MEMORIAL DAY POSTER CONTEST WINNERS

Mayor Mufi Hannemann presented award certificates to the winners of the Sew a Lei for Memorial Day Poster Contest today (Wednesday, May 7) in his office.  First-place winners are Rafael Sifuentes from Kapaa Elementary School, Jeong Eun Choi from Stevenson Middle School and Chanel Hebaru from Mililiani High School.  First-place winners received two-night stays for up to four people at the Queen Kapiolani or Ocean Resort Hotels.  All winners received a prize pack from Ocean Resort/Queen Kapiolani Hotels, a duffle bag and prize pack from First Hawaiian Bank, $50 gift cards from the Memorial Day Committee and recognition certificates from Mayor Hannemann.

More than 560 entries were submitted from public and private schools throughout the state.  The contest judges were Carolyn Nakamura of Ocean Resorts, Jan Katada of First Hawaiian Bank, Dr. Gary Saito, chiropractor and artist, David Tanaka of Obun Hawaii Inc., Jill Kuramoto of KITV 4, and Regina Loveland from the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The artwork of first-place winners will appear on posters encouraging the public to provide lei to decorate graves for Memorial Day at the National Cemetery of the Pacific and other veterans’ cemeteries.  All of the winning and honorable mention posters are exhibited on the third floor of Honolulu Hale through May 29.

The Department of Education was instrumental in coordinating the contest with the schools and encouraging students to sew and donate lei for the ceremonies.  Each year, more than 30,000 lei are donated by school children throughout the state with the majority coming from Kauai, Hawaii and Maui public schools.

The Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be held on Monday, May 26 from 8:30 a.m., at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.  For more information on the Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony, call the Department of Parks and Recreation at 768-3002.

The first- through third-place winners for each grade division are as follows:

DIVISION: Kindergarten - 4th grade

First Place

Name        Rafael Sifuentes

School       Kapaa Elementary School

Grade        1

Second Place

Name        Brylyn Aiwohi

School       Kapaa Elementary School

Grade        4

Third Place

Name        Romulo Sayson, Jr.

School       Kalihi Waena Elementary School

Grade        4

DIVISION:  5th - 8th grade

First Place

Name        Jeong Eun Choi

School       Stevenson Middle School

Grade        8

Second Place

Name        Dustin Borromeo

School       Kalakaua Middle School

Grade        8

Third Place

Name        Melissa Tom

School       Stevenson Middle School

Grade        8

DIVISION:  9th - 12th grade

First Place

Name        Chanel Hebaru

School       Mililani High School

Grade        11

Second Place

Name        Brandee Rodrigues

School       Roosevelt High School

Grade        12

Third Place

Name        Loraine Doliente

School       Farrington High School

Grade        11

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