Aug 29, 2018 | Community
Principal Chris Bachaus of Kula Elementary School had a vision. He began working on a project to help students that were struggling with STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) classes in the Kula community. “Many of our students weren’t getting the basic concepts behind their classroom-based lessons, so I decided to take it into the real world and teach them in a functional, project-based environment, a farm,” Bachaus said.
Principal Bachaus convinced the Department of Education (DOE) to allow him to use the six acres Kula School owns in Keokea to start an Agriculture (Ag) Science Program for his students. This property was the site of the old and historically significant Keokea School, abandoned when the current Kula School opened, in 1964.
“In past years, Kula has been involved in commercial agriculture and still has an economic dependence on farming,” Bachaus explained. “Many of these students have a strong connection to the land in their family life. By connecting them to their roots, we hope to reinforce the mastery of STEM technology through an Ag educational experience. This program is also a means to connect the students to their sense of place–they will learn responsibility and respect for the land and gain an understanding that will better prepare them as future decision makers and leaders in the community. Projects include growing plants, produce, a community lei garden, animal husbandry, and more.”
“This is not a DOE funded program, so it must be completely funded from outside sources,” said Bachaus. Financial support has been given through numerous community businesses and private donors. Recently, the Upcountry Children’s Giving Circle (UCGC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, provided the Ag program with a 10-passenger van that was donated to them by Goodfellow Brothers.
Lesley Alexander Castellano, President of the UCGC Board said, “UCGC pays the insurance and maintains the van for Ag project activities. We are committed to the success of the Kula Ag Science Program and to bringing resources to support this exciting new program and maintaining the traditions of Kula agriculture.”
Donations and volunteers are continually needed for the Kula School Ag-Science Program. For more information call (808) 876-7610.
Chris Bachaus, Principal, Kula Elementary School
Aug 22, 2018 | Community
Teens Cook with Heart, a six-week school program initiated by the American Heart Association (AHA), teaches students how to prepare nutritional meals to embrace a healthier lifestyle. Mentored by volunteer chefs, the program culminates with a teen Iron Chef cooking competition.
“Studies show that youth who are involved in preparing their own meals are more likely to eat nutritious foods,” said Eve Bondar, AHA Development Manager. “Moreover, the lessons get youth excited about trying new foods and encourage them to share this passion with their own families at home, thus expanding the program’s reach to the larger community. The wide range of healthy cuisine taught in the classes includes fresh fruits and vegetables for use in smoothies, salsas, dressings, chili, guacamole, and fresh fish.”
AHA volunteer chefs explain food safety to students, such as how to use a knife properly, and how to swap out harmful ingredients for healthier ingredients. “The goal I hope to accomplish through teaching and mentoring is for our youth to realize that as we go through life, we must be aware of the things we put into our bodies,” said Executive Chef Ryan Luckey from Leilanis on the Beach. “This is a concern because obesity in childhood has more than tripled and youth are currently at high risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
Private Chef Rob Mason agreed, “All the participating chefs help to inspire the students to hone their skills and harness their creative talents in the culinary arts. I believe in consistently building strong relationships with regional farmers, artisans and purveyors, and making lasting contributions to the Maui community.”
The AHA program currently supports over 400 students on the West Side, and a crowdfunding site has been established to increase the reach of the program to more children on Maui. Each $2,500 raised allows another class to be included in the program for the 2018-19 school year. Tax deductible donations can be made at heart.org/MauiKids. For more information call Eva Bondar at (808)212-4861 or email Eva.Bondar@heart.org.
I am committed to sustainable local agriculture and the Farm to Table Movement.
Executive Chef Ryan Luckey, Leilanis on the Beach
Aug 15, 2018 | Education, Innovation, Stemworks
Molokai High School’s (MHS) Mākaʻikaʻi iā grant from Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Ke Alahele Education Fund provided support for the school’s O Hina I Ka Malama Hawaiian Immersion Program. “The main outcome of the grant produced a series of virtual field trips of environments on Molokai showcasing important natural and cultural resources,” said Gandharva Mahina Hou Ross, Molokai High School Hawaiian Language Immersion teacher and boys’ cross-country coach. “This curriculum model is place and culture- based and uses technology as a way of tying in the state performance standards and making education relevant. The grant gave the students the opportunity to create a website that documents the different environments on Molokai.”
Ross explained, “We took monthly field trips to various marine environments to conduct culture-based inquiry of important marine resources. Students traveled to the northwest, south and east coasts of Molokai to do shoreline monitoring. They collected samples of marine algae, marine invertebrates and marine vertebrates for further investigation in the classroom. Samples were identified with Latin, Hawaiian and common names, along with their habitat, diet, life cycle, traditional Hawaiian uses and management practices. After taking film footage on our field trip, the students used green-screen editing technique to describe what they saw.”
Funds were also used to create an internet domain for O Hina I Ka Malama’s bilingual website as a database to archive our program activities. The marine field guide will be archived on the school website that the students designed. Through the virtual field trips, the grant also enabled the students to create multimedia presentations on Molokai, at the annual MEDB Women in Technology (WIT) STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Conference, and at Hawaiian Language Immersion schools throughout Hawaii.
“I want to thank MEDB and WIT STEMworks™ for the Ke Alahele grant,” said Kauiwai Poepoe-Mollena, MHS 12th grader. “They provided us with the newest technology resources to complete our field trip tasks such as meter-square plots, ARC GIS mapping, cameras and GPS to mark points at the designated areas.”
On Saturday, August 25, 2018, MEDB will hold their annual Ke Alahele Education Fund Benefit Dinner & Auction at the Grand Wailea Resort. For more information call (808) 875-2300 or email cari@medb.org. Please join us!
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO
Aug 8, 2018 | Education, Stemworks
Maui resident Steve McCaughey recently joined a growing number of private-citizen space enthusiasts from all walks of life who serve as NASA Solar System Ambassadors (SSA). The nation-wide SSA program brings the excitement of NASA’s space exploration to children, teachers, and adults in the community. As an Ambassador, McCaughey will deliver information about NASA’s vast endeavor of missions and scientific study, through school programs, planetarium talks, telescope-viewing parties, mall displays and much more.
McCaughey describes himself as a “lover of the night sky.” He first came to Hawaii in 1973 on a 40-foot schooner, with no GPS satellites to help navigate. “We conducted daytime sun sightings at noon and 2pm with a sextant, and computed our position with logarithmic tables,” he explained. “At night I had the 4am watch and I steered the boat by the stars. I fell in love with the constellations and notable objects in the sky that can be observed with binoculars, and I began studying double stars.”
Soon after, McCaughey joined the Hawaii Amateur Astronomers (HAA). He purchased a Celestron 9.25-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with an equatorial mount on a pier, and a 104mm refractor that he uses for educational outreach. He began attending the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (UH IfA) AstroTalks in Pukalani, and a few years ago helped form the Maui Double Star Association, a group of students and adults who do observations of double stars. Some of the student participants ended up being co-authors on a paper in the Journal of Double Star Observations, and one is majoring in physics because of this experience.
With the inspiration of Dr. J. D. Armstrong, UH IfA Educational Outreach Specialist, McCaughey’s HAA group has conducted astronomy outreach on Maui for the past ten years. They travel to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) conferences, conventions, schools and other events with their telescopes. “McCaughey’s dedication to community engagement with space science is outstanding,” said Dr. Armstrong. “Regarding his recent NASA Ambassadorship appointment, we look forward to sharing more with him.” For educational outreach information, call (808) 281-2468.
I look forward to bringing the world of NASA and astronomy to those who are interested in ‘looking up’. The youth of today are the ones who will take us on and beyond!
Steve McCaughey, NASA Solar System Ambassador
Aug 1, 2018 | Education, Stemworks
Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Ke Alahele Education Fund grantee, the Lihikai Elementary School Surferbots in Kahului, applied their grant towards the VEX IQ Robotics challenge events, purchasing parts and registration fees. “This program allows students the opportunity to apply STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) classroom concepts to a technological product,” said Lihikai teacher, Kelly Imada. “It also introduces and reinforces the engineering design process through the challenges of competing with other teams. Our Lihikai robotics program builds interest for students in STEM subjects as they progress through elementary, intermediate, and high-school.”
“Thanks to MEDB, this was the Surferbots’ most successful year,” said Imada. “Our two teams competed in tournaments at Lahainaluna High School and the Valley Isle Tournaments. We were also honored with the Judge’s Award at the Baldwin High School Vex IQ Tournament.”
The Surferbots had fifteen members on two teams and both qualified for State competition at the Hawaii Convention Center. Team A qualified through the skills challenge and made it into the top 16 going to the elimination matches at the 2018 Hawaii State VEX IQ Tournament. Team B qualified by winning the Excellence Award at the Valley Isle Tournament in December and were awarded the Think Award in the State VEX IQ Tournament.
“In addition to building robots and competing, the students learn problem-solving skills, teamwork, responsibility, and commitment,” Imada said. “We are very grateful to the Ke Alahele donors. Without their support we would not be able to provide these valuable experiences in robotics to our students.” The Surferbots agreed, “Robotics helped us understand more about technology and working hard to reach a goal step by step, retrying and improving. Robotics taught us that if you want to achieve something, it takes trial and error, and working together as a team.”
On Saturday, August 25, 2018, MEDB will hold their annual Ke Alahele Education Fund Benefit Dinner & Auction at the Grand Wailea Resort to celebrate the STEM achievements of students in Maui County and statewide. For more information call (808) 875-2300 or email cari@medb.org.
Robotics helped me understand more about technology and working hard to reach a goal. I feel great about being on this team because I get to learn with others.
Surferbot Team Member, Lihikai Elementary School
