Mike Nishimoto

While serving as the coordinator for the United States Pacific Command (USCINCPAC) Partnership-In-Education with Aliamanu Intermediate School at Camp H.M. Smith, HI, US Navy Radioman Chief Petty Officer Mike Nishimoto managed a highly successful adopt-a-school program. His enthusiasm and success with the program served as a catalyst that made the program grow from a few dozen volunteers initially to the almost 200 today. The success of the program caught the attention of Hawaii's KHON-TV news program, which aired a clip of the volunteers at work repainting in the school's beautification effort on Make A Difference Day.

Tutoring and scholastic assistance are just two of many benefits of the adopt-a-school program. Volunteers served as big brothers and sisters, as well as mentors to intermediate school aged children. The program not only concentrates on division and factoring numbers, but also provides positive role models to the children who often take special interest in their lives. On one occasion, this mentoring meant talking a young girl out of suicide. The students often were not the disruptive children that teachers didn't want to deal with, but those who really has a desire to improve and looked forward to receiving special attention and assistance.

Nishimoto expanded the program from two school-supported activities to countless supported activities, often providing volunteers on demand. One morning he received a call requesting nine volunteers for an event at noon, this was one of numerous ongoing last minute requests that he was able to successfully pull off. In addition, Chief Nishimoto supervised and personally volunteered in all five of his ongoing sponsored programs, donating approximately 80 hours of his time for the year of 1998 to Aliamanu Intermediate School. The programs that he managed are Wednesday Evening Tutoring, Saturday Scholars, Lunchtime Campus Supervision, Dance Chaperone for all School Dances, and Computer Lab Assistance.

Chief Nishimoto's support for the program did not end when he transferred to his new Navy Command, APSPAC. In fact, he not only continued to help out with Aliamanu Intermediate School but he also adopted his new unit's school, Pearl City Highlands Elementary School. He assisted on the receipts of recyclable materials on drop-off day with the school's recycling program, which has earned second place in the school's district competition. He also makes himself readily available for any special program with which the school needs assistance.