A “Moving Stage” is this year’s Peace on Parade in Honokaa on Saturday, Sept. 21. Taiko drums, marching bands, bon dance, jazz, rock and roll, hula, cirque performers and more as Honokaa town fills with color and music for the seventh annual Parade & Festival for the United Nations International Day of Peace. Starting at a new time this year to coincide with the official International Day of Peace and Peace Day in Hawaii, the parade steps off at 4 p.m. from Honokaa High School and along Mamane Street as a “moving stage” of music, dance, colorful costumes and fun entertainment.
A “Moving Stage” is this year’s Peace on Parade in Honokaa on Saturday, Sept. 21. Taiko drums, marching bands, bon dance, jazz, rock and roll, hula, cirque performers and more as Honokaa town fills with color and music for the seventh annual Parade & Festival for the United Nations International Day of Peace. Starting at a new time this year to coincide with the official International Day of Peace and Peace Day in Hawaii, the parade steps off at 4 p.m. from Honokaa High School and along Mamane Street as a “moving stage” of music, dance, colorful costumes and fun entertainment.
Afterwards, a free community Peace Day Festival takes place at the Honokaa Sports Complex from 5-8 p.m., with great local and ethnic foods, artists and crafters, live entertainment and a large community Bon Dance for everyone to join. The Peace Committee of Honokaa Hongwanji Buddhist temple, producers of the annual festivities, is now accepting booth applications from community groups, food and other vendors for the festival.
The Peace Committee is also planning the 5K “Peace Run-Walk,” “Read for Peace” programs in the library and school, a “Day of Mindfulness” and the popular annual Peace Poster Contest for students. The contest is free to enter, and cash prizes are awarded to the winners in several categories. Detailed information is available at www.peacedayparade.org.
The United Nations has been celebrating the International Day of Peace for more than 25 years, and Peace Day became law in Hawaii in 2007 as a result of lobbying by a teen group, the United Junior Young Buddhist Association. Proceeds go toward community services, including educational programs, charities, environmental activism programs and various peace initiatives year-round.
The seventh annual Parade & Festival for the United Nations International Day of Peace is presented by the Peace Committee of the Honokaa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in cooperation with the United Nations and numerous community organizations. The Peace Committee continues to seek additional support. Information on sponsorship, contributions (including for the silent auction) and purchasing T-shirts is available at www.PeaceDayParade.org or by email info@peacedayparade.org.
Families of Waimea Middle School’s sixth-to-eighth-grade students are invited to campus any day this week, Monday through Friday, for “Gear Up” to pick up their child’s class schedule, purchase mandatory student uniforms, pay fees as needed for bus, food service, yearbook, class dues and student activities, and also to sign up for free after-school Homework Help+ and athletics.
“Gear Up” hours are from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Thursday; 7:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday. WMS “Gear Up” helps families and students prepare for the start of the new school year, which will be at 7:55 a.m., Monday, Aug. 5. Please note that WMS will begin its class day five minutes earlier this school year. The first bell will ring at 7:50 a.m. and students are expected to be in class at 7:55 a.m. If not in class by this time, they must report to the office for a tardy note.
Families and students are asked to be on time for school beginning the very first day because every minute of class time is critical and late arrivals are disruptive to lessons.
Students, families and interested community members are invited to the next meeting of Waimea Middle School’s Local Advisory Panel from 4:30-6:30 p.m. this Tuesday in Classroom K-4, located in the courtyard immediately behind the middle school office. All LAP meetings are open to all, and time is provided at the start of the meeting for students, families and other interested persons to speak. The meeting agenda is posted on the school’s website, www.WaimeaMiddleSchool.org.
Chairing the meeting will be Dr. Kamana Beamer. The meeting will begin with a brief mahalo reception to thank long-time LAP Community Representative Pete Hendricks for his years of service to the school. Then the focus will be a presentation by Dr. Megan McCorriston, executive director of Ho‘okako‘o Corporation, which is WMS’s local school board. Dr. McCorriston will review HC’s Strategic Plan as well as new developments impacting Hawaii public charter schools as a result of significant revisions to Hawaii’s public charter school law passed by the 2012 Legislature and the state Department of Education’s new Strive-HI Performance System, which replaces the federal No Child Left Behind academic performance requirements.
The WMS LAP is comprised of representatives of all of the school’s stakeholder groups including students, family members, certificated faculty, classified staff, administrative leadership, community leaders and partners, and representatives of Ho‘okako‘o Corp. For more information, call WMS Principal Matt Horne at 887-6090, ext. 225.
Carol Yurth’s column is published every Sunday and spotlights activities on the Hilo-Hamakua coast. She welcomes items for her column. Reach her by mail (46-1250 Kalehua Road, Honokaa HI 96727) at least 10 days before the requested publication date, call her at 775-7101, or e-mail waiukahenutz@gmail.com.