Waha Nui

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December 13, 2006 - MidWeek The Islander

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To earn her B.A. in film production in three years at Chapman University, Portia Fontes (Kailua ‘03) worked hard (magna cum laude) and took transferable courses every summer at Windward Community College. Now she’s landed the dream job of this media-magic generation: She’s an executive assistant for one of the presidents of production at Dreamworks SKG in Burbank. Parents Richard and Nina Couch send Portia and her ultimate boss, Steven Spielberg, a big ‘aloha’ via this famous celebrity online column ... Kaneohe artist Tammy Yee‘s familiar style illustrates the new children’s pop-up book, The Hawaiian Goodbye Book from Island Heritage. How can you resist?

On the cover there’s a cute seal waving at you while riding a turtle ... Saying “hello” to Hawaii is Navajo Indian Marine Sgt. Matilda Montoya, currently a supply clerk at the Kaneohe Marine base, and thrilled to be here after six months in Iraq. The Islands aren’t much like the reservation back in Arizona, she told the Hawaii Marine, but she’s found a few comrades on base and they get together for Navajo tacos and Texas Hold ‘Em ... Speaking of the USMC, a group from Headquarters Battalion recently assisted in Aikahi school’s Turkey Trot obstacle course; they also painted the kids’ faces in camouflage colors and ate lunch together. What particularly moved Lance Cpl. Tony Thomasson, 20, was how the children flocked around them at the cafeteria tables. “It’s things like that that make (volunteering) all worth it,” he told the Hawaii Marine ...

Jason Kott

Kailua resident Jason Kott has been promoted to assistant vice president at Atlas Insurance, and he’ll keep his construction clients as well. Jason’s been learning all sides of the business for nine years ... Without any medical training, Kailua’s Mark Perry and his dog Ehu offer “a healthy dose of joy” twice a month to patients at Castle Medical Center. The Hawaiian Humane Society highlighted the Pet Visitation team in its winter newsletter ... Speaking of Castle hospital, tennis has been a good match for the Kailua facility. Bruce and Beverly Nagel are proud to report that last month’s Lanikai Bath and Body Women’s Night Doubles at Kailua Racquet Club raised $6,300 for Women’s Services at CMC to support its treatment of breast cancer. In six years, the tourney has brought more than $20,000 to the cause - not to mention the good action on the courts ... The luck of the jackpot went to Nancy Taguchi of Kaneohe ($4,000) recently in downtown Las Vegas ...

Playing Mother Ginger in Ballet Hawaii’s Nutcracker this weekend at Blaisdell Concert Hall (521-8600) is Windward Community College’s versatile associate professor Ben Moffat of Kaaawa. Moffat has just learned, by the way, that his Monkey Waterfall company has won a $5,000 grant from the city to produce Shrines to Paradise ... On Christmas Eve, Cathy Foy will be special guest soloist at Windward Unity Church’s 9 a.m. service, and Jay Larrin will sing at the 7 p.m. cande-light service at 160 Mookua (262-6731) ... Sixth-grader Mary Ott of St. Anthony School won $25 for placing first in the school’s Peace Poster contest, sponsored by the Pali Lions Club ... Teacher Twila Smith‘s sixth-graders at St. John Vianney School sure ‘like beef.’ They raised $1,102 by selling beef sticks and then shared it all with the homeless, the church building fund, the deacon’s ordination fund, the parish Giving Tree and their own trip to the art academy ... The authors of Lua: Art of the Hawaiian Warrior (including Kahaluu’s Richard Paglinawan and Moses Kalauokalani) sign autographs and talk about their favorite subject at noon Saturday at Na Mea Hawaii in Ward Warehouse (848-4135)