This past Saturday, at the King’s Shops of Waikoloa, the Culinary Arts Program of Hawaii Community College (both Hilo and West Hawaii Campuses) offered their annual “Cooking Under the Stars” to the public for spectacular tasting.
A bit of drama was added at the end of the evening as the full moon burst through the clouds to provide a glorious view to our Hawaiian locals and visitors.
Watch the slideshow below to see some of the local chefs, instructors, and students as they cook, taste, and stroll among the booths.
[slideshow_deploy id=’3099′]
Pictures were taken by Becky Stalder and Chef Mark Johnson. A hui hou!
On May 19, 2004, a group of instructors from the University Center at West Hawaii were taken on a trip to see the land where a new campus would be built. We went in a convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles. I took quite a few pictures, but two stand out in my mind.
The second is a shot of us seeing the plans for the first time. It was raining, and as we huddled under the tent to stay semi-dry, the site was pointed out to us. We all became excited! https://www.flickr.com/photos/lava-lily/15614256178/player/
That was over ten years ago!
This past week, November 14, 2014 I had the wonderful opportunity to be taken on a private tour of the buildings by Dr. Marty Fletcher, Director of our facility. Below is a slideshow of the pictures I took to show the progress, and I was almost in tears as I remembered how long we have all waited for this. We have been assured that we can start teaching in the new buildings for fall semester, 2015!
[slideshow_deploy id=’3056′]
The windows go in right away, and then they can start finishing the inside. Walkways will be covered and shaded with solar panels. It is like a dream that is coming true! I’m sure I will be giving an update as soon as we are actually in the new campus, or maybe a few more as we start moving in.
My posts have been primarily about gardening with some cooking, some travel, and some reflection pieces. These topics illustrate my “spare time” hobbies rather than my “day job.”
This week, I’ve decided to share with you the way I walk (run?) through my world when I’m not gardening, cooking, traveling, or reflecting. Here is my fall schedule and a little blurb on what each class is about.
FamR 230 – Human Development – During the semester, we move through life from conception to death. Each age group is studied from the three perspectives of physical development, cognitive development, and psychosocial development.
PSY 100 – Survey of Psychology – I probably don’t need to explain this one, do I? We study the biological aspect of psychology, why we act the way we, how we interact with others, what the various theories are in the field of human behavior.
SUBS 140 – Individual Counseling – We look at the various theories in more depth than what we briefly covered in PSY 100. Students are given an opportunity to explore their own abilities to counsel another person.
SUBS 268 – Survey of Substance Abuse Problems – This is an introductory course that explores all addictions, behavioral as well as chemical. This is for anyone who wants more information in this area, especially those going into any medical field, teachers, counselors.
SUBS 280 – Co-occurring Disorders – This is a more advanced course for those planning to be substance abuse counselors. We tackle the complex situation where a person has both a mental disorder and a substance abuse disorder.
Loitering in the courtyard
If you think you want to take courses at the college, it’s too late to apply for fall semester at this time. You might want to consider talking to someone in the Student Services offices, however, and start the process for Spring 2012.
Yes, we eat a lot, too!
For those of you here on the Big Island, Hawai`i Community College has campuses on both sides of the island. Most are face to face in a classroom, but there are plenty of online courses available, as well. If you live on other islands, in other states or nations, check for campuses near you. I have students from late teens into their sixties, some going into another career after retirement. It’s never too late to go back to school.
It’s that time of year when I get to show off my students and colleagues as we gathered for the 2011 graduation. This time Hawai`i Community College celebrated 70 years of existence! It’s impossible to describe everything that went on.
This past Wednesday’s post showed how the kihei was made. Part of the celebration included everyone wearing their personal kihei. The students were presented a kihei as a gift and the faculty was given the honor of tying the kihei on our students.
If I’d taken a video of it all, you would have heard the chanting, the blowing of the pû (conch shell), or watched the dancing and blessings, or the tossing of hats at the end, or tasted the cake at the reception.
Since I can’t share everything about that experience with you, you can still watch this slide show and imagine yourself in the middle of all the excitement. Most are pictures of everyone making sure the academic hoods and kihei are hanging the right way with lots of moving around. The posed pictures are a few of my students and faculty friends.
Congratulations to all the graduates and those who received special awards. As part of the faculty, I can say I am truly proud of each one!
Sharing what I’ve learned along the way, knowing that some might never “get it”, but those who do will be ready to take that knowledge to the next level;
Finding new ways to present old material that will make it more relevant to today’s young people;
Watching students struggle to understand a new concept in order for it to mean something in their world;
Catching the shy romantic glances between two people who don’t think anyone saw it;
Seeing the look in a room full of big eyes when they are truly surprised by new information they had no idea existed;
Hearing their excitement when they tell me there is a new baby on the way, but not due until after graduation;
Listening to the dreams of older students who have come back to school after many years of working and/or raising families;
Explaining the difference between high school and college to those who are recent graduates of the local high school;
Recognizing the pride in many of the students because they are the first in their family ever to go beyond high school;
Welcoming the daughters and sons of former students because their mother or father said for them to be sure to sign up for my classes;
Worrying when some of the students don’t pass the class;
Pondering schedules and requirements with those who aren’t sure what they want to be when they “grow up”;
Striving to make each class better than the one before it;
Accepting the challenge of keeping my brain active and alive;
Empathizing with those who have to work more than one job while tending a family while they take classes;
Admiring the young healthy bodies of those who can’t imagine ever getting as old as I am;
Learning new names for each class member and actually knowing how to pronounce them;
Praising those who grow out of their timidity enough to give an oral presentation in class;
Crying on the last day of classes because I will miss the students over the summer holiday;
Celebrating with them when they finally receive their Associates Degree before moving on to the next level of education.
Several weeks ago, I invited an artist and colleague to lead my “Psychology and The Expressive Arts” class in an art project. She had the students work in dyads and write out three definitions of “home.”
Then they were given a page of lines from a book of poetry by another professor at our school. The book is Lele Kawa: Fire Rituals of Pele, by Taupōuri Tangarō (Kamehameha Publishing). After choosing three of these lines that most represented their definitions of “home,” they were to create a poster out of various materials that were available to them.
Click here to see a slide show of those posters that describe “home.”
It has been a summer of emptying old boxes full of junk, planting seeds, watering because of (or perhaps in spite of) the drought, reading delicious murder mysteries, writing a little here and there, and even spending some time being totally slothful.
Now on this sixteenth day of August, 2010, I am officially back to work as a full-time instructor in a community college. A week from now, classes will begin, each class full of students eager to learn. Well, I think most of them are.
At one point, I was working so hard to catch up with chores here at home that I was ready to go back to teaching so I could relax. By the end of summer, those chores were (mostly) completed and I had more opportunity to kick back, have a little fun.
So while I’m looking forward to the first day of classes, some new faces, some familiar faces, several students looking toward graduation so they can either go off to a four year school or get into a depressed job market.
Summer isn’t officially over, first day of autumn is still a month away, and winter is practically nonexistent here in Hawai`i, although there are seasonal changes. In the area where I live, the plumeria (frangipani) loses its leaves, there is a bit of briskness in the morning breeze coming down from the mountain, the hens are not laying as profusely, and I am delayed by school buses that manage to get ahead of me.
All of this rambling leads me to say that I’m a mixture of reluctance, anticipation, joy, relief, sadness. Through all the changes that happen in life, I hope I will continue to inspire even a handful of students to become who they are meant to be. Isn’t that what teaching is all about?
Yesterday’s post told about our recent graduation ceremony for our West Campus of the Hawaii Community College. When I first moved here, I was told about the land the college owned mauka (mountain side or inland) of Kona Airport, and that “someday” we would have a new campus built there.
Then about two years ago, several of us on the faculty were taken on a trip to the property. In four wheel drive vehicles, we went all the way up and back down, then were shown a map of what could be built. Because it was raining fairly hard, we weren’t able to get out much, but it is going to be a beautiful, natural site for learning and teaching.
I think that plan has been altered a bit, but the last I heard, we will be teaching in the new campus by fall semester, 2012! The sign has been put up (see the photo above), and soon a road will be built. To keep up with the progress, check out Palamanui.
The beauty can only be appreciated by watching a slide show here. As you watch the photos of that trip, try to envision a beautiful campus filled with eager students.
This is the largest graduating class I’ve seen since I started teaching at the West Campus of the Hawai`i Community College. When the economy is down, and people are losing jobs, or wanting to improve their chances of being hired, the return to college is inevitable. All the classes seem to be flooded with new students. What a joy it is to be their instructor!
The lineup above shows all the dignitaries in full regalia, waiting for the graduates to come down the aisle. Here is a behind the scenes look at a few of them getting ready.
Leis are all laid out in preparation. The purple ones on the left were given to each graduate as they walked off the stage in addition to a purple orchid lei. The other leis spread out on the table were given to the school officials and speakers.
I got there early enough to watch the rehearsal.
Everyone was robed at last and ready for the ceremonies to begin. So many of my own students were either graduating or helping out in some way.
For many of these students, they were the first ones in their family to go to college. It was a struggle for them to be there. The gold stoles, cords and tassels signified that these people were honor students.
At last, everyone was lined up and the processional began. The stage group went in first, then the faculty. Since I was part of the faculty group, I was able to get a couple shots of them processing in. It was standing room only, with everyone trying to get the best shots of their family member.
One student in particular had been in quite a few of my classes. She was the student speaker for the event. Here she is in her various roles. First, as she finished rehearsing, then dressed ready to process in, giving the speech, getting her diploma and walking off the stage. Her array of leis was an example of how all the students looked at the end of the evening. Some had on so many leis they couldn’t breathe or see where they were going.
I tried to get all the graduates who had been in my classes, but my battery gave out too quickly. It’s almost as emotional for those of us who teach as for those who graduate.
The graduates of 2010 accepted more leis as they greeted family and friends afterward.
Even though Thanksgiving passed a couple weeks ago, and we are looking toward Christmas now, I could hardly wait to post this. I am part of the Social Science faculty at the University Center at West Hawaii in Kealakekua. Our Student Activity Council provides a major feast for students the day before Thanksgiving. All the cooking is done by our superb culinary students. The festive feeling and memory of gourmet food gets us through exam week and into the holidays.
This is a top notch culinary school. I love their insignia!
Jim and Marvin sweep up leaves so people can eat under the trees. Jim Lightner heads up the Hospitality section of our school. Marvin Medeiros is the main “go to” man when we need something done.
Chef Betty Saiki is the instructor for the first year culinary students, the ones responsible for the Thanksgiving feast. She’s busy in the kitchen, keeping everything on schedule.
They gave me special permission to enter the kitchen as they were finishing up the preparations. Lots of bustling activity going on! Some of the students were busy cutting up the ham.
Others concentrated on cutting up the fish.
Still other students were carefully cutting up melons.
Pots were bubbling away on the stove.
“Hamming” it up and helping out was Chef Paul Heerlein, instructor for the second year students.
Everything seemed to be going according to their working list of who was responsible for which dish or process, just like the cooking shows on TV.
The beautiful wooden serving containers were ready and waiting for the food to be brought out.
There were lots of my starving students anxiously waiting for the food to come out of the kitchen.
