Tim Zuber of Applied Resin Technologies Inc., center, Ryan Honbo, left, and Ryan Root, both of Earl's Painting, prepared yesterday to coat an artificial pond that will hold fish for Waialua High School's aquaculture program.
School has great
fish story to tellBusinessmen help revive Waialua
High's aquaculture program
When teacher Victoria Pescaia sought advice on how to restore Waialua High School's dormant aquaculture program, she got more than she bargained for.
In April, Pescaia attended the World Aquaculture Society Convention in Honolulu hoping to get a few tips on reviving the school's fish farm, a task that she was sure she could complete with a few thousand dollars and a lot of determination.
What she got was a big dose of reality and a huge helping of generosity.
Two businessmen donated more than $20,000 in equipment, labor and materials to line and paint the inside of a large fish-breeding pond.
Restoring the program, which teaches students how to raise and harvest fish, turned out to be an enormous endeavor. But Pescaia was undaunted.
"People call me an optimist," she said. "I'm really just blissfully ignorant."
Things turned out better than she had hoped, thanks to the good will of a couple of volunteers who caught her vision and saw it through.
Teacher Victoria Pescaia got donations of materials from businesses to help rebuild a large fish-breeding pond and help revive Waialua High School's aquaculture program.
With the help of local businessman Ryan Honbo and pond-building veteran Tim Zuber of Washington, the aquaculture program, which has been dormant for almost 10 years, will be in full swing for the new school year.
The two men, along with Zuber's brother, Ron, and nephew, Adam, have spent the last three days digging, lining and painting the inside of a large pond that will serve as a breeding ground for Chinese catfish, tilapia, koi and, eventually, shrimp.
Zuber was at the April convention to promote his product, a heavy duty spray-on pond liner that is commonly used to bulletproof the doors of Humvees. Pescaia approached him with her problem and he knew he had to help her.
"When she came to me, I knew that she needed more than advice. She needed money," he said. "I told her I would donate the material, if someone else could donate the equipment."
Zuber asked Honbo, whom he had met briefly, if he would be willing to donate painting equipment and supplies from his Kalihi firm, Earl's Paints. Honbo readily agreed, and the two made arrangements to start rebuilding the pond when Zuber returned to Honolulu for the National Associated Koi Clubs of America Convention being held this weekend.
They completed their work on the pond yesterday evening. Pescaia said Zuber and Honbo have donated more than $20,000 in equipment, supplies and labor.
The fishery still needs electricity and plumbing, but Pescaia hopes to have that taken care of by early August. By the end of the year, she said, the students will be able to make their first fish harvest.
All of the aquaculture classes for the coming year at the small North Shore school are filled and Pescaia has even had to turn some students away.
