KOLOA — More than a dozen presenters spoke and demonstrated their different careers to Koloa School students as part of the school’s career day Wednesday morning. Celina Rivera, whose son attends Koloa School, enlisted the help of her hula sister
KOLOA — More than a dozen presenters spoke and demonstrated their different careers to Koloa School students as part of the school’s career day Wednesday morning.
Celina Rivera, whose son attends Koloa School, enlisted the help of her hula sister Deanna Rapozo and fire knife dancer and drummer Emsley Drake of the Rohotu halau to do a live demonstration of Tahitian dance as well as speak about a career in hula and Pacific Island dance.
“You not going laugh at me, eh?” Rivera queried the first graders who were already primed for the duo’s performance by Drake’s staccato drumming.
Toni Keahiolalo, the Sheraton Kaua‘i resort’s Director of Fun, said the resort donated 18 computers to the school before participating in the school’s career day. Keahiolalo was one of three representatives from the resort that took part in the event, an annual event that this year involved 16 speakers.
Angela Vento, the Sheraton’s general manager, spoke to the school’s older student population while Executive Chef Ikaika Manaku was placed with kindergartners and first grade students. Keahiolalo had the third grade classes.
“We only had 20 minutes, and we had to do four classes in about two hours,” said Manaku, one of two chefs at the event.
“This was not like the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School where I had the older students who were able to listen, so I just asked the kids, ‘Who likes chocolate?’”
Ray Carvalho, the school’s counselor, said some of the participants included Art Vento, architect and husband to Angela Vento, Mark Oyama of Mark’s Place and Contemporary Flavors who was speaking to fourth and fifth grade students this year, Dodd Apao of the Kaua‘i Fire Department, Zach Octavio from the American Medical Response, cartoonist Tom Finley, Tim Lach of Kaua‘i Harley Davidson, Faith Shiramizu of the Department of Water, Aunty Nani of the Kaua‘i Nursery & Landscaping, County prosecutor Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho, who teamed with private investigator and former County Council colleague Mel Rapozo, and other professionals.
“We were scheduled to have a police officer, but he was called away on assignment so we had a lifeguard fill in,” Carvalho said. “Everything worked out fine.”
Students were given a unique opportunity for hands-on and a taste of the many types of careers that lie before them and were able to meet some of the community professionals whose work make their lives what they are.
