Elks give cash awards to students

Students and teachers won $15,300 in prizes in the Elks Honolulu Lodge 616's Scholarship, Poster, Essay & Video Contests. Farrah L. Madanay of Punahou School won the special Community Service Award of $1,000.

In the drug awareness competition, the $500 winner in the poster contest was Royce Ariola, a student of Liesl Eng at Ala Wai Elementary School. In the essay contest the winner was Joshua Smith, a student of Kym Roley at Holy Family Catholic Academy. Special achievement awards went to Charlene Mae Caoili and Stephanie Roy, students of Charlene Ego at Roosevelt High. In the video competition, the $1,000 winner was Maryknoll's Tabatha Laanui, a student of Christopher Coats. The teachers received $300.

In the Americanism competition, for essays with the theme “;What Freedom Means to Me,”; the winners were Colby Sakumoto, a student of Cynthia Hoddick at Mid-Pacific Institute, and Margaret Lee, a student of Jarrett Honjiyo at Moanalua Middle. The teachers received $250. The poster contest winner was Jason Lum ($250), a student of Melinda Ballentine ($150) at Holy Family Catholic Academy. Scholarship awards of $500 went to Tristan D.B. Poasa of Saint Louis School and Sarah E. Lockwood of Punahou.

Waste Management of Hawaii donated $2,500 to the Kauai Food Bank's 15th Annual Spring “;Food and Fun”; Drive in its third consecutive year of support. The drive collects donations to feed to the hungry. Since 2007, Waste Management has given more than $25,000 to food banks throughout the state.

The City and County of Honolulu has awarded a $5,000 grant to the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, which serves 3,500 students in grades K-12. The grant for the 2008-09 season supports the annual OPERAtunities program, choral festivals, public performances, outreach programs in public schools and collaborative projects.