Waha Nui – 12/10/14

Natalie Uehara is proud of her Castle High Dance Ensemble, which placed second overall at the recent Honolulu Best High School Dance Competition … Kaneohe’s Taylor Rae Silva has won an Army ROTC scholarship to HPU, which comes with a monthly stipend and an eight-year obligation to military service …

Kailua’s Ian Wilks (homeschool 2013) has graduated from Army basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. … Scott Rogers has moved his Honolulu acting school to Kaneohe (because of the light rail route), sharing studio space with Ryan Brown’s ADR Agency at 45-1123 Kamehameha Hwy. (779-4444). Actors, models and all — right across the street from Fresh Catch …

Great early Christmas present: Fun Factory is giving $1,000 plus one year’s tuition at University of Hawaii to 20 students selected as its 2014 Fun Factory/UH Scholars, including two Kailua High School graduates: Jhoana Delos Reyes (going to UH Manoa) and Trenton Higashi (WCC) … Lifelong Waimanalo resident and master gardener Ilima Ho-Lastimosa is now community coordinator for the learning center at the UH Waimanalo Research Station. Just add that to her work as God’s Country Waimanalo executive director and studying for her master’s degree in social work, among other roles …

Rena Miranda should do well in her new job as activities director for Hale Ku‘ike Bayside, a memory care facility in Kaneohe. Even as a child, she would visit her grandparents at Ann Pearl Home, and the family could sing and dance for everyone there … Speaking of activities, lucky Windward gamblers at downtown Las Vegas slots recently include Kaneohe winners Carlyn Rafael $9,850, Richard Hirai $8,000, and Milton Fujita $4,000; and Kailua’s Eva Shyne $6,408 &&& cchang@midweek.com