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Volunteers save
Waianae grad day

The high school's stadium
bleachers were too few and
in a state of disrepair

By Lori Tighe
Star-Bulletin

The royal blue paint speckling Calvin Domen's mustache came either from painting bleachers or talking a blue streak about saving graduation day for the Waianae High School Class of 2000.

Domen, a Waianae graduate 30 years ago, went into action after he heard the high school planned to move its graduation to Aloha Stadium. The school had a shortage of stadium seats, angering some family members locked out of past graduations. Also, the existing bleachers were in sad disrepair.

Domen went from good intentions to yesterday orchestrating Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono and 100 other volunteers who hammered, welded and painted a refurbished stadium.

"It's real. It's happening now. We said, 'Let's do it.' People asked, 'How you going to do it?' I said, 'With love and aloha, lots of love and aloha,'" Domen said without taking a breath.

After hearing about the school's problem, Domen stormed a Waianae Neighborhood Board meeting and asked for help. The next day, the state and City Mill called him to offer supplies.

The state donated about $5,000 worth of red and blue paint, bleacher planks and paintbrushes. City Mill donated 10 gallons of white paint and another 26 brushes.

"We want to help those who want to help themselves," Hirono said.

Waianae's project came as Hirono plans to begin a "new way to do repair and maintenance in public schools."

Hirono wants to enlist the community's help to improve all 255 public schools.

"Look how beautiful it is," she said, spreading her arms out to the ocean in the school's back yard.

Waianae is the nation's only high school that holds graduations on the beach, said Ocie Kuhaulua, president of Lokahia Lanakila O Waianae, the committee in charge of graduation.

In addition to sprucing up the bleachers, volunteers also moved the stage for the graduates off the field and closer to the ocean. The audience will sit in additional seats on the field and surrounding bleachers.

"It was controversial because there weren't enough seats, and parents got mad when they couldn't see their children graduate," said Kai Burley, 16, a junior at Waianae, volunteering yesterday.

Burley and her fraternal twin sister, Ulu, said the students had to form human chains by linking arms to prevent the crowd from bursting in on the graduates.

"I got locked out a few times," Kuhaulua said, "and I even work for the school. The crowd isn't unruly; they just want to come in."

Daisy and Alvin Sabagala, Waianae High School graduates and sweethearts, volunteered to paint because holding the graduation at the school is "tradition." Now their son, Alvin Jr., is set to graduate this year.

"We made a commitment to do whatever we needed to do to keep the graduation in Waianae," Alvin Sr. said.

The work done during the past few Sundays has been sweaty in the hot sun, but fun, they said.

"You get to see the rewards of your work," Alvin Sr. said. "It's a win-win for everyone."