WAIMEA — A honu swims at the bottom of a fretboard on a developing ‘ukulele in a rack at Waimea High School’s wood shop. Sounds of completed ‘ukulele made by students fill the morning air with sweet melody as a
WAIMEA — A honu swims at the bottom of a fretboard on a developing ‘ukulele in a rack at Waimea High School’s wood shop.
Sounds of completed ‘ukulele made by students fill the morning air with sweet melody as a state Department of Land and Natural Resources pickup rolls up Friday.
Billy DeCosta gets three students to move a sign that is earmarked for the DLNR hunter check-in station in Koke‘e.
“We show the students how to give back to the community,” DeCosta said. “This sign was given to the DLNR originally, but it was painted. That didn’t stand up to the weather, so we got the sign back and recycled it. Now, it’s weatherproof.”
Instead of hand-painted lettering, the students, led by DeCosta’s “Design Team,” worked with carved letters out of hardwood and attached it to the sign.
“You have to glue down the letters and then use a nail gun to secure it to the wood backing,” said Brittany Libre, a junior who took wood shop because she thought it was interesting to cut wood and build things.
DeCosta said the sign was made and presented in appreciation for the help the class gets from the DLNR.
“The koa for the ‘ukulele? Yeah, DLNR got us the permission so the students could get wood to make the instruments,” DeCosta said.
Libre said the signs are part of the class’ community service project that DeCosta has them do.
While the male students busy themselves with creating ‘ukulele, Libre and some of the other girls in the class worked on creating bracelets.
“The students gotta get involved in community projects,” DeCosta said. “The next project involves creating a sign for the state for the Waimea Pier.”
This will be a major undertaking for the four blocks of wood shop students that DeCosta works with at Waimea High School. He estimates there are 25-30 students in each block.
In addition to the wooden portion of the sign, the students will be working with concrete to form the base and support. DeCosta estimates the project should be completed some time in May before school lets out for the summer.
“We’re also working on an indoor sign for the Turtle Reef Resort in Koloa,” DeCosta said. “The Design Team has to figure out all the proportions and lay out how everything is going to fit.”
DeCosta is no stranger to community service projects as his former classes have created signs for churches, schools and even businesses that have taken the time to help his students.
The county, under former Mayor Bryan Baptiste, acquired several picnic tables from DeCosta’s students — one of which sits in the atrium of the Mo‘ikeha Building.
“We cannot do it ourselves,” DeCosta said. “It takes a lot of people to keep these kids occupied and if it wasn’t for community sponsors, the kids wouldn’t be able to do what they do.”
Paradise Mill Works in Puhi provides the program with whatever wood they need for their projects, DeCosta said.
Grove Farm Vice President Mike Tresler arranges with Puhi Paint for the exterior clear coatings the signs require to be weatherproof.
But DeCosta’s biggest hero is Teddy Arroyo of Arroyo Plumbing who comes through with all the odds and ends needed to tie the projects together.
“Teddy is such a good guy,” DeCosta said. “Nuts, bolts, screws, whatever, Teddy takes it out of his own pocket so the kids can finish the project.”
DeCosta also attributes the success of the students with the cooperation he gets from Waimea High School principal Larry Kaliloa and the administration’s staff.
“The kids cannot do this without everyone’s help,” DeCosta said. “This is taking the learning out of the classroom. When the students see what they’ve done out in the community, they can be proud of what they see because they did it.”
Throughout the process of loading the sign, the honu swam silently amidst other fretboards, some arcing to a point, others blocked off. It was the only honu in the sea of fretboards.
“That was done by a student,” DeCosta said. “Two weeks ago, he dropped out. No one knows where he is or what happened to him. But his honu is waiting for him — when he’s ready.”
