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For the second year in a row, Mililani High School and Highlands Intermediate School took top honors in their respective statewide divisions at the STEM Week Awards.
The awards were announced April 10 during the closing gala of the Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair.
STEM Week Hawaii, celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education, is a multiday event focusing on STEM excellence across Hawaii.
Mililani won the high school division, followed by Maui High and ‘Iolani School. Highlands won the middle school division, followed by Molokai Middle and Mililani Middle schools.
District award winners were Waiakea High and Waiakea Intermediate on Hawaii island, Waimea High and Kapaa Middle on Kauai, Baldwin High and Lahaina Intermediate on Maui, Leilehua High and Waipahu High (tie) and Kalakaua Middle on Oahu, and Punahou School (high school) and ‘Iolani School (middle school) for independent schools.
The second annual Daniel K. Inouye Award for Commitment to STEM Education was presented to local high tech research and development firm Oceanit.
Other awards:
» Marine Staff Sgt. William E. Stengele of Ewa Beach was awarded the 2013 General James L. Jones Safety Award for outstanding contributions to Marine Corps Aviation.
Stengele received the award April 10 at the Secretary of the Navy Luncheon in National Harbor, Md. It was part of the 2013 Sea-Air-Space Exposition.
Stengele, a member of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squad 463 at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, is credited with discovering worn or incorrectly installed small parts, potentially saving millions of dollars and many lives.
He trained more than three-fourths of the squadron’s maintenance personnel and served as his squadron’s quality assurance representative.
» William Neil Rapozo Sr. and Lucy Miller were named Kauai’s Outstanding Male and Female Older Americans for 2013.
The Kauai County Agency on Elderly Affairs recognized them and eight other nominees at a ceremony on May 9.
Miller, a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee for Equal Access, has provided disability awareness and advocacy training and provides technical assistance and training to public service agencies.
Rapozo, a former supervisor at Lihue Plantation and Chevron dealer, has been an active member of the Hanamaulu Community Association, the Kauai Ballroom Dance Club and the Civil Air Patrol, where he holds the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Others nominated were Lourdes Domingo, Irenia Edrada, Romana Espanto, Cha-Cha Kaluahine, Lawrence Mendonca, Carole Nacion, Itsue "Frecki" Okada and Katsumi "Gutsy" Oyama.
» For the third year in a row, University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law students won first place overall as "Best Advocates" at the National Native American Law Students Association’s 21st Annual Moot Court Competition, Feb. 22-23 at Lewis & Clark College of Law in Portland, Ore.
Third-year law students Caycie Gusman and Catherine Hall won the Best Advocates award. Hall also won the Best Oralist award.
Third-year law student Zachary Di Ionno and second-year law student Sommerset Wong won for Best Legal Brief.
The primary focus of the competition is federal Indian law. The William S. Richardson School of Law has won 33 awards in the 21-year history of the competition. Twenty-four law schools participated this year.
» Five editors for the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus newspaper, Ka Leo O Hawai‘i, each received a $1,500 award from the Carol Burnett Fund for Responsible Journalism for 2012-2013.
The awardees are Marc Arakaki, Davin Aoyagi, Paige Taketa, Caitlin Kelly and Alex Bitter.
"The award winners exemplify high ethical standards in their coverage of important issues at the UH community," communications professor Ann Auman said at a May 2 ceremony.
The program is sponsored by the Journalism Program in the School of Communications at UH-Manoa.
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