planted in front of the school administration building. Takayama helped secure dozens of plants from the University of Hawaii Urban Garden Center in Pearl City that were donated to Waiau Elementary School.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Elizabeth Tang from Keiwit, and Brian Nitta from the Mana Loa-Nimitz Lions Club repaint visitor parking stalls in the Waiau Elementary School parking lot.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Bert Nakashima from Pearl City High School works with PCHS students as they drill holes before planting several new Hibiscus plants in front of the school.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Pearl City Community Association Board Member and community coordinator for the Waiau Elementary School Adopt A School Day Clean Up. Leroy Ching takes out a chain saw to trim back a hedge near the school entrance.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Volunteers worked hard on Saturday to spruce up Waiau Elementary School.
Photo by Barry Villami | [email protected]
Keeping it green! Great job!