Jun. 24, 2015
Contributed by Pakalani Bello
The month of May marks an important time in the Admissions office. Notification letters have all gone out and the Internal Audit department pays us its annual visit! But most of all, it is the time when we push our “piles of files for miles” aside for just a brief moment and focus on another one of our department’s cherished values: TEAM BUILDING!!!
Since we are a multi-island department, we don’t have the luxury of getting together as much as we would like to. Therefore, we look forward to our annual retreats as they are always fun and provide us with opportunities to learn something new and gain new experiences together.
“Mālama Honua” (to care for our Earth) was our overall theme for this year’s retreat. A highlight of one retreat activity was spending a whole day at the Marine Education Training Center (METC) down in Sand Island to learn more about Hōkūleʻa’s current worldwide voyage.
We got to sail aboard a waʻa (canoe) named Kamauheheu with Captain Bob Perkins and his crew, learning the different parts of the waʻa, how to perform tack and jibe maneuvers on the waʻa and learning various navigational knot-tying techniques.
We also enjoyed learning about the history of Hōkūleʻa and how it “ties” into its inspirational journey around the globe.
Since the Admissions Office is a super-competitive group (department kickball anyone?) at the end of the day, Kamehameha’s Hoʻokahua Cultural Vibrancy staff tied all of the day’s learning into an end-of-day hōʻike (show), where three separate waʻa teams competed. The winner receiving waʻa bragging rights for the year! All of our staff (even those who got seasick) had a BLAST!!!
A special mahalo to Ke Aliʻi Pauahi for her vision and generosity. We are all so blessed to work for an institution that values the Hawaiian culture and its traditions. Mahalo to the Hoʻokahua team where aloha, mālama and hōʻihi are served daily.
Mahalo nui also to the METC team for sharing their ʻike (knowledge) with us and for taking the time to teach the next generation the very skills that make them proud kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiians)!
Eō Hōkūleʻā!