Taking Action To Keep Windward Schools Safe

May 02, 2007
By Carol Chang

Eldon Kohatsu, Wess Unten, Matt Ho, David Mayeda and
Ilima Ho — all trained to prevent violence — invite the
community to join Kailua students Saturday for dinner,
a movie, and plenty of dialogue about keeping schools
safe. Photo by Nathalie Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

During this exceptionally violent time in America and across the globe, Kailua High School is taking steps to make sure it has a safe campus.

With help from many hands, the students’ Safe Schools Task Force will take its anti-violence campaign to the community with M & M Ohana Nite (Movie and a Message) from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday on the football field.

“This is a super collaborative event,” said UH assistant professor David Mayeda, who has been on campus since 2003 developing programs and partnerships for violence prevention.“We want to make Kailua High a more community-friendly institution, develop more positive student and adult leaders, and identify student and adult needs and desires.”

The event includes a catered dinner by Keneke’s, which will be free to “the first 600 people,” two short student films addressing the prevention of 1) rumors and fights and 2) sexually transmitted disease and teen pregnancy will be screened. There will be written surveys, door prizes, and the feature film Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank. For details, call 945-1517.

{embed=“elements/box_ad”}

Mayeda works for the Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center at UH-Manoa. With long-term federal funding, the center has helped KHS develop an ethnic studies course that now enrolls 90 students. Mayeda and five adults from the school - staff, faculty, security and Waimanalo youth workers - have completed training to put prevention plans into action.

“Like every school, they have problems and they’re willing to work on them,” said Mayeda.“We asked Kailua to join us, and they have been really supportive research partners.”

Co-sponsors of the May 5 event are Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center-Waimanalo, Ke Ala Laua’e, Ke Ola Hou Waimanalo, God’s Country Waimanalo, Hope Chapel Waimanalo, Mag’s Production and the PREVENT Institute.