‘Take Your Children to Work’ gave job insights By DENNIS FUJIMOTO – TGI Staff Photographer NAWILIWILI – As Kauai’s public school students and their teachers exchanged greetings Thursday on the first day of instruction following the teachers’ strike, King Kaumuali’i
‘Take Your Children to Work’ gave job insights
By DENNIS FUJIMOTO – TGI Staff Photographer
NAWILIWILI – As Kauai’s public school students and their teachers exchanged greetings Thursday on the first day of instruction following the teachers’ strike, King Kaumuali’i School student Jordan Leanio was greeting visitors to the Kaua’i Marriott Resort and Beach Club on the shores of Kalapaki Bay.
Leanio was one of 14 students who made arrangements with their respective schools to participate in the Marriott’s portion of the national “Take Your Children to Work” celebration at numerous businesses and organizations.
“This was done way ahead of the strike, so they (King Kaumuali’i School) said it was okay,” said Eric Leanio, Jordan’s dad, as the pair flashed smiles during a lull in activity at the resort’s valet parking station.
Jolene Ogle, of the human resources department, said the resort originally was scheduled to have about 20 students accompany their parents to the chainwide event, but the resumption of classes following the strike resulted in six cancellations.
Jordan discovered his dad’s job was more than parking visitors’ cars, as the position is the first place visitors see when they arrive and the final place they see when they leave. There are bags that need to be unloaded, questions that need to be answered and myriad other duties.
“Quality time” for 90 minutes with their parents kicked off the experience for the 14 students. Afterward, the students were placed in different work environments before ending the day in games designed to further enhance the workday experience, including a fastest – bedmaking competition.
Some students were overwhelmed by the scope of duties involved in the different facets of resort operation, while others mulled the experiences of their schoolmates who were returning to classrooms.
In the bake shop, Sarah Alonzo, Tiana Esaki and Ashley Gorospe were working under the supervision of Nida Ponting and Nicole Namaka. Alonzo went right into slicing bananas for a banana-strawberry dessert for the lunch menu, while Gorospe gingerly wielded a spatula through a mountain of icing topping one of the sheet cakes.
Esaki lost little time getting involved in spreading out the icing on her sheet cake before slicing strawberries to complement the banana slices being created by Alonzo.
Leanio, Cheyenne Kaui and Jennifer Borrero were in the company of Daniel Esaki, a loss-prevention worker, and the trio of students stood in awe as they heard some of the duties involved in poolside maintenance by supervisor Mike Okami. He explained the need to keep an eye out for visitors’ safety in the hotel’s swimming pools and on the public beaches.
In addition to the patrons’ safety, the job also entails minimizing the guests’ infringement by non-authorized pool users, Okami said.
The students also perused merchandise displayed for the hotel’s annual silent auction. Proceeds from the event will support the upcoming Visitors Industry Charity Walk on May 19 starting at Kukui Grove Center.
Staff photographer Dennis Fujimoto can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253).
