Members Present – Troy Cullen, Kioni Dudley (arrived at 7:05 p.m.), Mike Golojuch, Jack Legal, Maeda Timson, George Yamamoto, Linda Young, Charles Zahn.

Members Absent – Evelyn Souza (notified).

Vacancies – There are no vacancies on this Board.

Senator Mike Gabbard leads the students of the Makakilo Elementary Choral Music program in a heart-warming rendition of Hawai'i Pono'i at the school on December 16th.  Photo by Ali Riggs

Parents, neighbors, school staff, and students gathered at Makakilo Elementary School on December 16th to hear a performance by the new afternoon Choral Music program. The chorus has 80 members and is made up of students from grades Kindergarten - 5th.  During the Christmas Holidays, the chorus performed at festivals and venues around the island.

Senator Mike Gabbard helped open the performance with a heart-warming rendition of Hawaii Pono'i with the students. After the event, Senator Gabbard said "these kids are really talented and their performance was perfect for spreading the Christmas and Holiday Season message of hope, love, and family."

The Choral program began under the leadership of school principal, Sean Tajima, and its director, Dr. Karen Miyamoto. If you'd like more information about the program, please call 672-1122.

Honokai Hale resident and Leeward Community College student, Mahakea Gomes, was honored by Senator Mike Gabbard for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout at an Eagle Court of Honor Program at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Makakilo Stake in Kalaeloa on December 5th. Pictured (L to R) are proud parents Wesley and Dora Gomes, Mahakea, Scout Master Keith Ka'ahanui, and Senator Gabbard.  

Photo by the Gomes Family

Senator Mike Gabbard and National Park Historian Daniel Martinez paid their respects at a Fort Barrette ceremony in Kapolei on December 6th. The event honored the memory of Corporal Joseph Medlen, an Army Railway Engineer, who was mortally wounded during an attack by Japanese war planes on the morning of December 7, 1941. Both this event and a second ceremony at the former Marine Corps Air Station Ewa "Ewa Field" were organized by Ewa Beach resident John Bond. 

Photo by Erika Tsuji

The 2009 Drive Safe 4 Ewa & Kapolei campaign was launched at the Kapolei Police Station on November 21st. This is a month-long event dedicated to encouraging safe driving during the Christmas Season, a time when crashes, drunk driving, and fatalities are at their peak. 

Gabbard said, "This campaign is a great example of how the community can get together and make a big difference. If we can deter even one person from drinking and then getting behind the wheel, we've saved lives."

The Drive Safe 4 Ewa & Kapolei campaign is well-known for placing crashed cars at busy intersections as a startling reminder of what can happen as a result of drinking and driving. These efforts are coupled with several days of sign waving.  The campaign focuses on increasing awareness in the Ewa, Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Makakilo, Ko ‘Olina, Honokai Hale, and Kalaeloa communities.