Aloha from Maui

Maui, here we come! Last Wednesday, my family and I traveled to Maui.  Maui is the second-largest of the 137 Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles and is the 17th largest island in the United States .  Believe it or not, there are indeed 137 islands in the Hawaiian chain! Maui is one of the most popular spots for tourists because of its calm beaches,  beautiful hiking places,  green luscious rainforests, and refreshing waterfalls. It also has spectacular sunsets.

We are staying in a 2 bedroom condo in Wailea. Sarah and I share one bedroom, Hannah and Michael our little brother and sister sleep in the living room, and my Mom and Dad sleep in a different room. My family is staying next to a few really calm beaches.

 What is interesting about Maui is that most people go to the beach between 7 am until 1:00 pm. In the afternoon, everyone leaves the beach as strong trade winds start blowing throughout the island. This is the time that we leave the beach and head out to swim in the pool near our condo.

 We have a football that we like to toss in the air so the person jumping can catch it.  There is also a really warm jacuzzi that we enter to warm up.

 One of my favorite beaches that we are staying next to is called Mauna Kea.  Mauna Kea has no waves and is a lot of fun to paddle out on boogie boards.  At Mauna Kai, there is also a reef where we go snorkeling at.  The fish and their colors are amazing, and my favorite one is the Humuhumunukunukuapua'a the state fish of Hawaii.  This fish has blue lips and has an incredible pattern on its body.  Another fish I like is the Parrot Fish. We call it the rainbow fish because it has all the colors of the rainbow. My second favorite beach is Honolau Bay. We like it there because it has numerous fish and we even saw a huge turtle. 

 

Have you ever visited Hawaii? Which Island?

Essay Excitment

Getting our awards

My school district had it's 50th anniversary! The school district had an essay contest for elementary students.  The topic was,"Write an essay about your favorite school memory." My sister Sarah and I both entered our essays in the contest by grade level and won! I wrote about the Ugandan Global Project walk that we completed when I was in Mrs. Yollis' third grade class.

Sarah wrote about a project she did when she was in  Mrs. Yollis' 3rd grade class called “Our World Our Stories.” Seven elementary classes collaborating on different school topics such as: hobbies, favorite foods, school games, and classroom environment.

Waiting to be called up

Alice C. Stelle and I at the reception

On Tuesday, 2 weeks after submitting our essays, there was an awards ceremony with the district board members, principles, congressman, and the city mayor. The ceremony began by the superintendent giving a speech of how the school district began.  In the speech, he recognized some people that helped and influenced the school district. One of those citizens, was Alice C. Stelle, who now has a middle school named after her. It was pretty incredible meeting the women with a school named after her. She is 91 years old and looked proud of all the work she had done for education. The next speech was made by a congressman and the mayor.  It was pretty amazing because how many times do you get recognized in front of such specials guests. The Acorn published an article about the celebration.

Dr. Steponosky presenting the award

When the speeches were over, they began to announce the awards.  They started with kindergartener and completed with fifth grade.  Sarah and I would like to thank Mrs. Yollis for the inspiration and for getting us involved in blogging. THANK YOU!

 Have you ever received a special award?

A Gorgeous Day At Idyllwild National Park

Getting on the trail

Over spring break we visited Idyllwild National Park.  Idyllwild is on top of a huge mountain so it took us a while to get to the top. We had to drive through a windy road through beautiful terrains.  When we finally arrived we decided to go to the visitor center.  In the park there are many tall rocks that you can stand on and see the view below you.  After walking for an hour, we decided to take a break.  While we rested, my brother Michael caught tiny green butterflies that were perched on the leaves.  We trekked to the top of the hill to the visitors center.  

1st butterfly Michael caught

There was a guide there with a Native American class, and he told us that we could tag along. What was so fascinating about this class was that their ancestors the Cahuilla Indians lived there.  At the beginning of the hike, we visited some holes that the Indians made to grind acorns in.  It took 100 years to dig one inch. Therefore one of the holes was 900 years old!  Wow!  These ancient holes have not been used for about 200 years.  

The beautiful green butterfly up close

Then we went on to look at a tree that had been struck by lightning more than one time in the same place.  The tree had perished and there is a big hole going through it so you could see the sky.  The next tree we saw was called Ponderosa Pine and the bark was scented like vanilla ice-cream.  After we finished the hike, we had to go all the way back to our car.  Still feeling jovial we sang many different songs.  It was the most gorgeous day you could ever imagine!

900 year old Cahuilla Indian hole

Ha Ha we're taller than you!

Taking a break

Do you like to hike?

Where is your favorite hiking spot?