SHINING STARS
Amateur astronomer in Hilo is honored
Gary Fujihara of the University of Hawaii-Hilo Institute for Astronomy is one of eight winners of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's 2008 awards for excellence in astronomy research and education.
Fujihara, the institute's science education and public outreach officer, received the Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award for outstanding public outreach to K-12 students and the public by an amateur astronomer.
VerlieAnn Leimomi Kapule Malina-Wright, vice principal of Ke Kula Kaiapuni O Anuenue Hawaiian language immersion school, will receive the National Education Association's Leo Reano Memorial Award for her work with native language and cultural education.
Malina-Wright has spent four decades advocating for teaching of ancestral language to indigenous students, including in tribal councils throughout the nation. She has been at Ke Kula Kaiapuni O Anuenue, a K-12 school, since 2000.
Castle High School graduate Alyssa Santos won the $3,500 first-place award in the Occidental Underwriters of Hawaii "Fulfilling Dreams" essay contest. Kaiser High School graduate Dawson Vorderbruegge was awarded a $2,500 scholarship for second place, and Kala Tye of Waialua High School $1,500 for third place.
Shining Stars appears several times a week in the Star-Bulletin