Mary, Star of the Sea School (aka MSOS aka Star of the Sea) is a small Catholic school that services students from pre-k to 8th grade.
The school is located in Kahala, which is like Hawaii's version of the Hamptons. Kahala is also the starting point of East Honolulu (Hawaii's version of Orange County).
In other words, it serves what is probably the most conservative clientele of all of Honolulu.
I worked there as a substitute teacher there working under Kelly Services from 2012-2018. Kelly Services provides substitute teachers for various small private & charter schools.
I was also a substitute teacher with the public schools (DOE) from 2005-2018, and did brief stints with other private sub-services somewhere within that time frame. So I have a vast experience from which to compare schools.
My time subbing with MSOS was mostly a positive one. They had small class sizes which made classroom monitoring an easier experience compared to public schools which sometimes have 20+ students per class. Also, the teachers usually have 1 or 2 prep periods, which was great because I get to take a break from the craziness. Many public school teachers don't even have that luxury.
The students tend to have a lot of enthusiasm which can be a blessing and a curse. But mostly a blessing.
The funniest part was when one of the students googled my name and found my YouTube channel. Several of them told me they have subscribed to my YouTube channel and even mentioned about the videos themselves. Even one of the staff members (who is no longer there) even said to me "hey, you're the sub with the YouTube channel". I laughed and also emphasized that I never promoted my YouTube videos to the students and that the students found them on their own time.
(check my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@pablo_wegesend)
The only troubling thing when I was subbing there was when I looked at the lesson plan and noticed that one of the online assignments (done via Google Classroom) stated something along the lines of "write down what have you placed more important than God, and apologize". Seriously? It is that kind of nonsense that has turned people away from religion.
(note: the teacher who made the assignment is no longer there, for reasons not known to me)
Now, I know there are stereotypes about "public schools train their students to become radical left-wingers, private schools train their students to become radical right-wingers" but those are extreme exaggerations.
None of my experience with public schools had lessons about hating religion, capitalism, white people, or whatever accusations right-wingers make about public schools.
None of my experience with private schools had lessons about hating liberals, welfare, nonwhites, or LGBT. Yes, I saw pro-life fliers at other private schools but never did I encounter any lessons about anything about abortion, sexuality or evolution at any school I worked at.
The only real difference between what the students learn at private vs public schools is that private schools have more religious lessons.
Other than that, at both types of schools, students learn basics like
- "10 X 10 = 100"
- "what is a solid, liquid or gas?"
- "July 4th, 1776 was when the US Declaration of Independence was signed".
- an adjective describes a noun
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At MSOS, on the day before the 2016 election, when students were lining up for lunch, I did hear some 6th graders saying they want Trump to win. But they knew better than to even try that "build that wall" chant with me! In contrast, the overwhelming majority of public school students expressed dislike of Trump, even though I never encountered any lessons encouraging a hate of Trump. Most of the public schools in Honolulu have large immigrant populations who understandably wouldn't like Trump for his racism.
MSOS just happens to have a more conservative clientele than most schools in Hawaii.
I left sub teaching at the end of 2018 to accept a library assistant position at a public middle school (Kalākaua). Interestingly enough, the person I was working with there (Natalie Lum) was more racist than any of the supposedly "conservative" private school teachers I've met. That plus her extreme lack of people skills is why I left the school in 2020. Learn more at https://pwegesen.wixsite.com/kalakaua-ms-library/the-negative-experiences
Also in 2020, the coronavirus crisis came to life. In more ways than one, the pandemic changed everything.
At first, I thought it was all an over-reaction, but I later wised up as more facts came in. Especially with reports of massive deaths from China & Italy early in the coronavirus crisis. And the thousands who either died or got severely disabled due to the effects of coronavirus. This was/is NOT A DRILL, this is the real thing
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I did consider reapplying to be a sub teacher in Fall 2020. But classes were mostly online, and the subs I knew said there wasn't much for them available. Then for the next 2 years, I was away from the school system. I wasn't around when students started school all-online and I wasn't around during the mask mandate.
I was at Macy's where I started sanitizing hi-touch points around the store. So in a way, I was part of the fight against covid.
But early in 2022, Macy's cut back on sanitizing hi-touch points due to the end of the mask mandate. And then they cut back my hours.
So I decided to find a way back into the school system. In October of this year, I did reapply with Kelly Services. At the same time, someone from Kama‘aina Kids saw my resume and encouraged me to apply for their afterschool program. Within a few days apart, both organizations hired me. But who to pick? Kama‘aina Kids had a more consistent schedule. I chose them.
I did do one Kelly Services sub-assignment at Mid-Pacific Institute (MPI), a Protestant school in Mānoa valley. There, the majority of the staff wore their masks. It was optional for students.
But the following week, I started with Kama‘aina Kids, which had a vacancy at MSOS. For some reason, not known to me, Kelly Services doesn't service MSOS anymore.
But since I had a good experience at MSOS in the past, and it was a convenient location, I decided to take the afterschool position there. I was officially an employee under Kama‘aina Kids, we just used MSOS facility to supervise the students who need after-school supervision.
Very few at MSOS wore their masks. I also noticed the principal (the same as when I subbed there) didn't wear a mask. At first, I just assumed that maybe she felt uncomfortable with a mask.
Meanwhile, for the afterschool program, it was just me and the site supervisor. We both wore our masks.
On my first day doing the afterschool job there (11/07/2022), a parent (James Phillips aka Jim Phillips) saw me with a mask and shield and asked "what, is there another covid outbreak?" I just said I don't even know what germs all these kids are having. He then said his kids bring home all the germs and his immune system flushes it out.
If that was his only interaction with me about the mask, I would've let it go and I wouldn't be mentioning his name or even writing this post.
However, on 11/30/2022, as I was supervising the students outside, I noticed Mr. Phillips walking to the cafeteria saying "covid is over" loud enough that I can hear him. Then after he picked up his students, when he was walking towards the mauka side of campus, he was saying to his kids, but obviously loud enough that I can hear, him saying "it's the open air, and he's wearing a mask". Though he was not looking in my direction as he was saying it, it was obvious that he was saying it loud enough so that I can hear it from far away.
At that point, I believe that this is the beginning of what could be a pattern of harassment.
The afterschool site supervisor mentioned to me that before I was hired, Mr. Phillips questioned her why she was wearing a mask.
I notified the administration of both Kama‘aina Kids and MSOS, mostly so that they can be aware of what is going on. What they do with that information is up to them, but once they're informed, they couldn't say "I didn't know, nobody told me".
On the next day, when I arrived at the school's cafeteria (where the afterschool program is held), I saw the principal (Margaret Rufo aka Miss Rufo) there talking with the cafeteria staff member. I went up to the principal and mentioned the email on Mr. Phillips's behavior.
The good news is that the principal did inform Mr. Phillips that his confrontational behavior was inappropriate and unacceptable.
The not-so-good news is that the principal did agree with Mr. Phillips that we don't need masks anymore and we need to "move on". In other words, the principal is a covidiot just like Mr Phillips.
She mentioned that Mr. Phillips said he didn't want his kids to "live in fear".
Live in fear? Taking precautions is "living in fear?" Is wearing a seat belt living in fear? Is wearing a helmet while riding a bike "living in fear?"
I never told his kids (or any kids) to "live in fear". The mask mandate was over, so I never enforced it!
But the sight of me wearing my mask and shield is "teaching kids to live in fear?"
Give me a break!
I mentioned to the principal that because I ride the bus, work at Macy's, and work at the school, I have to take precautions that someone working at home doesn't have to worry about.
I mentioned to the principal that I wear my mask/shield so I don't infect the students and they don't infect me.
She said we don't have to worry about that!
Let this sink in, the principal of Mary, Star of the Sea School doesn't believe that people can spread dangerous respiratory diseases to each other.
The concept that I want to protect my parents (who are in their 70's) from contagious diseases is something the principal doesn't seem to WANT to understand!
The concept that somebody riding the same bus as me could be coughing and I could end up spreading the germs to the students and they could spread it to their families is something the principal doesn't seem to WANT to understand!
And this is the principal we are talking about her. This isn't just some crazy auntie/uncle at the barbecue, this is someone who is in charge of the school.
The principal claims that science says we don't need masks or shields. Nevermind that at nearly every hospital, the staff is wearing masks and/or face shields. Hospitals are required to follow the science.
But the principal of a school serving what is probably the most conservative clientele in town doesn't really have to follow the science, she just has to keep up with the latest nonsense cliches coming from FoxNews and PragerU.
And it gets even worse.
The principal says that she encourages her teachers to take off their masks because students need to see facial expressions, and that the teachers need to show the students that we are "moving on"
Let this sink in, the principal's attitude is NOT "to mask or not to mask is your choice"
The principal's attitude is "teachers, take off your masks already, we need to show the students we are moving on".
Think about this, the school's staff is being pressured to be maskless! This is not just an attack on their physical health, it's an attack on their mental health.
Meanwhile, my direct employer, Kama‘aina Kids encourages (but not requires) staff to wear masks. They understand that you can't run an afterschool program if the staff is out sick.
The principal did send an email to Kama‘aina Kids that she believes that teachers should be maskless. The good news is that Kama‘aina Kids support my preference to wear a mask.
As for "moving on", can people with a weakened immune system just "move on"?
Can people who got disabled due to long-covid (estimated to be circa 20% of those infected) just "move on"?
Can the thousands who died from covid just "move on"?
Only the severely heartless will answer "yes" to those questions
Near the end of our conversation, I noted to the principal that back in March 2020, I said to at least 5 people (with others possibly listening in) that I thought the panic over the coronavirus was out of proportion and that this was all about "nothing. Then I said to the principal that it turned out that thousands of so-called "nothings" have died or required ICU care and that I totally regret my earlier attitude about the coronavirus crisis.
When I said that, the principal said "sorry I got to, I have something else to attend to."
In other words, reality is too uncomfortable for her. She wanted to avoid the seriousness of the coronavirus crisis. That thousands have died from a contagious disease. That thousands required ICU care. That some of the survivors have never been the same since the infection.
Being confronted about the seriousness of the crisis was something she wants to avoid. It interferes with her identity as a right-wing nutcase.
I know somewhere in her is a heart! I knew her from before the pandemic. But her desire to "move on" and her addiction to right-wing narratives is preventing her from empathizing with those who have been killed or disabled by the virus.
As for Mr. Phillips, he doesn't even act like he has a heart. He comes across someone who thinks that having empathy for the vulnerable is a sign that you're not a real man.
Meanwhile, I'm usually left alone by others, even by men much larger than Mr. Phillips. That's because manhood isn't about toughness or asserting dominance over the vulnerable. Manhood is about maturity. But Mr. Phillips acts as if he hasn't matured since middle school. He's not a "real man", he's an over-aged middle schooler who gets his kicks over picking on those who are different from him.
Mature people leave other people alone. They don't start trouble with others. They believe in the "live and let live" philosophy.
Mr. Phillips was probably one of those who yelled "I have my rights" during the mask mandate. But he doesn't respect the rights of those who chose to continue wearing a mask.
I responded to covidiots like him with this video from March 2022
"I'll keep my mask on a little while longer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h2wejvU-mM
And speaking of videos, the following video (from 2021) is too much reality for Mr. Phillips and principal Ms. Rufo
I did mention to my principal that my initial plan was to wait until sometime in January to put away my face shield. But because of Mr. Phillips, I'm going to keep my face shield and mask on a little while longer as an act of defiance against anti-mask bullies like him.
And whenever I'm near the school (or anywhere in Kahala or East Honolulu) or near Mr. Phillips's workplace (my opposition research noted that his employer is located near my alma mater), I'll be sure to have a mask and face shield on, so that if Mr. Phillips ever see me in public, he will know that he attempts at bullying isn't working. I will trigger anti-mask fanatics by wearing my mask.
My mask & face shield is not only for the protection of self and others, and it is a symbol of defiance against covidiot bullies!
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And here is some information that covidiots like Mr Phillips and principal Ms Rufo don't want you to know about, because it's inconvenient for their right-wing covidiot "move on" propaganda!
Less than a mile away from MSOS, a teacher at Waialae Elementary Public Charter School speaks of her experience with long covid
Nina Wu, “Number of Long-COVID Cases Continues Growing, Potentially Affecting Hawaii Workforce,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, July 18, 2022, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/07/18/hawaii-news/number-of-long-covid-cases-continues-growing-potentially-affecting-isle-workforce/.
Villanueva, 40, of Kaimuki, used to run marathons and live an active lifestyle. The high-energy mother of two was vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 and had no underlying health issues.
She loves teaching, and has been a teacher’s advocate and mentor for the Hawaii State Teachers Association. In 2020 she was the recipient of its S.T.A.C.Y. Award for Teaching Excellence.
The day she caught COVID-19 has changed her life, and she clearly remembers it.
After working on a Tuesday, she recalls feeling really “off,” then came down with a sore throat in the evening, followed by a fever the next day. She tested negative on a rapid antigen test at home but decided to call in a substitute and get a PCR test.
She would eventually test positive for the coronavirus and isolate at home, expecting to get better after a week or so, but that did not happen.
After the fifth day she would have been able to return to work under current guidelines, but she was not feeling better or physically able to do so.
Instead, Villanueva said, she cycled through new symptoms daily for up to 16 days, experiencing everything from a loss of taste and smell to brain fog, piercing migraines, swelling hands and the “shakes,” or tremors, after physical exertion.
She saw several doctors before an infectious disease specialist informed her she was suffering from long COVID.
The doctor prescribed her medications for inflammation, which initially helped, but six months later she is still seeking help for other persisting symptoms such as the shaking, joint pain and fatigue.
Also in Hawaii, a former Waikiki bartender speaks of his experience with long covid
Jenn Boneza, “Waikiki Bartender Continues to Battle Impacts of Covid-19 Almost Five Months after Falling Ill,” (KHON2, August 1, 2020),
More than four months after Coby Torda tested positive for COVID-19, he still struggles with lingering complications caused by the virus.
The 38-year-old Waikiki bartender tested positive for COVID-19 in March. He thinks he contracted the virus while at work, but isn’t sure.
Torda spent 69 days in the ICU, most of that time in an induced coma. When he woke up, the world had changed.
“I just remember working and everything was normal and then waking up from my coma and everything was different. Everybody was quarantined. Everybody was in masks in the hospital with like tape and signs saying be careful when entering this room. It was a little bit scary,” said Torda.
When he came to, he’d lost 80 pounds, he couldn’t eat or drink and needed help going to the bathroom. He said he had to relearn how to do just about everything.
He was released from the hospital May 29th, but continues to struggle with the aftermath of COVID-19.
Another article on those suffering from long covid
Kate Murphy, “Covid-19 'Long-Haulers' Don't Want to Be Forgotten as the U.S. Goes 'Back to Normal',” Yahoo! News (April 7, 2022),
Long COVID has been a “traumatic change” for Mary Snipes of Kansas. An otherwise healthy woman in her early 50s, she was previously active in her community, campaigning against gun violence ever since she lost her son, Felix, to a shooting in 2018. Snipes caught COVID-19 in December 2020 and nearly died of the virus after being hospitalized for two weeks. “I remember the doctors and nurses asking me, 'Should we resuscitate?' And I started crying because I had never been asked that before,” she recalled.
Snipes never ended up on a ventilator, but was sent home with oxygen. More than a year later, she still remains on oxygen and experiences a multitude of symptoms, from joint pain and forgetfulness to hair loss. Snipes said this is the first time she has ever had a whole team of doctors. “I basically feel sometimes that I'm a lab rat, that I'm being used [for] research, because nobody knows what to expect.”
For Joe Farina in upstate New York, long COVID has stolen his identity. In March 2020, he was about to turn 50, in excellent health as a competitive athlete and former boxer and as a worker in the hospitality industry. Then he caught COVID. It first appeared as a bad cold, but within a week he had to be hospitalized. Farina was never intubated, but recalled, “It was really one of the most terrifying experiences I've ever been through.” He has since suffered from lasting cardiac and neurological issues and takes several medications to manage all of it.
An article from a writer with a compromised immune system
Lindsay Karp, “The Forgotten Immunocompromised Are Shouting from the Trenches,” Salon (November 13, 2022)
https://www.salon.com/2022/11/13/the-forgotten-immunocompromised-are-shouting-from-the-trenches/
Millions of people with compromised immune systems exist — in spite of the collective, tacit declaration that the pandemic is over. A significant number of them, myself included, don't respond to COVID vaccines, or respond minimally. According to The Atlantic, close to three percent of adults in the U.S. take immunosuppressants, totaling at least seven million immunocompromised people throughout the country. In July of 2022, the Drug Discovery World noted that immunocompromised COVID patients are more likely to require hospitalization and are about four times more likely to die once in the hospital than hospitalized immunocompetent COVID patients. Now, as the virus continues to circulate and mutate, the immunocompromised population is stranded in the trenches, pleading to be remembered.
You can't typically tell that someone is immunocompromised. I probably look healthy when I roam the grocery story, one of the few customers still wearing a KN-95 mask. But I see the eye rolls from customers and employees. I feel their judgement as I reach for a crown of broccoli, this white cloth hiding my irritation from the ignorance in the air. I sense some think this face covering shouts my political stance. Perhaps they believe I wear it because I'm overly paranoid. But I wear it because I have no CD20 cells, a subset of B-lymphocytes that attack viral invaders. An invisible, purposely-induced deficiency of these cells prevents further neurological damage to my body. Hence, I wear a mask solely as a mode of defense against the viral threat that many have dismissed as "just a cold."
But a simple cold is never simple when you live with an autoimmune condition strong enough to dismantle your ability to walk. Indeed, without the body's full pathogen fighting abilities, a routine illness, seemingly benign, can pose a serious threat to those of us with immunocompromised conditions of any kind.and this
Do you hear me from way down here? I'm not telling anyone how to live their life. I'm not asking you to wear a mask as we enter public places together. I'm simply showing you that we, those who are immunocompromised, are shouting, loudly, to be heard. We deserve recognition that our lives are valued like yours. We want to be remembered as seven million Americans who matter to the majority. When you come to our home, we expect you to protect us in the one place we feel safe. We want you to see us, not as political activists (we're not), but as people. It would be swell if you could remember that immune system status is invisible. It would be kind if the world considered us and our complicated situations as they wonder why some haven't moved on beyond the crux of COVID.
A person with compassion will take all of this seriously! A person with compassion wouldn't say nonsense like "We need to move on from covid". A person who believes in a loving God wouldn't be so disrespectful to long-covid sufferers or the immuno-compromised or to the extra-cautious people who still wear a mask and face shield!
It is not time to be complacent. It is not time to give in to the covidiots. It is time to practice defiance against the covidiots and stand up for the long-covid sufferers and the immuno-compromised!
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As for my time at MSOS, I'm done.
I was already on my way out because I have a job lined up that provides more work hours and more pay. I put in my resignation notice with my direct employer Kama‘aina Kids even before Mr. Phillips rant and learning of principal Ms. Rufo's covidiocy.
But even if my current job with my new employer ends, I'm not returning to MSOS, until they have a principal that takes public health seriously.
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BONUS PICS:
First, the covidiot parent Jim Phillips!
.jpg "Jim Phillips, the covidiot")
Jim Phillips, ===============================================
.jpg "Jim Phillps, covidiot")
Jim Phillips, the covidiot!
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.jpg "Jim Phillips")
Jim Phillips, the covidiot! ========================================================
.jpg "Jim Phillips, the covidiot")
Jim Phillips, the covidiot. .jpg "Jim Phillips, the covidiot,")
Jim Phillips, the covidiot!.jpg "Jim Phillips, the covidiot HR professional, altres simplicity hr")
Jim Phillips, the covidiot!.png "Margaret Rufo, the covidiot principal of Mary Star of the Sea")
Margaret Rufo, the covidiot principal! Thinks we shall all be maskless because "we need to move on" as if those who died, got disabled, got severe respiratory problems from covid-19 can just "move on".Her "we need to move on" attitude is a severe middle finger to those who died or haven't been the since due to covid-19.This goes to show she doesn't worship a loving God, instead she worships the MAGA "gods" like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis & other right-wing covidiot leaders!
.png "Margaret Rufo, the covidiot principal")
Margaret Rufo, the covidiot principal.She doesn't believes there is such a thing as a contagious respiratory disease that can easily spread in places where there's a lot of close contact among people.According to her, NOBODY died, nor got severe disabilities, nor got long-term respiratory problems due to diseases like covid-19!Instead, we should pretend covid-19 never happened and who cares if you spread it to your medically vulnerable relatives. After all, MAGA is more important to her!
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.png "Margaret Rufo, covidiot principal")
Margaret Rufo, covidiot principal!She claims that science says we don't need masks or face shields to protect us from contagious, respiratory viruses.
Nevermind that hospital staff wear masks and face shields to protect themselves and their patients from contagious, respiratory viruses!
Hospitals follow real medical science.
Margaret Rufo follow QAnon, PragerU, MAGA "science"
