Hawaii Island schools and students took top honors Saturday at the annual HMSA Kaimana Awards & Scholarship Program ceremonies on Oahu. Three outstanding students from the Big Isle were honored with $3,000 scholarships — Erin Carvalho of Kamehameha Hawaii and Camille Ricketts and Trevor Yamagata of Konawaena High School. Carvalho also was recognized as a distinguished scholar and was given an additional $2,000 scholarship.
Hawaii Island schools and students took top honors Saturday at the annual HMSA Kaimana Awards & Scholarship Program ceremonies on Oahu. Three outstanding students from the Big Isle were honored with $3,000 scholarships — Erin Carvalho of Kamehameha Hawaii and Camille Ricketts and Trevor Yamagata of Konawaena High School. Carvalho also was recognized as a distinguished scholar and was given an additional $2,000 scholarship.
As the top scoring high schools in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, Waiakea High School and Hualalai Academy, both were given checks worth $1,500.
More than 200 school principals, athletic directors, and student athletes and their family members from across the state gathered at the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki to honor Hawaii’s top high schools and finest scholar athletes.
“The HMSA Kaimana Awards & Scholarship Program is the only program in the state that rewards academics and athletics as well as sportsmanship and community service,” said Robert Hiam, HMSA’s chief executive officer. The program, started in August 2005, recognizes all-around accomplishments by high schools, rewards individual student athletes with scholarships and supports coaches education.
The program is sponsored by HMSA and administered by the Hawaii High School Athletic Association.
At the ceremony, 22 students received scholarships worth $3,000. Five of those students were named distinguished scholars and received an additional $2,000 each.
“The drive and dedication demonstrated by these young athletes is inspirational, as is the support they get from their schools. HMSA is honored to have this chance to recognize them for their accomplishments,” Hiam said.
Thirty high schools were recognized for achieving the highest program scores in their league and division in athletics, academics, sportsmanship and community service. The 10 highest scoring schools each received a check for $1,500.
The keynote address was presented by Norm Chow, head football coach for the University of Hawaii Warriors. Longtime University of Hawaii sports broadcaster Jim Leahey and KHON2 sports director Kanoa Leahey emceed the awards luncheon. Guest presenters included Fred Guzman of Pacific Radio Group’s ESPN-AM Radio; Josh Pacheco of ESPN Radio; Dave Reardon of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser; Steve Uyehara, news anchor with Hawaii News Now, and Dave Vinton, director of sports programming for OC-16.
Here are the 2012 Big Isle winners: Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I: Waiakea High School, first; Kealakehe High School, second; Hilo High School, third; Division II: Hualalai Academy, first; Kohala High School, second, and Hawaii Preparatory Academy, third; Distinguished Scholarship recipients: Erin Carvalho, Kamehameha Hawaii; Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Scholarship recipients: Erin Carvalho, Kamehameha Hawaii; Camille Ricketts and Trevor Yamagata, Konawaena High School.
HMSA is a nonprofit, mutual benefit association founded in Hawaii in 1938. It is governed by a community board of directors that includes representatives from health care, business, labor, government, education, clergy, and the community. HMSA is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Nationally, HMSA and 38 other Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans provide worldwide coverage to more than 100 million members. For more information, visit hmsa.com.