Keeping Waianae's Schools Cool

Hardware Hawaii’s Corey Ann Bebb (left) and state Rep. Maile Shimabukuro accept a $10,000 check from Clifford Laughton for fans for Waianae classrooms. (Hardware Hawaii provided all the fans at factory cost and donated its profits.) Photo from Ray Sweeney.

The heat is on to beat the heat in Wai`anae's schools. Thanks to the aid of donations and volunteers, classrooms at Makaha, Leihoku, Kamaile, and Wai`anae Elementary, and Wai`anae High and Wai`anae Intermediate, are now cooler. With continued support, the goal of outfitting all classrooms in Waianae and Makaha with fans will be reached. Email Maile at maileshimabukuro@yahoo.com if you are interested in making a tax deductible donation to this worthy cause.

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• Residents along the Wai'anae Coast — one of O'ahu's hottest spots, downright sweltering in recent days — have mounted a drive to get a fan in every classroom.


• "Whenever you talk to the principals they say the portables are like ovens," said Shimabukuro. "For some reason, the way they are designed, they are the worst of the worst of the classroom spaces."


• Shimabukuro soon had an opportunity to feel the heat first-hand when she went to the high school campus to speak to the students. "I was just dying," she said. "My clothes were sticking to my skin. The heat was really unbearable."