Apr 23, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Sadie Mossman holds a perfect attendance record at the Hawaii Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Conference presented by Maui Economic Development Board. “MEDB always brings in great resources at the conference and I come away every year learning something,” said Mossman, a 13-year teaching veteran from King Kekaulike High School.
For the fifth consecutive year, the STEM conference is expected to draw hundreds of students statewide to Maui to celebrate STEM learning projects and connect with others who share their interests in science and technology, math and engineering. Experts from innovative companies such as Google and National Geographic provide hands-on STEM lessons and help conference participants apply their STEM skills in competitions. Professional development workshops for teachers are also offered at the conference. A limited number of spots are still open for the first day of the conference – May 2nd from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Wailea Marriott Resort & Spa. Cost is $20 per teacher and includes lunch. The online registration link is: http://stemconference2014.eventbrite.com. Contact Lesley Bristol at bristol@medb.org or call 875-2332.
Mossman, who teaches biology and bio-technology to 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders, said the annual conference has challenged her and her students to approach lessons in science, math and technology in ways they’ve never done. “For me in science, it’s helped me get comfortable with the Internet and the different resources and teaching tools available,” she said.
“It also helps to create a bridge between what my students want to do and what resources are available.” Mossman said she appreciates the opportunity to connect with experts in the science and technology field as well as teaching peers from around the state. “MEDB and the STEM conference really provide an opportunity for teachers to create connections and collaborate,” she said.
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.”
Feb 26, 2014 | Education
Hana High School science and natural resources teacher Paulo Burns says he and many of his students are visual learners, meaning that seeing is believing for them. So, when Burns and his students received 10 computer tablets, a projector, a laptop and a camera with a $5,000 Ke Alahele Education Fund grant, they were able to see what otherwise would be academic abstractions. “Science deals with teaching so many new vocabulary words and concepts that it is like teaching a foreign language,” he said. “If we don’t give our youth every tool at their fingertips to help them understand it, then many will give up easily and not pursue careers in science.”
Burns’ students used the new tablets to study the voyages of crews aboard Hawaiian canoes as they navigated across vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean. “We wanted to provide students with tools of the 21st century to help them succeed in school,” he said. “We wanted to connect with Hawaiian culture through studying the canoe voyages and using modern computer tablets to blog questions to them. We wanted to make a Hawaiian compass at school to show the students that they will never be lost with the education they got at Hana School.” Burns said the tablets were successful in reaching his goals.
Burns said he believes it’s important for the community to support schools in the education of science, technology, engineering and math. “STEM is all around us in the real world, so it is critical that communities support it so that the next generation has the foundation to help solve the problems that we all face today,” Burns said. “We need to create problem-solvers that know how to use modern tools to come up with solutions.” Burns said he appreciates the Maui Economic Development Board and its Ke Alahele Education program. “MEDB was thoughtful to invest in the lives of our youth to help them succeed and create a better future.” The Ke Alahele Education Fund was established to support the growing need for students to gain proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in Maui County.
Feb 12, 2014 | Education
Ellen Federoff
With no regular classroom to call her own, Ellen Federoff said her 12 new computer tablets have helped tremendously in ensuring she can teach in any location on the Kihei Charter School grounds. Federoff purchased the tablets through a grant she received from Maui Economic Development Board’s Ke Alahele Education Fund. “I’m like the nomad. I don’t have a classroom but I really can take any space with my students since we have the technology support,” she said.
Federoff applied for and received a grant to purchase12 Samsung Galaxy computer tablets. “Without them, I would be struggling big time,” she said. Tasked with teaching 130 7th- and 8th-graders about health and physical education, Federoff was using the tablets most recently for a student research project about the nutritional value of energy drinks. “They can’t just Google it. It’s a directed research (project.) I give them up to 12 Web sites to read and research,” she said. Her students enjoy being able to do their school work on computer tablets that also have protective cases. “My students are so tech savvy. They love their tablets, they think they’re cool and they’re very comfortable with using them.”
Kihei Charter Middle School has two computer labs, but it does not have a computer or laptop for every student, according to Federoff. That’s why the Ke Alahele Education Fund grant is helpful in supplementing school equipment and helping a greater number of students access the Internet, and at Kihei Charter, their very own Web sites and electronic portfolios. “Everything today in education, in our school for sure, is technology based,” she said. Aside from her classes, Federoff said she’s working on a check-out system for the tablets so that other teachers and classes can use them. “We’re definitely going to be using these to the fullest,” she said. MEDB established the Ke Alahele Education Fund to support the growing need for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills in Maui County.
Jan 22, 2014 | Education, Innovation
Maui Waena Intermediate School media teacher Jennifer Suzuki shows how hard work and support from the Maui Economic Development Board can make a difference in the education of the island’s young people. After graduating in 1988 from Baldwin High School, Suzuki was hired as a rental car sales representative. She learned that work in sales was not her passion. So, she began looking for a new career, knowing in her heart that “I always liked helping people.”
Suzuki enrolled in college, earning a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Hawaii at Hilo in 1997, followed by a post-baccalaureate education certificate from the University of Hawaii Maui Center. While at the center, she was encouraged by her mentor, Victor Pellegrino, to tutor college students in English. “I just realized I could help people,” she said. She had stints as a teacher for hospitalized, mentally ill students and for those facing family and substance abuse challenges. Eleven years ago, she was hired at Maui Waena where she’s taught 8th-grade Language Arts, and in the last 3-1/2 years taught computer introduction, media and news writing to 6th, 7th and 8th-graders.
Suzuki’s association with MEDB began when she sought to establish a new media lab. She initiated a student newspaper and TV broadcast and built a STEMworks computer lab. “I never want to be considered a teacher of technology,” she said, “more like one who used technology as a way to teach how to communicate and be creative.” Suzuki’s new lab contains a variety of computers, software and cameras with at least half purchased through MEDB and its Women in Technology Project. “MEDB has been phenomenal,” she said. Suzuki and her students have also attended MEDB trainings, and her students have gone on to share their know-how with peers on Lanai and with elementary-aged pupils.
Suzuki’s career exemplifies the Focus Maui Nui value of education and fostering the well-being of young people, enabling them, if they choose, to live on Maui and become valuable, contributing members of the island’s community and good stewards of local treasures.
Jan 8, 2014 | Community, Education
The new year is an opportune time to embrace the potential for shining a light on our community, a business, a nonprofit or individuals who showcase the values of Focus Maui Nui. Our Maui community is a model of innovation, always striving for sustainable island living with the resources available in the middle of the Pacific. These have helped make Maui an incubator for new energy technology and exploration. Focus Maui Nui strengthens our community by featuring the efforts of individuals and groups who strive to foster and respect the spirit of aloha in everything they say and do. We look forward to 2014 by returning to the Focus Maui Nui vision statement devised a decade ago:
Maui Nui will be an innovative model of sustainable island living and a place where every child can grow to reach his or her potential.
The needs of each individual, the needs of our natural and cultural assets, and the needs of the whole community will be brought into balance to reflect the extremely high value we place on both the land and its people.
The education and well-being of young people will be fostered to ensure that those born on these islands can, if they choose, spend their whole lives here – raising children, owning homes, enjoying rewarding jobs, and taking advantage of opportunities to contribute to this community and to be good stewards of our local treasures.
Maui Nui will be a leader in the creation of responsible, self-sufficient communities and environmentally sound economic development.
That which makes Maui Nui unique in the world will be preserved, celebrated, and protected for generations to come.
We invite you to visit us at www.FocusMauiNui.com; call 875-2300, check us out on Facebook or sign up for a RSS feed. We value your input, and we thank you for all you do to make Maui Nui, no ka oi and unique in all the world.
Dec 18, 2013 | Education, Environment, Sustainability
Ka Honua Momona means “abundant Earth,” and a Molokai nonprofit of that name is reawakening the fertile Friendly Isle through the restoration of ancient Hawaiian fishponds on the island’s south shore. “Molokai was once known as the breadbasket of the islands due to the momona (abundance) of the land and sea,” said Kauwila Hanchett, the nonprofit’s executive director. “We believe Molokai can return to momona and become a model of sustainability for others.”
In fact, “sustainability is at the heart of all we do,” Hanchett said. “We are driven by our passion to ensure that the natural and cultural beauty of Molokai remains vibrant and strong for future generations.” Rooted in sustainability, the group is also actively engaged with nurturing young people, she said. “Training young people to become leaders through year-round and summer internships, as well as working with youth of all ages through our environmental education programs is an important part of our strategy to ensure that the resources we care for today continue to be protected in perpetuity,” Hanchett explained.
The nonprofit has 14 staff members and volunteers forming its “core team,” Hanchett said. Local school and community groups also donate more than 10,000 hours of service annually to fishpond restoration. “Together, we are removing invasive species, rebuilding the ancient rock walls surrounding the pond, and restoring the momona of Alii and Kalokoeli fishponds,” she said. The group carries out its work with five core principles: hoewe, or cultural rootedness; kahu hoilina, environmental stewardship; kuka’I ka ha, deep sharing; ka ‘imi ‘ike, lifelong learning; and mahuaola, health and well-being, Hanchett said.
Ka Honua Momona hosts Community Work Days on the third Saturday of each month. For more information, call (808) 553-8353 or visit the nonprofit’s website at www.kahonuamomona.org.
Sidebar quote
“Sustainability is at the heart of all we do.”
Kauwila Hanchett, Ka Honua Momona Executive Director
