KOLOA — Eleven robotics students and their coaches will be heading to the state competition this week thanks to the community, said Debbie Lindsey, Koloa School principal. More than 300 diners took part in the school’s first-ever pancake breakfast and
KOLOA — Eleven robotics students and their coaches will be heading to the state competition this week thanks to the community, said Debbie Lindsey, Koloa School principal.
More than 300 diners took part in the school’s first-ever pancake breakfast and craft fair to help raise funds to send the robotics team to O‘ahu for the FIRST Lego League competition, Lindsey said.
“The students won first place in Robot Performance during the Kaua‘i Lego League competition held at the King Kaumuali‘i School several weeks ago,” Lindsey said. “Whatever is remaining from the trip will benefit the school’s PTSA.”
Katerina Mateo, the PTSA president, and Kim Carpenter teamed up to create the first pancake breakfast.
“They worked really hard,” Lindsey said. “Katerina took charge of the breakfast and Kim was in charge of the craft fair which attracted about 18 vendors.”
Among the vendors, Luna Trevino, a fourth-grade student from Kalaheo School, was making her first foray into the crafters marketplace, displaying an assortment of her handmade jewelry ranging from necklaces to earrings.
Wendy Russell, a Waimea High School alumnus, was also on hand with her red dirt, cinnamon decorations as was Karin Panui of Mailelani who had the help of Edwin Vea in promoting the line of hand-sewn products.
“I sew good, but Edwin talks better,” Panui said. “This is all for the kids so it’s a good cause.”
Angela Vento, general manager of the Sheraton Kaua‘i, was joined by her husband Art Vento who came over from Maui to help with the breakfast.
“You gotta break the rules, sometimes,” Art said while looking over his shoulder to create a happy face with chocolate chips on a batch of pancakes. “This is the pancake of death. You gotta keep flippin’ until you die.”
Mateo said the event was a success only due to the help of people like the Ventos and the Sheraton Kaua‘i, the Po‘ipu Starbucks, Olympic Cafe, KOA Trading Company, Kaua‘i Producers, The Koloa Lions Club, the Rotary Club of Po‘ipu Beach and the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort and Spa.
She added that volunteers came from the school staff, parents, the school’s fifth grade students and numerous community volunteers.
“The fair and breakfast were success,” Mateo said in an e-mail. “The biggest reward was watching our community and our fellow neighbors come together in support of our little school as well as our talented artists and crafters.”
Between surges of diners, students from the Koloa School music program provided entertainment and Lindsey was even interrupted from her task of flipping pancakes when her husband Myron found a pair of turquoise earrings at one of the crafters’ tables.
Mateo, who was busy flitting between the variety of tasks affiliated with hosting a breakfast, said, “A huge mahalo goes out to all who came by and spent a portion of this pre-holiday Saturday with us. It was so much fun and we look forward to doing it again.”
