Waha Nui – 4/1/15

Opening night looms April 16 in New York for the Broad way revival of The King and I, complete with Ruthie Ann Miles (Kaimuki 2001) — already an award-winning actress, wife and mom living in Brooklyn — who will play Lady Thiang. She also played Imelda Marcos in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway show Here Lies Love

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Tianzhen Nie

Recent pageants show that East Oahu has its share of distinguished young women. Kaiser High senior Tianzhen Nie is the 2015 Distinguished Young Woman of Hawaii, first runner-up is Tianzhen’s classmate Kiri Takanishi, and third runner-up is Sacred Hearts Academy senior Megan Garcia. The national pageant is in Mobile, Ala., in June. (The state’s 2014 crown went to Hawaii Kai’s Makana Williams.) Tianzhen, a talented Chinese zither player, won a $5,000 cash scholarship, a four-year scholarship to HPU, and bonus cash awards for winning other categories. What’s next? A career in international environmental law …

Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties’ (Kahala office) independent agent James Lewis has earned the Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation, meaning he really understands the needs of clients age 55 and older, plus he specializes in East Oahu properties … Keeping up with Kayttie: Kaimuki Middle seventh-grade gymnast Kayttie Nakamura competed at the Holland Flower Cup March 20-21 (near Amsterdam) with a difficult trampoline routine and placed 14th overall, just missing the finals at the prestigious meet, which attracted the best gymnasts in the world. Kayttie trains locally with Hawaii Trampoline and Tumbling Club. Hopefully she saw a few tulips …

Kaimuki High senior Robin Henski, meanwhile, has qualified for the USA Triathlon Championships in August in Wisconsin … Kaimuki baseball coach and special ed teacher Reid Yoshikawa was named OC16 Educator of the Year … Sea Life Park now serves Pink’s Hot Dogs, brought over with much celebration by the Pink ohana from Tinseltown — Beverly Pink, Richard Pink and Gloria Pink … East Oahu author John Clark‘s latest is North Shore Place Names: Kahuku to Ka‘ena from University of Hawaii Press & & & cchang@midweek.com