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
Nov 20, 2013 | Education, Innovation
A team of Molokai middle schoolers had different takes on what they most enjoyed about competing at the 2013 Maui Nui FIRST Lego League tournament. “It’s just really cool,” said Marianna Campos of the Molokai Wizard of Bots team. Teammate Kaitlin DeRouin said she liked building robots, and Taye Mowat said she wanted to see how other students built their robots. For Lana Domingo, a four-year Lego League veteran and previous winner said: “It’s awesome to win.”
No matter what the reason for competing, Wizard of Bots coach Jenn Whitted said the four girls are engaged and excited about science and math and school in general. “They are career focused. They are college focused,” she said. “They’ve really learned how to carry themselves and how to be confident in who they are and what they do.” Momi Afelin, a Molokai high school sophomore and former champion of robotics competition, served as a mentor to her younger sister, Kai’ina, and her team the Molokai Skywalkers from Kaunakakai Elementary School. “You might not walk away from here being an engineer, but you definitely will gain a lot of skills that you need for the rest of your life,” Afelin said. “I know I learned a lot of skills through robotics,” she added. Kimberly Svetin, President of Molokai Drugs, accompanied her 4th-grade son to his FIRST Lego League contest. “This teaches him stress management. All the kids are learning coping skills, and that’s awesome,” Svetin said.
The Carden Academy Mindreapers surpassed 15 teams to be crowned the overall champions of the 2013 tourney. They will represent Maui at the Dec. 7 state competition on Oahu along with the Seabury Hall Spartanbots and the Fruit Ninjas, an independent team of students. Sponsors of the local competition included Maui Economic Development Board with its Women in Technology and Ke Alahele Education Fund programs, Seabury Hall, Maui Electric Co., Friends of Hawaii Robotics and the Robotics Organizing Committee.
Nov 13, 2013 | Education
Following in the footsteps of her retired drama teacher and mentor Sue Loudon, Linda Carnevale strives to build life skills and create a family atmosphere for students at the Baldwin High School Performing Arts Center. “Most of my life has really been in the drama room and we pride ourselves on being a family here,” said Carnevale, a 1978 Baldwin grad who has been involved in one time or another with nearly every theatre group on Maui. At Baldwin, she leads the state’s only designated performing arts center on island and teaches drama in what was once the school’s auto mechanics workshop.
Prior to coming to Baldwin in 2005, Carnevale directed drama productions for all ages from kindergarteners to adults, in public and private schools and in theatre groups such as Maui Youth Theatre and Maui Community Theater. “Everybody has creativity in them,” Carnevale said she’s learned about potential performers. “They just need to have a safe environment where they can risk and let their imagination fly.” Carnevale said her goal is not to train Broadway stars, but to teach students that they can perform if they work hard at it. “Remember this is education. There are kids who are going to walk into the drama room without the perfect talent but they have the desire and wherewithal.”
Linda Carnevale, Baldwin High School performing arts center coordinator
Carnevale directs the performing arts center with a small budget that allows her to hire a choreographer, master carpenter and music director. Aside from directing the students and ensuring that music royalties are paid, she oversees publicity, programs, props and costumes. She said she relies on families and parents of students to help and grow with their student in drama. “It’s a good opportunity for moms and dads to spend time with their kids and see them shine,” Carnevale said. The drama room, Carnevale said, “is a home away from home.” Students learn to act and sing, build sets and sew their own costumes. “Not only will you learn about the magic of theatre, you will learn about working as an ensemble and about yourself.”
