FILMMAKER SPEAKS OF SWAINS ISLAND FILM

Filmmaker Jim Knowlton, producer of: “Swains Island - One of the Last Jewels of the Planet”, says that because of the new Sanctuary designation, the beauty or wildlife of Swains Island will be there for many years to come.

Knowlton, of the Ocean Futures Society, was in St. Petersburg, Florida over the weekend to accept the award for the Swains Island documentary that won in the “Cultural Connections, People and the Sea” category during the BLUE Ocean Film Festival and Conservation Summit held November 3-9.

“As a filmmaker, I've learned to capture remarkable things when I see them because they might not be there next time,” Knowlton wrote in an email to Samoa News yesterday.

“As an environmentalist, I've learned that we need to protect special places because we can't assume they will always be healthy. And that is why it is so important that Swains Island is now part of the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, because it can be studied and protected for future generations.”

OVER 30 GROUPS REGISTER FOR 37TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY MUSIC FESTIVAL

Auditions for the more than 30 local groups who have registered to take part in the 37th Annual Holiday Music Festival will be carried out Nov. 24-28 and will be judged by a panel of judges that include board members of the Arts Council.

The American Samoa Council on Arts, Culture, and Humanities (ASCACH) will be hosting the 37th Annual Holiday Music Festival at the Malaeoletalu Fagatogo Pavilion from December 17-19, 2014.

Program coordinator Rexx Yandall said yesterday that this year’s performers will be held to the same strict standards as last year’s participants to ensure “fairness” across the board.

Only 15 slots are up for grabs and therefore, those who make the cut will be “the best of the best”.

As with prior years, next month’s performers will be judged on criteria that include artistic value, gracefulness of the performers, unity, quality of voices, discipline, enter and exit, appropriateness of the message (holiday theme), and obeying the 10-minute time limit.

One very important factor that needs to be considered, said Yandall, is that all interested groups MUST include 30 or more members.

This project is supported by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and more information can be obtained by calling 633-4347/4490/5613.

LOCAL EDUCATOR BECOMES CERTIFIED LEED PROFESSIONAL

Long time educator and current Deputy Director at Manumalo Baptist Academy, Dr. Amy Blizzard has obtained her LEED Advanced Professional Certification in Building, Design, and Construction (LEED AP BD+C), making her the only AP BD+C certified professional based in American Samoa.

At a time when the territory and the rest of the world are ‘going green’, the need for professionals in this field is in high demand.

(An example of American Samoa’s efforts to ‘go green’ is the AS-EPA building which is the first LEED-certified building in the South Pacific and only the second LEED-certified Platinum project in a U.S. Territory).

A lot of people are on board with the efforts. Even local construction company, Paramount Builders, has taken the giant leap in being the first American Samoa company to become members of the US Green Building Council, teaming up with Dr. Blizzard to offer LEED Consulting and Design Services, in addition to their 20 years of experience in building high quality construction projects throughout the territory.