Thursday, September 18, 2003
Amid all the problems in the world, across the state and in Maui County, it’s easy to overlook the small efforts that make our island a wonderful place to live. In recent days there have been three very different examples of those efforts.
Two of the efforts involved local manifestations of two state departments that get their full share of deserved criticism on these pages — the Department of Education and the Highways Division of the Department of Transportation.
Although it seems the work has taken a very long time, the state has nearly completed rebuilding, widening and re-striping Kaahumanu Avenue, which was built as a state road when Wailuku and Kahului were two separated towns.
The pavement is smooth, the new turn and acceleration lanes are an improvement, but it is the medial work that is bringing smiles to the faces of drivers. Volunteers from the Maui Outdoor Circle have tried to beautify the medial strip at various times with most of the efforts sabotaged by faulty irrigation systems and careless maintenance.
The last couple of days have seen the installation of underground irrigation systems and the planting of a series of juvenile trees that promise welcome shade in a couple of years. Mahalo nui loa.
In tree-shaded Upcountry, Kula Elementary School typifies what good teachers and the active support of parents can do even within the overly bureaucratic Department of Education. The Hawaii Alliance of Arts Education awarded its School Arts Excellence Award to Kula Elementary for its use of the arts to teach, inspire and engage students in all subjects.
Involved parents, particularly when they are willing to come up with the money needed, can make a real difference in public schools. Efforts by the Maui Arts & Cultural Center to integrate arts and education were also involved. To everyone at Kula Elementary, ho‘omaika‘i.
The last example is a grass-roots effort. The Vietnam Veterans of Maui County is inviting veterans of Middle East wars to join its ranks. More importantly, the VVM stands ready to help younger veterans deal with the byzantine Veterans Administration. The wars were different but the ohana is the same. Maika‘i ka hana.