Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Tuesday, June 7, 2016

SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED THE LARGEST sponge known in the world at Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The scientific journal Marine Biodiversity published a study describing sponge found at a depth of 7,000 feet within during a deep-sea expedition last summer. The sponge was close to 12 feet long and seven feet wide, comparable in size to a minivan.

      The sponge was documented during an expedition aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to explore deep-water habitats in the monument using remotely operated vehicles at depths ranging between 2,300 and 16,000 feet. 

      “The largest portion of our planet lies in deep waters, the vast majority of which has never been explored,” said Papahanaumokuakea research specialist Daniel Wagner, Ph.D, science lead of the expedition with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “Finding such an enormous and presumably old sponge emphasizes how much can be learned from studying deep and pristine environments such as those found in the remote Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.”
      While not much is known about the lifespan of sponges, some massive species found in shallow waters less than100 feet are estimated to live more than 2,300 years.
      The sponge was captured on high-definition video during a remotely-operated vehicle dive on a ridge extending from a seamount south of Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Scientists from NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA’s Office for Exploration and Research and the University of Hawai`i described the sponge after a year of study.
      The article, titled The Largest Sponge in the World? can be viewed online at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-016-0508-z.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING for people who have some contact and relationship with youth is planned for Ka`u and Puna. The training is open to schoolteachers, counselors, coaches or interested parents and other adults. Participants learn what youth want to do to keep them occupied and eventually wanting to give back to their community where they live. The interactive two-day training equips educators and community members with strategies and tools to engage students with social and emotional learning in culturally relevant ways. It takes place on Aug. 25 and 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Refreshments and light lunches will be provided.
      Results of past trainings include helping high school students raise grade point averages a full point in as little as ten weeks, increasing school attendance from 55 percent to 96 percent and helping an alternative high school achieve 100 percent graduating students.

      The training engages participants with cutting edge research on Social and Emotional Learning spanning from the fields of Positive Youth Development and Culturally Responsive Practices. It also raises awareness of popular youth culture and how it can be used to activate social and emotional practices while engaging students critically and creatively on individual, interpersonal and institutional levels. Participants will become equipped with the theoretical foundations and practical tools that allow them to begin engaging students.

      Trainer Roberto Rivera is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in a major he created titled Social Change, Youth Culture and the Arts. He has worked with some of the top Social and Emotional Learning and Positive Youth Development organizations in the world such as CASEL, Search Institute, and YMCA-USA. He received his master’s in education focusing on Youth Development, Social Justice and Hip-hop at UIC in Chicago. He is a published author and highly sought after public speaker. He is currently also working on his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and is dedicated to making his work with Fulfill The Dream in Chicago Public Schools a national model for engaging urban adolescent youth of color.
      In 2014, Rivera gave a TedX Talk entitled Hip-Hop(e): the Art and Science of Cultivating Hope in the Hip-hop Generation. He has been featured in numerous television shows, articles, radio shows and magazines. Rivera sees his work as giving back and believes that working as an educator is more than just a career but a calling.
      The training is free. Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center and Pahala Boys and Girls Club are raising funds for expenses to bring Rivera here. They and Hawai`i County Department of Parks and Recreation are allowing their staff to register for the training. The partners are seeking more participants who can help raise funds to cover the total expense of the training.
      `O Ka`u Kakou has consented to be the fiscal agent receiving all tax-deductible donations. Total cost for the training is $10,000, of which $5,000 has been raised. The deadline to raise funds is June 15.
      Contact Leina`ala Enos at 929-8641 or lenos@qlcc.org or Elijah Navarro at 808-430-9461 or e38navarro@gmail.com.
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JUNE 13 IS THE DEADLINE for Hawai`i Island students of Hawaiian ancestry between the ages of 13 and 17 to apply for full scholarships to this summer’s Science Camps of America. In support of its mission to support the educational needs of people of Hawaiian descent, and through funds provided by the TMT International Observatory, the Pauahi Foundation is sponsoring twelve students to attend Science Camp in 2016 – six for Land & Sea camp and six for Air & Space camp.

      All students stay at Pahala Plantation House & Cottages. Each ten-day session features six or seven travel days to sites around Hawai`i Island where students interact with and help scientist working in the field, from astronomers to weather experts, geologists and biologists. Interested students can learn more at http://ScienceCampsAmerica.com. Additional information and application forms for the scholarships may be found at http://www.pauahi.org/science-camps-of-america/.

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ADVOCATS OFFERS A FREE SPAY & Neuter Clinic tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Make appointments at 327-3724.

KA`U'S STATE SEN. RUSSELL RUDERMAN holds a legislative talk story at Cooper Center in Volcano Village tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

MAKE A HU KUKUI tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Help revive the practice of making and playing the traditional Hawaiian top.
      Free; park entrance fees apply.

VOLCANO ART CENTER in Volcano Village screens Rivers & Tides Thursday at 7 p.m. An open discussion about artist Andy Goldsworthy, moderated by Liz Miller, follows the film.
      Call 967-8222 for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.