Waha Nui

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Former teen heartthrob Glenn Medeiros of Mililani is now teaching second grade at Island Pacific Academy. Headmaster Dan White says he’s “a gifted teacher,” but they’re not denying his music skills. Glenn is slated to develop the school’s high school music program - an he’s been promoted to fourth grade next fall ... Alexander Balicoco (Leilehua ‘04) has completed a light-wheeled vehicle mechanics course for the Army National Guard in Fort Jackson, S.C. ... Yang Yang Diana Shi of Waipahu made the dean’s list last semester at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts ... Michael Claveria of Waipahu, a math major, made last semester’s dean’s list at Grinnell College in Iowa ...

Linda Uehara, a retired teacher from Mililani, has received the HMSA 2006 Ola Pono Award for her work with the Hawaii Girls Court, which works on building life skills for at-risk girls. And what did Linda do with the $1,000 award she won? She donated it to the Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii ... Laura Nagamine of Mililani made the dean’s list last semester at Bentley College in Waltham, Mass. ... Matthew Barro (Leilehua ‘01) has reported for Army active duty at Fort Benning, Ga. - qualifying for a $20,000 Delayed Entry bonus ... Stephanie Esposito of Mililani has been deployed “to a forward-operating location in Southwest Asia” with the Air Force. She is a food-service apprentice and 2003 Moanalua High graduate ... Almendro Fernandez (Waipahu ‘05) has graduated from the Army’s Small Arms/Artillery Repairer course at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. ... Almendro’s Waipahu classmate, Army Reserve Pvt. Preston Pacheco, successfully completed the light-wheeled vehicle mechanic course, also at Aberdeen Proving Ground ... Lauren Chow of Mililani made the fall semester dean’s list at Washington University in St. Louis, as did Jordan Arakawa of Waipahu ... Gary Murakami of Mililani has inventing an adjustable rod holder for freshwater fishing, spotted recently by Knud Lindgard of Hawaii Fishing News in his relentless shoreline snoop for news bites at Nuuanu Reservoir. Now if Gary could just invent a fish cleaner for all of the catfish (two) I’ve caught there over the past 15 years ...

Kathleen Torres

Mililani resident Kathleen Torres has received the AT&T Award of Excellence at Rehab Hospital. The scholarship will allow Kathleen, a registered nurse, to pursue her study of spinal cord injuries and rehabilitation nursing ...

Ned Rafael

Ned Rafael (Waipahu ‘05) has completed Air Force basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas ... Calvin Miyamoto of Mililani is co-chairing a landmark anniversary: the 50th reunion of his McKinley High School Class of 1956, set for July 22 (626-0571) ... Mililani students Jolie Nitta and Torie Okemura made the fall dean’s list at Azusa Pacific University in California. Both are psychology majors. Liberal studies major Summer Maunakea of Waipahu is also on that list ... Mililani’s Lionel Franco has been singing with the hip salsa band, Son Caribe, since last summer. Now you can catch him and the rest the gang every Sunday night from 8:30 at the Esprit Night Club in the Sheraton Waikiki ... Mililani shoppers are multi-tasking again. June Gollero and Luzviminda Cortado at Bank of Hawaii’s Mililani Safeway branch placed first in ‘Dash for Cash’ - for most in-store sales and referrals, respectively - not a fun run. It was the bank’s in-house competition to generate new accounts this winter. Joni Pupu of the Mililani branch placed third in sales for the region, and Patricia Kesi-Ilalio of the Waipahu branch was on the top referral team ... Keiki in four area preschools - Mililani Presbyterian ($1,050), St. John’s Catholic ($1,993), Wahiawa First Baptist ($1,143.34) and Rosary Preschool & Kindergarten in Waipahu ($2,039) - hopped up and down all at once (call it a hop-a-thon) and earned all that dough for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ...

Tommy Medeiros (Waipahu ‘95) has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. ... Kayla Furtado (Waipahu ‘05) has completed basic Air National Guard training at Lackland AFB, Texas ... Melissa Taeu of Waipahu has completed basic training for the Air Force at Lackland AFB, Texas ... Katrina Tolentino of Waipahu will report to basic Army Reserve training in June at Fort Jackson, S.C., under the delayed-entry program