Jun 29, 2011 | Education
Maui students compete in the First Lego League VEX competition
Our children today are more sophisticated at younger ages. They are using advanced technology in their classrooms and are setting directions for themselves even before they enter middle school. To keep up with this trend, building skills in STEM needs to begin at an earlier age.
A recent study by an MIT Aerospace Engineering assistant professor, Dr. Annlisa Weigel, reinforces that point. Weigel’s report, “Survey of Aerospace Student Attitudes,” analyzes causes of a shortage of aerospace engineers.
One element stands out: two-thirds of the engineering students reported they became interested in their career choice before they were teenagers. Weigel found 35 % of the students developed an interest in aerospace engineering when they were 5 to 9 years old; 27% at 10 to 13.
Her study focused on aerospace engineers. But her findings on recruiting students validate the significance of programs that introduce students to STEM at an early age, such as the FIRST LEGO League Robotics programs for students beginning in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Half of the 10 Ke Alahele grants awarded to Maui Robotics programs in 2010-11 were to elementary and intermediate school LEGO League teams.
The MEDB Ke Alahele Education Fund is just one of multiple MEDB programs that work to nurture STEM skills in our students. Whether that foundation inspires a student to create the next IPad app for telemedicine, to become the best EV mechanic on Maui, to improve water resources or to grow our own food cost effectively, a STEM education broadens the life-long options for our children.
Fund The Journey
Help to empower Maui County’s youth by joining us for “A Pathway to Our Future” benefit dinner and auction which supports the MEDB Ke Alahele Education Fund.
Held at the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa on Saturday, August 27th, the event will headline Distinguished Educators U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, his wife Ms. Irene Hirano and Mayor Alan Arakawa and his wife Ann. The Reception will begin at 4:30 pm with hand-on activities for guests and a silent auction; followed by dinner and a live auction at 6:30 pm.
Sponsorships are available and event tickets are $150 per person. For reservations or for more information, contact Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. at 808-875-2300 or visit www.medb.org.
Grantees Progress Report
Fund recipients have been working hard on various STEM-related programs. Here’s a look at their progress.
4-H Dirt Devils
The 4-H Dirt Devils scored big during the 60th annual National Land and Range Judging Contest in Oklahoma City. Members tested their individual and team skills against teams from 38 states evaluating land characteristics (topsoil, subsoil slope and plant life). Team member Tyler Yamada was named National Champion in the Homesite Evaluation, Individual category. In Land Judging 4-H competition, the 4-H Dirt Devils team of Ashley Malek, Devin Vinoray, Jared Shimada and Taylor Hori placed fourth. Ashley Malek placed 8th in the individual category.
4th grade class at Kula Elementary
This past semester, students in Mrs. Gordon’s 4th grade class at Kula Elementary learned how to properly care for their new microscopes, and also worked on identifying and comparing animal cells and plant cells, and identifying protozoa: ameba, paramecium, and euglena.
During the 2nd Annual Maui District Arts and Communication Performance Based Assessment on April 28-29 at UH Maui College, 12 Teams from Baldwin High, Hana High, King Kekaulike High, Maui High, Maui Waena Intermediate and Molokai High competed to create an advertising campaign for a program at UHMC. A five student team from Maui High took first place honors. The winning team included Ryan Bartolome, Kaizzer Fernandez, Eli-Ana Dickson, Aaron Lopez and Regina Prudenciano.
Jun 2, 2011 | Education
Fund recipients have been working hard on various STEM-related programs. Here’s a look at their progress.
On March 7-13, Maui Waena Media Club members competed in a national competition in Florida where they created a news show based on the word “obsession.” It was their first year competing and they had only 16 hours to plan, shoot and edit the entire show. View their video on School Tube.
Fun, 2, 3 Preschool in Kula are excitedly counting down the days until the eggs in their new incubator start hatching. The teachers and students are delighted with their new learning tools – books, incubator and printer – which have enhanced their school’s curriculum.
Students at Pomaikai Elementary School continue to grow their “Green Dream” project. The Green Dream outdoor classroom is a garden area at their school which not only helps students propagate plants for Waihe`e, but it is also teaching our budding youth about sustainability through hands-on experiences. Visit the Pomaikai Elementary School website to learn more.
Jun 2, 2011 | Education
For the third consecutive year, the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, will be a Tutor Sponsor for the MEDB Ke Alahele Education Fund benefit dinner and auction.
“Any investment in our keiki will pay dividends for generations to come,” said Matt Bailey, Grand Wailea’s managing director. “In this regard, MEDB leads the charge and works tirelessly to help Maui educators provide our keiki with the skills they will need to lead our community into the future. Grand Wailea is proud to play a small part in this effort.”
Matt Bailey
In addition to serving as venue for the August 27 event, Grand Wailea is also generously offering a special rate for this year’s attendees.
- $169 per night (plus portage, housekeeping + applicable taxes)
- Daily resort charge waived
- Overnight valet parking waived (if used)
- Room rate available between August 24-31, 2011
Call Grand Wailea at 808-875-1234 to make your room reservations. Mention the MEDB event rate and reference “MEDB” when booking your room. Limited number of rooms available. For more information on this year’s MEDB Ke Alahele Education Fund benefit dinner and auction, click here.
Apr 21, 2011 | Education, Stemworks
In Celebration of EARTH DAY and in honor of teachers, students and parents worldwide, download the Clean Energy Hawaii STEM iPad App from iTunes on April 22nd!
Download the app on iTunes ->
Read the Press Release ->
Feb 23, 2011 | Education
Ten things you can do to contribute to Education:
- Read to your child daily.
- Tutor one hour a month at your favorite school.
- Check that homework gets done every day.
- Provide feedback to the Board of Education.
- Start a book sharing program to “recycle” gently used books.
- Adopt an intern at your business.
- Donate supplies to a classroom.
- Show up at school fundraising events.
- Create a school garden.
- Organize a Math Night at your school with other families.
What else can we do to contribute to education? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
Feb 17, 2011 | Education
Joe Apolo President of Maui Pop Warner and Community Volunteer
Improving education is a key community value identified through Focus Maui Nui, and Joe Apolo, President of Maui Pop Warner, takes pride that Pop Warner football is the only national sports organization in America that requires its participants to meet academic standards in the classroom in order to play on the field. “The Pop Warner scholars program gives our players an appreciation of the role that academics, combined with athletics, can play in their lives,” says Apolo. Students have to maintain a 2.0 grade average, or 70 percent, equivalent to a “C” grade or better to be able to play Pop Warner.
“It’s a great incentive, and we always see grades go up as a result,” observes Apolo. “Of course, some of our players excel anyway, and for them, there are national Pop Warner scholarships available—one of our Maui players qualified recently. For many of our kids, following in the footsteps of Kaluka Maiava is their goal, and we can tell our players that good academics can increase the chance of college scholarships.” Maiava attended Baldwin High School and the University of Southern California before joining the Cleveland Browns in 2009.
Apolo has presided over Maui Pop Warner since 1986. “I got involved because I was a volunteer, I’d been coaching for over 20 years — and I didn’t know what I was getting into,” observes Apolo with his trademark dry wit. Anyone that knows how seriously coaches and parents take their football here on the Valley Isle will appreciate that spending 25 years at the helm of Pop Warner is a remarkable achievement. “I really believe in the program, which is why I’m still here,” says Apolo. “We have 23 teams at all levels, with over 500 kids playing football each year. We’re making a big difference for many of Maui’s students—and their families.”
Jan 26, 2011 | Community, Education
If you have ever wondered what might happen if you mix together bright young minds, committed teachers and parents, and energetic community volunteers, then look no further than Molokai. Over the last few years, a transformation has been taking place on the island as teams of students have been winning awards and turning heads with their robotics, science and math accomplishments. One of the catalysts for forging partnerships, bringing funders and volunteers together, and facilitating success is robotics “team mom,” Kimberly Mikami Svetin.
Svetin is a 13-year product of Molokai’s public schools and currently serves as school community council chair for Molokai Middle School. After leaving the island in 1987 to earn her bachelor’s degree from Pomona College, she returned in 2005 to manage her family’s business, Molokai Drugs, and raise her two young sons. She committed herself to sparking community-wide interest in developing the expertise of Molokai students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects, and she has a reputation for bringing people and projects together. Others active in the community, such as Barbara Haliniak, President of the Molokai Chamber of Commerce Foundation, pay tribute to Kimberly’s efforts. “I think we are witnessing a shift of momentum, and now there’s a mindset on the island that our students can go far, and compete not just against the best in the State and on a national level, but globally,” says Haliniak.
Our second-year robotics teams spent ten months preparing for their Maui competition and have distinguished themselves,” said Svetin. Three Molokai robotics teams–the Gleeks, the Kaunakakai Pharmers, and the Forget-Me-Nots–outperformed other Maui County teams to represent the district in the 6th Annual Hawaii First Lego League Championship on December 11th in Honolulu. Enthusiasm for robotics has spread to Molokai High School, which now has a VEX robotics team. Svetin’s latest endeavor is to bring graduate students and instructors from the University of Hawaii-Manoa to mentor 300 students for Molokai Math Day on February 26th.
Dec 17, 2010 | Education
We need your help with securing a major grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Island Innovation Fund. The process is now in the “Collaboration” phase and we need feedback to strengthen our proposal before the final submission.
Please review our proposal at the Island Innovation Fund website and give us your candid feedback by leaving a comment on their site—positive and negative—by noon, Monday December 20.
The Island Innovation Fund is a groundbreaking approach to advancing extraordinary innovations for our community. It is looking for projects that are innovative, ripe, scalable, leveraged, and achievable. It is expected that no more than 8 grants will be awarded.
In our proposed concept, MEDB builds on the Focus Maui Nui community engagement program to create a Civic Engagement System™. This “high tech, high touch” system is centered on the internet and mobile devices, with a phone app that will expand and transform the penetration of Focus Maui Nui.
The Civic Engagement System™ will strengthen and enliven community engagement on issues identified as priorities by the community and will mobilize greater numbers of constituents in policy and decision-making processes. The system extends informed discourse by continuing the Focus Maui Nui practice of making it as convenient as possible for residents to participate.
We look forward to hearing from you by Monday December 20th. If you prefer to call with comments, please contact John Harrisson at 808 270-6806.
Dec 1, 2010 | Education
Iokepa Nae`ole proudly traces his family’s ancestry back to the time of King Kamehameha’s infancy, on the Big Island. Teaching comes naturally to Nae`ole and the vocation has always run in his family. Many know Nae`ole as a canoe paddling coach; he has been an integral part of the statewide success of the Kahului-based Hawaiian Canoe Club and helped guide King Kekaulike High School to a State paddling championship in 2004. He is also an active environmentalist, cultural advocate, and mentor.
Nae`ole’s latest project is the Hawaii Outdoor Experience, a pilot educational initiative funded by the State Office of Youth Services and administered through Neighborhood Place of Wailuku. The program provides up to 80 teenagers with after-school and weekend activities, and “campovers”; parents are invited to go through the program too. Ropes courses offer team building, personal development, trust and leadership skills. Canoe paddling provides a healthy outlet and a metaphor for community life. To function successfully, a canoe crew needs to move in the same direction, contribute to the team while focusing on their specific task, and place trust in the steersman. Long-distance runs and canoe excursions are planned for some weekends.
“We need to educate our young people about traditional values, stewardship, and community life,” says Nae`ole. “The cultural element of the HOE curriculum is about connectedness, developing kinship with the land and ocean. My philosophy revolves around the 3 “E”’s: Experience, exposing youth to real world situations and to the natural world, away from electronics, the mall, and other superficial, material things; Education, especially on environmental and cultural issues; and Empowerment – letting young people know they can to something about their world, whether it’s taking personal action, writing to a County or State official, or attending an event.
“Prevention is an important aspect of the program,” adds Nae`ole. “The young people get so involved and feel so good about their activities, maintaining a positive outlook, they don’t waste their time or have opportunities to get into trouble.”
