LIHUE — Marley Samio came home specially Saturday for a fan collection drive outside the Safeway store in Hokulei Village. “High temperatures affect student learning,” said Samio, a former Kekaha Elementary School student. “Recently, there were a lot of reports
LIHUE — Marley Samio came home specially Saturday for a fan collection drive outside the Safeway store in Hokulei Village.
“High temperatures affect student learning,” said Samio, a former Kekaha Elementary School student. “Recently, there were a lot of reports of high temperatures in schools in Hawaii. My grandma works at Kekaha School, and I went to school there until the eighth-grade, so we’re trying to collect as much money and fans to place in the Kekaha School classrooms.”
Samio, who attends Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama, got help from her family and friends, including Naikoa Simao, a student at Waimea High School, and Trajan Satta-Ellis of Kona, who also attends Kamehameha School-Kapalama.
“Trajan did a drive in Kona to get fans for the schools there,” Samio said. “He collected 10 fans and about $100 to purchase fans. He wanted to come and help me with the Kekaha School fans.”
As the clock neared the end of the collection period, the students had amassed at least a dozen new and gently used fans as well as a bunch of currency in the collection jar.
Kekaha School Principal Dominic Beralas watched in awe as shoppers, including visitors from the Mainland, walked up with fans in boxes, or stopped to donate.
“This is awesome,” Beralas said. “I haven’t seen anything like this. Even people who aren’t from here are stopping to help our teachers and students.”
Kekaha, which has about 20 classrooms, is the westernmost school in the United States, and it can get pretty hot.
“The past few weeks, the temperature has really been up there,” Beralas said. “Some of our teachers started taking temperature readings inside the classrooms with these readings coming in at 90 degrees and higher. One room was nearly 100 degrees.”
He appreciated Samio’s efforts.
“It is such a great thing that she wants to give back to the school where she made so many memories while she was here,” Beralas said. “What she is doing affects and helps both teachers and students.”
Samio said the project was one she needed to do for her personal health class, and after hearing of Satta-Ellis’ success on the Big Island, thought she would give back to the community with the fan drive.
Larry Petrini was exiting the Safeway store Saturday and stopped to make a donation.
“How can you not help these young people?” Petrini said. “Especially because this is all for the kids.”
Skye Madigan came in toward the end of the collection period with two new fans.
“We’re friends with Marley’s family,” Madigan said. “This is a good thing that Marley is doing so we have to support her and her family.”
