Sep 4, 2013 | Education
“STEM career paths are the most lucrative out there.” — Ryan Churchill, MEDB Education Committee Chair
When he’s not hard at work at his job as president of Maui Land & Pineapple Co., Ryan Churchill serves as Education Committee chairman for Maui Economic Development Board. The committee oversees the Ke Alahele Education Fund and approves grants for educational projects in STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Churchill said he’s been involved with Ke Alahele for six years and during that time, more than $750,000 has been granted. “STEM initiatives are making a big difference in our schools,” he said.
Students have been inspired not only to excel in school but also to pursue STEM careers, and that provides Maui County with a skilled workforce for its burgeoning high-technology industry. “STEM career paths are the most lucrative out there,” Churchill said. It’s important to expose students early to the opportunities provided by such careers, he said. Churchill shared he has two children, ages 8 and 10, and they’re about the age when they can start exploring robotics and other science and math-related activities. “If you can start educating them at a young level about the fun of engineering, the fun of science, and then as they get older and pick their career paths or their majors in college I think you can help guide them and then after college you have great opportunities out there,” he said.
The 2013 Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner and Auction at the Grand Wailea Resort exceeded the goal and assured MEDB’s ability to sustain its level of granting. This year’s event featured student STEM project displays, robotics challenges and a tribute to the legacy of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, a staunch MEDB and Ke Alahele supporter. Also, the crowd of more than 600 attending the dinner enjoyed Mayor Alan Arakawa and his wife, Ann, hosting a game show called “Who’s Smarter than a STEM 5th Grader?”
For more information about Ke Alahele, visit medb.org or call 875-2300.
Aug 21, 2013 | Education, Stemworks
Jasmine & Janelle Feliciano
With her eyes set on a future in engineering, 17-year-old Jasmine Feliciano worked on advancing her computer aided design (CAD) skills during a six-week summer internship. Her twin sister, Janelle, completed a separate internship at a radio station where she edited videos and designed graphics. Both said they gained valuable lifelong lessons during the STEMworks™ summer internships coordinated by the Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology project and funded in part by the Universities Space Research Association.
“This internship will help me pursue my future goals because it has already helped me achieve real working experience in the digital media field,” said Janelle, a Maui High School senior who plans to major in either graphics or journalism in college. “It pushes me to work harder because you never know where opportunities such as this internship may take you.” Janelle worked for the Pacific Media Group in Kahului where she was challenged with creating their new Real Estate Maui Now Magazine videos. “I learned that you cannot always have the video the way you pictured it because there will always be changes that need to be made,” she said. Meanwhile, Jasmine worked at Goodfellow Brothers in the Kihei baseyard where she was assigned to work on modeling the Airport Access Road and the Lanai Airport in a CAD format. She said she’s gained a better appreciation for civil engineering and that the internship has peaked her interests in mechanical and electrical engineering.
The twins said they would recommend the internship to other students interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. “I would encourage STEMworks™ student to apply for an internship because they will gain more experience and knowledge in the field they will be working in,” Jasmine said. “More importantly, they will figure out whether they like it and want to pursue it, or try something else.” Internships were also supported by the Maui County Farm Bureau, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, Ardent Management Consulting, Esri, the Institute for Astronomy, Waipoli Farm, Hawaii P-20, and US Department of Labor.
*STEMworks is a project-based course developed and administered by MEDB applying technology tools to service-learning
Aug 14, 2013 | Education
Maui teachers in hands-on video production workshop
Sixteen Maui teachers brushed up on their writing, video shooting and editing skills this summer at a hands-on workshop coordinated by PBS Hawaii, the producers of HIKI NO. Now in its third year, HIKI NO is the first statewide student video news network in the nation. A $5,000 grant from the Maui Economic Development Board Ke Alahele Education Fund helped to pay for the two-day workshop. Maui High School digital media teacher Clint Gima said he found the workshop fun and informative. His students have enjoyed creating pieces for HIKI NO. “They get to show their work to a statewide audience and that’s very attractive to them,” Gima said.
HIKI NO provides Hawaii students in middle and high school an opportunity to create half-hour episodes aired during primetime. The students also get an opportunity to practice their Science Technology Education and Math (STEM) skills in producing video news stories. There are 13 schools on Maui participating in the program. Hana School teacher Ramona Moeai said she learned a lot about video story development during the workshop as teachers worked in teams to shoot, write and edit their own interview-based stories. “Since the beginning of HIKI NO I never understood what shooting a sequence was all about. … By being forced to do it, I finally figure it out for myself.”
Robert Pennybacker, PBS Hawaii
Workshop presenters included PBS Hawaii Learning Initiatives Executive Producer Robert Pennybacker, HIKI NO Online Editor/Associate Producer Lawrence Pacheco and HIKI NO Managing Editor Sue Yim. Pennybacker said the MEDB Ke Alahele grant helped to ensure more individualized training for Maui teachers. “There’s no better way to learn digital storytelling than by actually doing it,” Pennybacker said. The annual Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner and Auction is set for Aug. 24 at the Grand Wailea Resort. For more information, call 875-2300, or visit: medb.org
Aug 7, 2013 | Education
“We want to be ready when the community is ready for a charter school.” — Sommer “Kehau” Kimokeo, Keanae parent
Keanae mom Sommer “Kehau” Kimokeo says she and the nonprofit she founded aren’t giving up on a dream to build a charter school in their remote East Maui community. Ka Waianu o Haloa’s application to open a charter school for children living in East Maui is currently on hold at the state Department of Education, Kimokeo said. “We believe there’s still a need for a charter school,” said Kimokeo, the president and founder of Ka Waianu o Haloa. She’s also the mother of three children, ages 11, 10 and 4.
Ka Waianu o Haloa’s members include parents and grandparents of Keanae and Waialua schoolchildren who endure a one-hour bus ride on the narrow and winding Hana Highway to attend Hana High and Elementary School. The nonprofit’s name refers to the cold water of Haloa, a source that helps the community grow and prosper. Keanae School was officially closed by the state Board of Education the same year Ka Waianu o Haloa formed and entered into a lease agreement to use the campus facilities to run health programs and community activities for all ages. “Our goal ultimately is to open a charter school on the campus,” Kimokeo said. “Right now we’re focusing our energy on educational programs for families.” Kimokeo said there are 24 school-aged children in her community who could attend the charter school if it opened today.
Kimokeo said approximately 1,000 people attended the group’s fundraiser in July on the school grounds. “It was nice. A lot of people showed up and supported us,” she said. With the new school year opening, Kimokeo said she’s preparing to start up another round of educational weekend programs that offer lessons in fishing, coconut palm weaving and kapa making. “We’re still pursuing all the educational aspects of our nonprofit,” she said. For more information, contact Kimokeo at 248-7403; or visit keanaecharterschool.org.
Jul 31, 2013 | Education
“I want Pu`u Kukui Elementary to be known as a school with heart.” — Principal Chad Okamoto
Maui’s newest public elementary school opens Aug. 5 in Wailuku with a staff of 28 teachers ready to work with 550 students in kindergarten through 5th grade. Principal Chad Okamoto, a 20-year veteran of the state Department of Education, has been working on building a staff that will work like a family. “I looked for heart,” Okamoto said in explaining his hiring process. “I wanted people who care about people and want to help people reach their potential.” Faculty experience ranges from a first-year college graduate to an educator with 42 years of teaching experience. “We’ll be focusing on the positive and building on their strengths,” Okamoto said.
Pu`u Kukui Elementary is located on 14 acres mauka of the Ohia Subdivision on property provided by Kehalani Mauka LLC. The campus has eight buildings featuring air-conditioned classrooms, space for special education students, a large dining facility, multiple faculty meeting rooms, administrative offices, a covered basketball court and a playing field that overlooks the central valley. Built to ease overcrowding in Central Maui’s public schools, Pu`u Kukui enrolled 200 students from nearby Wailuku Elementary and approximately 100 students from Pomaika`i Elementary in Kahului. Okamoto decided to adopt a teaching philosophy based on STEAM, which stands for Science and Technology interpreted through Engineering and the Arts all based in Mathematical elements. He and his staff have also been approaching their work based on teachings from Stephen R. Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”
Okamoto said what’s important to him is that students at his school learn the importance of caring for one another. He’s insisted that each classroom incorporate a community service project into its lessons. “I see us as an integral part of the community and I think the kids need to know they need to give back,” Okamoto said. “I want Pu`u Kukui Elementary to be known as a school with heart.”
