If spirit is an indicator of success, the McTeachers program that was initiated Wednesday afternoon is a smash based on the decibel levels at the Lihu’e and Ele’ele McDonald’s restaurants where about 25 educators from Kaua’i High School and Waimea
If spirit is an indicator of success, the McTeachers program that was initiated Wednesday afternoon is a smash based on the decibel levels at the Lihu’e and Ele’ele McDonald’s restaurants where about 25 educators from Kaua’i High School and Waimea High School participated in the Partners in Education fund-raising program.
“It’s supposed to be a lot of fun,” Romy Ramelb, the manager for the Waipouli McDonald’s. “I first experienced this program on the mainland during training, and I’m glad they brought it here to our state.”
The turnout at Eleele included Waimea’s principal, Bill Arakaki, who greeted patrons from behind a cash register, a McDonald’s employee shadowing his moves.
Other volunteers from the schools included office clerks, teachers, coaches and an athletic director.
The antics of Penny Vess, Kaua’i High vice principal, created laughter that echoed through the Lihu’e eatery, which was decorated with balloons and streamers by a group headed by student Marissa Bonilla.
Students also took to the sidewalks to advertise the event inside.
Robert Ibia, the Lihu’e manager, quietly watched the haphazard crew stumble through the procedure of manning the burger cookers, dress and wrap the cooked items, calculate the sizes of French fries, and man the automated drink fillers while chatting with customers at the front counters.
“We had shifts,” said Keli’i Morgado, Kaua’i High’s football coach. “The first shift worked from 3 to 5, and the next shift will go 5 to 7 p.m.”
But, as the time arrived for the shift change, there was little movement to vacate as the now-veteran crew was eager to teach the newcomers.
In Ele’ele, Sharon Pancho, the manager there, said her Waimea crew was limited to handling the front end, the drive-thru, and the drinks and ice cream. Pancho added that similar programs were taking place statewide as McDonald’s launched its McTeachers program at its major restaurants, offering the program to schools in each of their respective neighborhoods.
The schools will receive a portion of the sales generated during their time as fast-food operators.
Walter Souza, one of the Waimea teachers, peered from amidst the Navy-blue sea of shirts, and with a sheepish smile said, “You should have seen my first batch of ice cream. I had to throw it away.”
“Which one is large?” Brandon Fujita, a Kaua’i High teacher, called as he fished for the right container for fries, knowing that orders were coming in from the drive-thru.
Away from the din of the counters, Clemente Hudson, another Kaua’i teacher, had beads of perspiration on his forehead.
“It’s hot in here,” he said, spatula in hand, as he scraped off residue from a just-finished batch of burgers on the grill. “You have to clean it before you put down the next batch. You have to clean it all the time.”
Outside in the dining area, customers approved of the “new” employees. Some indicated that if they had more notice, they would have told more of their friends who support educational programs and would turn out for this type of event.
One teacher noted that this was the first time she had actually been inside the Ele’ele eatery.
“Normally, I just use the drive-thru, but this is nice,” she said.
As the dinner rush began in Ele’ele, people crowded into the eatery, arriving from soccer, softball and basketball practices. Arakaki looked at the flood and, with still an hour remaining on his shift, gave “a lot of credit” to regular McDonald’s employees for the workthey do.
“It’s not that easy,” he said.
Staff photographer Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) and mailto:dfujimoto@pulitzer.net
