October 24, 2006
MEDIA CONTACT: Caroline Witherspoon
or Jocelyn Collado
Becker Communications
(808) 533-4165
BISHOP MUSEUM GETS CLEANING FROM KAMEHAMEHA SENIORS
HONOLULU - Seniors from Kamehameha Schools' Kapalama campus swept into Bishop Museum on Wednesday, October 18, and helped spruce up the State's Museum of Culture and Natural History.
As part of the community service project, nearly 50 Kamehameha seniors worked together to paint benches, wash chairs, and clean and plant terrariums, all in preparation for Bishop Museum's annual Halloween night event, Treat Street. To reward them for their efforts, Bishop Museum treated the students to Ola Na Mo'olelo: Nahi'ena'ena and the Sacred Pa'u, a storytelling presentation about the history of select featherwork pieces from the Museum's current exhibit, Na Hulu Ali'i: Royal Feathers.
"Bishop Museum has a long-standing relationship with Kamehameha Schools, and we are proud to be able to provide their students, and all students in Hawai'i, the opportunity to learn more about our native culture and natural history," said Mike Shanahan, director of education for Bishop Museum. "Our educational programs and exhibits are designed to bring classroom concepts to life and make learning engaging, interactive, exciting, and fun."
The Bishop Museum service project is one of many outreach programs initiated by Kamehameha Schools to engage students in supplementary learning activities within the community. The seniors will participate in upcoming service projects around the island in an effort to give back to the community that has been so gracious to them.
Kamehameha Schools was founded by the will of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, great-granddaughter and last royal descendant of Kamehameha the Great. Founded in 1887, Kamehameha Schools is a statewide educational system supported by a $6.2 billion trust, endowed by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. The system includes K-12 campuses on O'ahu, Hawai'i, and Maui, and 31 preschool sites statewide. The Kamehameha School for Boys was the first to be established in 1887 on what are now the grounds of Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Since the founding more than a century ago, Kamehameha Schools has graduated about 20,500 young men and women - a worthy legacy of a visionary princess.
With nearly 400,000 visitors each year, Bishop Museum serves as one of Hawai'i's top destinations, providing hands-on educational experiences to help residents and visitors appreciate and embrace Hawai'i's rich culture. By combining education, history and culture, the Museum strives to fulfill its mission set with its founding in 1889, "to study, preserve and tell the stories of the cultures and natural history of Hawai'i and the Pacific." Located at 1525 Bernice Street, the Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $14.95 for adults; $11.95 for youth 4-12 years, plus special rates for kama'aina, seniors and military; children under 4 years and Bishop Museum Members are free. For information, call 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.