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Westin workers hold community service project at Lahaina Intermediate

By BY LOUISE ROCKETT - | Jul 30, 2021

During the community service project at Lahaina Intermediate School, doors were painted different colors to help first responders locate a building in the event of an emergency situation on campus.

LAHAINA — The Lahaina Complex of public schools — Kindergarten to Grade 12 — will open their doors to almost 3,000 students the first week of August.

It’s truly a joyous occasion. The haumana of King Kamehameha III Elementary School, Princess Nahi’ena’ena Elementary School, Lahaina Intermediate School and Lahainaluna High School will be able to experience learning holistically for the first time since mid-March 2020.

It won’t be an easy task to prep for the first day on campus; there are plenty of cobwebs to dust out of the corners, doors to paint, classrooms to air and restrooms to freshen.

Fortunately, Lahaina Intermediate School did not face this challenge alone.

Last week Tuesday (July 20), a group of 22 very well-intentioned volunteers, mostly from The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, joined forces to tackle the welcome back to school community service project.

Joice Castillo, engineering manager, led the crew on their mission. LIS is close to her heart; she is an alumni.

She graduated Lahainaluna High School in 2003, attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa for a year and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Business and Information Technology from Maui Community College in 2009.

The mother of two explained the commitment of the team.

“The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas’ three foundational pillars are culture, community and sustainability. This initiative is consistent with those core values.

“As an Engineering Department,” Castillo continued, “we wanted to participate in an event that meant something to us in the Lahaina community. Like some of the engineers, I attended this school (LIS) and have children who went or will be attending this year. We couldn’t be any more excited to give back to a place that we all have ties to.”

Stacy Bookland is the principal of the middle school — grades six through eight — where an anticipated 660 keiki will be attending on opening day, Aug. 4.

“I was so excited when The Westin Nanea (Joice) called me and asked what they could do to help. Our Lahaina community is just amazing.”

Bookland described the importance of their efforts.

“This project is not just about a fresh coat of paint; it is actually a safety component of the school. Our complex area sent a team to the NASRO (National Association of School Resource Officers) Conference in 2019.

“What I realized is if we have an emergency situation on campus, the first responders do not know the names of our buildings.”

However, by painting the building doors different colors, Bookland advised, “we can get emergency help much quicker to the appropriate location on campus.”

For many of the Westin Nanea volunteers, the experience was a give-back opportunity.

LHS graduate Lee Aaron Yap told the Lahaina News, “Stacy Bookland and her entire staff has always allowed our nonprofit (Ohana Maui Youth Foundation) to have a home at LIS for sports, allowing us the basketball courts and athletic field for football. So it was nice to have the opportunity to be able to give back to the school, especially a facility we use.”

Jefferson Hatanaka served as a painter-volunteer last week Tuesday. He is a parent of a Lahainaluna High School senior.

“I was more than happy to give back to the school that allowed my son to practice Big Boy Football on their property, and the school that helped him become the young man he has become,” he said.

Steve Eckman, Steve Baskins, Herb Taal and Spencer Powley all agreed that the day was more than well-spent.

Without a new “norm” established, heading back to campus for anybody — administrators, staff members teachers, parents, students — won’t be a 1-2-3 A-B-C learning fix.

But with the community, school, parents and businesses working in concert, the outcome will be favorable.

Castillo observed, “The pandemic really changed the nature of learning. It’s time for our children to get back to the classroom and have meaningful social interactions with their peers, teachers and school staff.”