By Kristian Au ~ Kahuku High Correspondent

Working on the Kahuku.org web site gives me a daily opportunity to notice the accomplishments of Kahuku students and teachers.

I was recently astounded by the number of congratulations that we offered during the month of April because of the extraordinary successes in our Kahuku family. They are happening individually and in teams, academically and in athletics, in school and out. It is wonderful to see so many different people carrying on Kahuku traditions and making new ones. Of the 16 announcements in April alone, seven are athletic, five are academic and four pertain to the arts.

• The Lady Raider track and field teams, both JV and varsity, are champions this season. The JV team advanced as far as is possible in their league, winning the OIA girls JV track and field championship.

• The Varsity team has advanced to the state meet. Leilani Speer, a senior, is excited about the team's success: "The team is doing well this year. We've won every championship and invitational meet that we've attended."

• Kahuku's historic surfing team is consistently winning and placing in the top of their heats.

• The judo team is in a very competitive position for the state competition and the girls water polo team is going into playoffs as well, bouncing back very quickly from the bus accident that they experienced on the way to a meet this spring.

• The JROTC drill team as well as the boys swimming team have been participating in competitions and winning individual awards.

• The Kahuku Speech and Debate team had many qualifying members for the State competition, some placing in their divisions.

• Our History Day students have again done very well in the State Competition and many will be competing in the National History Day Fair in Washington D.C. this summer.

• Carrying on another tradition, the Kahuku We the People team also took states and qualified for the national competition. Jerrica Tafiti, a senior, thinks that team work is central to their success. "The students really define the meaning of team work," she said. "I've had the honor of witnessing the strength of every individual on the team."

• The art program is also thriving. We have won multiple photography awards in the past few weeks, and advanced to a national competition.

• Kahuku's show choir, Vocal Motion, recently swept the awards at the Fame Festival. Mrs. Beth Kammerer, the director, attributes their success to hard work: "The VH students have worked so hard this year. They have spent lots of hours practicing and perfecting their show and it was so wonderful to see all of their hard work come together with a fantastic performance. Their honors are well deserved."

• Many Kahuku band students are part of the State Honor Band and will be participating the Rose Bowl next winter.

When I spoke to her for this article, Principal Lisa DeLong was visibly pleased with success of the students Kahuku students in so many areas, making themselves, our school and our community proud: "Kahuku students achieve at high levels because they understand the values of the opportunities that are provided and receive support from teachers, community and parents," she said. "We are proud of them, but of course it's the young people that are working so hard. That's why people rally around them."

As Kahuku students we are very fortunate to have so many avenues for success and have worked hard this year. Now the effort is definitely paying off.

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