Welcome Summer 2021!

June 2021

ALOHA to All: I don’t know about you but it has been a long time coming to this place we are in at this point in time! It is finally easier to see that little pin point light at the end of your own tunnels (squint if you must to find it). How wonderful it is to only have a mask for “just in case” times. We now usually have a choice to wear or not wear a mask. Gee, I can smell the flowers once again and I don’t even care what kind of flowers. They are all wonderful!

P.S. There is one “down note” to no need for masking. I became very lazy during all the mask wearing months. No one could see under it right? So a new habit of no make-up became the norm for me. Now I forget to cover up this old face of mine with that goopy stuff!!! Not good at all!!!

My last thought for this issue is – did the men also enjoy their freedom from a razor on a daily basis and do they forget, too?

Mahalo nui loa to all, make up and/or fuzzy face or not!

~ Carol L. Smith

Proud President of the Kiwanis Club of Pearl Harbor

Going Beyond the Test

March 2021

We all know that Kiwanis centers around the children of the world. However, as Kiwanians (and adults), we have to understand that these children can teach us so much. For the past two years, Hollie Rader has served as Komohana LTG. The person taking the role of LTG takes on a tremendous responsibility. That person must have the maturity to problem-solve through difficult and conflicting situations, and be able to organize an entire region of Key Clubber and Kiwanians.

Most adults would not choose to take on these responsibilities. And yet, Hollie has dedicated half of her high school career to this service while still leading her own personal life, school work, and dealing with the stress of senior year. Hollie, everyone at the Kiwanis Club of Pearl Harbor is so proud of you for all your hard work and dedication towards Key Club and serving your communities. You truly are a model Key Clubber and citizen, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors!

[Note: Hollie has been selected as one of two seniors to represent Hawaii at the US Senate Youth Program. This year, instead of a week-long trip to Washington, D.C., the students will be meeting virtually from March 14-March 18.]

Aladdin Roque-Dangaran

Vice-President

Congratulations Hollie!

February 2021

We all know that Kiwanis centers around the children of the world. However, as Kiwanians (and adults), we have to understand that these children can teach us so much. For the past two years, Hollie Rader has served as Komohana LTG. The person taking the role of LTG takes on a tremendous responsibility. That person must have the maturity to problem-solve through difficult and conflicting situations, and be able to organize an entire region of Key Clubber and Kiwanians.

Most adults would not choose to take on these responsibilities. And yet, Hollie has dedicated half of her high school career to this service while still leading her own personal life, school work, and dealing with the stress of senior year. Hollie, everyone at the Kiwanis Club of Pearl Harbor is so proud of you for all your hard work and dedication towards Key Club and serving your communities. You truly are a model Key Clubber and citizen, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors!

[Note: Hollie has been selected as one of two seniors to represent Hawaii at the US Senate Youth Program. This year, instead of a week-long trip to Washington, D.C., the students will be meeting virtually from March 14-March 18.]

Aladdin Roque-Dangaran

Vice-President

Total Well-being

January 2021

During our transition into distance learning, I learned about the importance of both students and teachers to maintain their physical and mental well-being. When we go through college to get our degrees and when we are in the act of teaching, it is often forgotten that our health, both mental and physical, impact our daily lives. I was always focused on getting the job done. In college, I would pull many all-nighters to study for exams. When I first started teaching, I would constantly be bringing home work to do overnight or over the weekend. Especially as teachers, I think that we feel it is our responsibility to do this to ensure the success of our students. But, this was not balanced for me. I remember being completely drained by the end of my first semester.

Now that we have been teaching online for almost a year now, I am always thinking about the amount of stress that I have as an adult and think that our students must be feeling it ten times worse. I now realize (more than I did when we were teaching in-person), the importance of providing the opportunity for our students to develop a healthy physical and mental well-being. Yes, teaching my content is important, but there are ways to do it where the students won’t feel so overwhelmed. As a teacher who is only teaching one subject, it is easy to forget how I felt taking six different classes and having homework and projects for all of those classes.

Aladdin Roque-Dangaran

Vice-President

(serving as interim President as Carol takes a short respite)

The Year Was 2020

December 2020

TWENTY TWENTY...a year no one in this lifetime shall forget. It has been a world of pain – so much sickness-anxiety-loss of jobs-loss of life. The virus changed our entire world. We can only hope that in the end – yes, there shall be an end, we will have learned more about ourselves and all those around us.

This year of so very much loss, also taught us a great deal. We are Kiwanians, so we did not give up and did what we could – each in our own way and abilities. Pearl Harbor was grateful to have members who knew how to use virtual media so we started virtual meetings and communications at the start. For me, I did not know what virtual meeting really meant, but we all do now in different degrees of knowledge and skills. (I am still at the kindergarten level.)

There are good times to remember: Our Key Clubs helped us to continue on with projects – virtually. With virtual trainings and so many hands, we were able to continue service. We even “pulled off” our first ever and hopefully our last virtual installation with a fundraiser included. Pearl Harbor can be proud. We were able to recruit 3 new members and also help others in the spirit of Kiwanis. There are wonderful times to remember in 2020. The end of the tunnel is visible, so now we move on to a new year, probably some new challenges, but we have proven we can!

Hau`oli Makahiki Hou.

~ Carol L. Smith

Proud President of the Kiwanis Club of Pearl Harbor