Apr 9, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Baldwin High School robotics team captain Joey Albright has been accepted into six colleges with plans to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. He says his experience with robot building and the task of writing grants to fund the robotics team helped him to succeed. “STEM education is important. It paid off for me,” said Albright, who has been on the Baldwin robotics team since his freshman year.
Albright took charge in his junior and senior year with applying for monetary support from the Maui Economic Development Board’s Ke Alahele Education Fund Program. “Getting money was number one for me. We can’t be competitive without funding,” Albright said. He said he gladly accepted the duties of grant writer because he wanted to improve his writing skills. “I thought it was a great opportunity to get experience and skills to apply for colleges and for scholarships,” he said. “I learned the importance of meeting deadlines, of dealing with different types of people and just working with a team. I think it was definitely worth it.” Albright said his fellow Baldwin Robotics Club members helped with writing for other private grants including Sean Endo and Aubrey Unemori.
Albright graduates in a few weeks, having competed on the state and national level. He said he would encourage new students to sign up for robotics. “The best thing for freshmen is to stick with it, no matter how much it takes,” Albright said. Since 2007, more than $740,000 in grants has been awarded to schools and students and their STEM education programs and projects. This year’s Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner and Auction will be held Aug. 23 at the Grand Wailea Resort. Sponsorships opportunities are available. Contact MEDB at cari@medb.org; call 875-2300, or visit: www.medb.org/KeAlahele/overview.cfm
Apr 2, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
For 16-year-old twins Jessie and Jordan Haylor, participating in a recent Maui Youth Alliance visit to 2nd Circuit Court in Wailuku was eye-opening. “It was such an incredible experience being able to converse with Judge Peter Cahill,” Jessie said. “I was unaware of the occupation of child advocacy, which truly interests me. I also learned about the Hawaii legal system, which is important for upcoming laws such as the new information regarding medical marijuana.”
Jordan said he saw the state’s criminal justice system at work. “I learned from this visit how criminals are prosecuted,” he said. The students in the Youth Alliance – a Maui Economic Development Board project to empower high school aged leaders – spent one morning observing 2nd Circuit Judge Peter Cahill preside over a variety of cases. His morning court calendar included granting an early dismissal of a man’s five-year probation; allowing a drug felon to take prescribed medicinal marijuana to treat a physical ailment; and a change of plea from a couple who chose not to contest welfare fraud charges. “I visited the courts once before for a law class I was in and this time we saw a lot more interesting cases, and I learned more because of the diversity,” Jordan said.
After the proceedings, Cahill, a lawyer with three decades of experience and now two years on the bench, met with the Youth Alliance members. “One is not better than the other. They’re different,” Cahill responded to Jordan’s question about whether he had a preference between serving as a lawyer or a judge. Jessie said she came to appreciate the criminal justice system. “I believe we are quite blessed to have such a justified legal system,” she said. With Cahill’s help, Jordan said the youths were able to compare the American justice system with those in other countries. Jessie said the visit to the Wailuku courthouse was her first Youth Alliance event, and she’s eager to participate more in the future. Jordan agreed. “Youth Alliance has helped open my eyes to how we can better our community and become more independent,” he said.
Mar 26, 2014 | Education
Students in kindergarten through 5th grade at Pukalani Elementary School are enjoying, even getting excited about, science these days, according to Curriculum Coordinator Jasmine Domingo. So much so, that more than 100 of them have been engaging in extracurricular, school-sponsored science camps, in part because of financial assistance from the Maui Economic Development Board Ke Alahele Education Fund. Last fall, MEDB awarded a $4,945 grant to Domingo and her school to purchase “Engineering is Elementary” curriculum and kits for the 500-plus pupils at the Upcountry school.
The purpose behind the new science curriculum and kits is to expose students to the many fields of science and increase their interest in the subject. “Oh yes, the kids are very excited about science,” Domingo said about the impact of the Ke Alahele grant at her school. “They say things like ‘This is so much fun’ and ‘I can’t wait to do science.’“ The mission of “Engineering is Elementary” curriculum and kits is to foster engineering and technological literacy among all elementary-aged students. Each unit is introduced by a storybook about a child who solves a problem through engineering and science. The material and exercises in the kits are all research-based and classroom-tested.
Domingo, a teacher with 22 years of experience and seven as a curriculum coordinator, said her school hopes to build confidence and provide encouragement to teachers to use science as a means to teach students about the world around them. “Science can be time-consuming, especially for elementary teachers who have to teach different subjects,” Domingo said. “Anytime you can make it easier for teachers to teach science, it’s a good thing.” Already one teacher has initiated her own science-based lesson plan. “I feel excited because I see that both teachers and students are seeing the effects of science in their everyday lives. Everyone’s learning.”
Mar 19, 2014 | Community
For more than four decades now, Maui Memorial Medical Center Auxiliary members have poured time and energy into supporting the hospital’s mission to provide high quality medical services. The 62 active volunteers, according to President Amy Hanlon, give approximately 10,000 hours of service in 14 hospital departments on a yearly basis. Their work has included supporting patient care, operating a gift shop on the hospital grounds and organizing fundraisers that have contributed over the years more than $2 million in scholarships, hospital equipment and training.
Hanlon has been a volunteer since April 1989 after her husband, the late Dr. Marion Hanlon, suggested she give it a try. “I wanted to work wherever it makes a difference,” she said. She started off with supporting the billing department and today helps sort the mail on a regular basis. “I really enjoy it,” she said. The auxiliary is made of retirees, many of them former teachers, nurses, hotel workers and hospital employees. “I think we have a wonderful fellowship with all our volunteers, and the administration at the hospital is awesome with support and cooperation,” Hanlon said. The auxiliary, organized formally in 1968 by a group of 10 women, has partnered with the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation in some of its gifts to the hospital. Hanlon said she works with the administration before purchasing any items. The most recent gift – 50 bedside tables valued at about $30,000 – came about when the auxiliary learned the hospital was purchasing new beds.
“Our auxiliary does an incredible job of providing support wherever it’s needed within the hospital,” Chief Executive Officer Wesley Lo said. Lo, who serves as the chairman of the Maui Economic Development Board, said the volunteers are essential to the hospital’s operations. “They devote themselves to their work and are committed to helping us to fulfill our mission. … It’s also a meaningful way for people to give back to their community while helping others.”
Mar 12, 2014 | Small Business
At Betsill Brothers Construction Inc., business is more than building affordable homes and buildings. It’s about building relationships, a value inspired by the family patriarch, Doyle Betsill Sr. “We provide excellent service to our customers and our dad, who was a builder, taught us to build a better product for less than our competition,” said Dwayne Betsill, the company president and a board member of the Maui Economic Development Board. “We treat everyone with honor, regardless of their status and always respond to others the way we desire for them to respond to us. In our daily operations we choose to be fair and build a quality product for our customers.”
Betsill Brothers began in the 1970s, with Doyle Betsill Sr., who taught his four sons a work ethic and foundation in the construction industry. The sons – Doyle Jr., Dwayne, Steve and Randy together founded Betsill Brothers on Kauai in 1993 to help repair the destruction from Hurricane Iniki. They moved to Maui a year later and started building 42 homes in Waiehu Terrace. Dwayne operates the company now. Steve died in 2002; Doyle Jr. has retired and Randy moved to Texas about nine years ago. The family business mission remains: To provide affordable housing in the islands. Betsill Brothers does a myriad of construction projects from residential homes to condominiums, commercial buildings and large remodeling jobs. The firm has had as many as 153 employees, many of whom are now subcontractors and vendors who partner on a variety of projects.
Betsill Brothers cut back staff to seven employees in 2007 to deal with an economic crash. Betsill said his company’s role in the economy is to provide jobs, especially through subcontractors. “We have built relationships and made good friends over the last 20 years, and that is our greatest success,” he said. Betsill supports MEDB‘s Ke Alahele Education program because: “I want to see our kids receive their education and return to the island and use their STEM education to improve our island.” The company also supports New Hope Maui, which mentors Maui students, and Feed My Sheep, a feeding program for needy residents. “Life is too short not to give back.”
