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MPI Canoe Paddling Teams Top ILH

Varsity 1 crew members: Mallory Kurosumi, Ashlyn Young,
Jean Cullinan, Leigh Cullinan, Rhonda Aoki, Katherine Levins.

Varsity 1: Travis Niederhauser, Sammy Agsen, Ryan Harrison,
Jon-Michael Grindle, Kody Riehl and David Markle
ahead of Maryknoll and Kamehameha.

Congratulations to the MPI Boys and Girls paddling teams for taking ILH division 1 championships. This marks the first time in history that the MPI girls canoe paddling team has won the ILH racing series! This is the seventh ILH championship for the MPI boys.

Both the girl's and boy's teams will travel to Hilo March 2 to compete in the state championships.

"This was a very historic year for the girls paddling team," said MPI girls coach Gregg Kaneko. "The Varsity 1 team won the ILH Championship title for the first time in ILH paddling history. It was a nail-biting season as the championship title came down to the last race in which MPI dominated the competition. Overall, the girl's team did well making this the most successful season ever. It was also one that was enjoyed by everyone including the coaches."

Cumulative results for the boys included 13 firsts and 9 second-place finishes. "Overall, this was the greatest MPI team we have ever fielded," said coach Mark Hines. "All teams raced at the top of their division all season."

The MPI girls coach is Gregg Kaneko; assistant coaches are Keith Endow and Barry Ishida (all 1996 MPI grads). The MPI boys coaching staff includes Sara and Mark Hines; assistant coaches John Stasack and Jeremy Cole; JV coaches Luke Evslin and Kelly Foster.

Ryan Harrison, Sammy Agsen, Travis Niederhauser

MPI athletes cheering at this past Saturday's race.

Boys Season synopsis
MPI raced teams in 4 divisions: Varsity Division 1, Varsity Division 2, JV Div 1, JV Div 2.

Varsity Div. 1, JV Div. 1 and JV Div. 2 all won their division. Varsity Div. 2 was second in theirs. "It was very impressive that every athlete raced, and all either were on winning or second place finishes. Every athlete contributed to this season... that is what made it remarkable!"

ILH racing is open-ocean, long-distance format, from 25 to 60 minutes long. It is a challenging sport requiring focus, impeccable form and athleticism to race non-stop over 3-5 miles.

"We set a goal for the athletes back in November to commit to personal excellence," said Hines. "They responded by raising their effort and expectations all season. By the last race, they all raced their best race. Usually races are determined by gaps of 10 or 20 seconds - By our last race, varsity 1 won by a minute, the JV 1 squad by 2 minutes and JV 2 by over 3 minutes! We started each pre-race meeting by reminding the athletes that they were racing themselves - they were their own competition. We also reminded them that they represented MPI... the honor of my school is mine. They lived this commitment all season."

The MPI paddling motto: "No Subs, No Timeouts, No Water Breaks, No Wimps!"

Posted at 11:30 AM| Permalink

Ho'olaule'a 2007 set for March 16!

The Sixth Annual Mid-pacific Ho'olaule'a is set for March 16! Great food,
fun games and awesome activities are set from noon to 7 p.m.
Scrip and t-shirt sales begin March 12.

Posted at 11:24 AM| Permalink

Friedheim Wins State Shakespeare Competition

Junior Jacob Friedheim won the State Shakespeare Competition this past Saturday and will represent Hawaii at the national competition at Lincoln Center in New York in April.

Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts presents William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Performance dates are Fridays and Saturdays, February 23 and 24 at 7:30 pm & Sunday February 25 at 2:00 pm in the Kawaiahao Recital Hall on the Mid-Pacific Campus in Manoa. General admission is $10; high school students, seniors and military are $5.Call 973-5066 for reservations and information.

Tommy Schulz as Tybalt and
Noah Jacobs as Mercutio.

Posted at 11:31 AM| Permalink

Visit from Miss Hawaii USA

Chanel Wise, Miss Hawaii USA 2007, and former Miss Hawaii USA, Alicia Michioka, visited Ms. Hitomi’s Kindergarten class Tuesday, Feb. 20. Chanel read to the children and participated in a class activity.

Posted at 11:24 AM| Permalink

Mr. Casupang wins Ola Pono Award

MPI Kumu Hula Michael Lanakila Casupang was chosen as one of the winners of the 2007 Ola Pono Awards (the drug-free, safe and healthy community, unsung hero awards). The awards are sponsored by the Hawaii State DOE, Safe and Drug-Free Schools, HMSA, Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii and the Department of the Attorney General. Casupang received the award Friday, Feb. 9. He donated the $1,000 award to Mid-Pacific for the Lynette Pang Memorial Fund. From left to right: Joe C. Rice, president; Michael Lanakila Casupang; R. Kevin Doyle MPSA director.

“I congratulate Mr. Casupang on his selection for this award,” said MPI President Joe Rice. “You are a wonderful teacher and we are blessed to have you working with the students.”

"To Lanakila, teaching hula -- being the MPI Kumu -- is so much more than classroom instruction," said high school principal Rich Schaffer. "It is his life's mission to use hula as a model, as a guide for life; he does so with a passion and commitment that never fails to inspire."

Posted at 3:12 PM| Permalink