WASHINGTON, DC (July 27, 2011) -Jonathan Gillentine, an educator at Rev. Benjamin Parker School in Kaneohe, Hawaii is a recipient of the California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence, one of the nation's most prestigious awards for public educators.

Gillentine is one of 35 awardees who will be honored at the NEA Foundation's Salute to Excellence in Education Gala to be held in Washington, DC on February 10, 2012. Known as the Academy Awards of public education, the gala attracts more than 850 of the nation's leaders from public education, philanthropy, and the private sector.

"We give these awards annually to educators to recognize and promote excellence in education and to elevate the profession," said Harriet Sanford, President and CEO of the NEA Foundation. "We are thrilled that California Casualty has joined us in honoring their work to make a difference in the lives of students in classrooms across the country."

In addition, the educator's school will receive a $650 award.

"Educating our youth is so critically important. California Casualty is proud to partner with the NEA Foundation to pause and celebrate excellence in teaching," said Beau Brown, President and CEO of California Casualty.

Gillentine was nominated by the Hawaii State Teachers Association, National Education Association's state affiliate in Hawaii.

From the 35 state awardees, five finalists will be selected to receive a $10,000 cash award. At the conclusion of the Washington, DC gala, one finalist will be named the nation's top educator and receive an additional $25,000.

The NEA Foundation and the National Education Association jointly present the awards with support from NEA Member Benefits, the Horace Mann Companies, California Casualty, and the Pearson Foundation.

The NEA Foundation
The NEA Foundation is an independent, public charity supported by contributions from educators, corporate sponsors, and others. We partner with education unions, districts, and communities to create powerful, sustainable improvements in teaching and learning. Visit www.neafoundation.org for more information.

Maui High School graduates Jimbo Paranada and Marc Paguirigan are the second-place winners of the 2011 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Championship, staged today in Dearborn, Mich.

The Maui students turned in a perfectly repaired Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 Super Cab, that had been rigged with problems, in 62 minutes and 42 seconds, while the first-place Oregon team turned in its also-perfectly repaired truck in 58 minutes and six seconds.

Nevertheless Paranada and Paguirigan won thousands of dollars in scholarships from five institutions at which they can continue their automotive education.

Paranada and Paguirigan won the right to represent Hawaii in the national competition by taking the state championship while students at Maui High School.

COURTESY MAILE BELLOSI / KEAAU ELEMENTARY
Fifth-graders at Keaau Elementary School have logged an incredible amount of mileage running this year through a free program called Mighty Milers sponsored by New York Road Runners.

Maile Bellosi, a fifth-grade teacher at a small, rural Hawaii County elementary school, has ignited a wildfire of interest in running, with hundreds of students now logging miles with her.

The results are noticeable - not just physically, but academically and socially.

"They love to run, don't need much equipment, and most of our students now are running barefoot or in socks or rubber slippers," said Bellosi, 35, a teacher at Keaau Elementary School.

This school year, 200 Keaau students ran or walked a combined 12,000 miles.

Of those, 130 were fifth-graders who logged 10,000 miles.

Albert Zuniga, 10, is tops in his class, running 110 miles this year, averaging three to four miles each Wednesday.

"It makes me feel energized," he said. "It makes me feel good inside. I feel fit and not like overweight."

He's gotten faster, he says, and has noticed his "calves are getting more muscles" and his feet are stronger.

Like many Hawaii public elementary schools, Keaau has no physical education teacher, because schools can choose how to allocate resources, and the Department of Education has no set standard for instructional time for PE.

So three years ago Bellosi got 18 of her students to run 1,000 miles.

She hooked up with Mighty Milers, a national youth running program based in New York that serves children of all fitness levels from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in underserved communities. The organization keeps an online database where the children's miles are logged and provides rewards: Students receive a medal each time they reach 26 miles, equivalent to a marathon. Mighty Milers also donated PE equipment, 50 schoolbooks and 200 T-shirts to Keaau.

Now every Wednesday, Keaau's whole fifth grade runs during the last 30- to 45-minute period. Every sixth day, students get 100 minutes of PE and use it to run.

And Bellosi has signed up 500 Keaau students from grades 1 to 5 and a special-education class for next school year. Six other teachers will also participate, including a 60-year-old who walks in high heels.

"Some people run for health, some people run for medals," said Albert, who said he would like to get his friends to take part.

"I want them to get more energized and fit," he said.

Koren Ketano, 10, notices that after running and a short morning calisthenics program called Brain Gym, "I'm more awake and not asleep." He said he'll try out for track when he moves up to middle school this fall.

Running is his favorite activity, which helps with his soccer game.

"I'm going faster and getting the ball better," he said.

Kaylee Marques, 11, has logged 64 miles with friends and has gotten stronger and better at school.

"It was really fun," said the fifth-grader.

Makana Cruz, 10, said running 70-plus miles this school year has helped him loose weight and gain endurance. Now, when playing basketball or football, he said, "I'm able to run faster than most of the others."

Cruz said his math grades have gone up since last year, when they were average.

He's not alone.

Keaau's fifth-graders have the highest test scores in math and reading within the school. In a single year their reading test scores jumped to 71 percent proficiency from 55 percent, and math scores climbed to 68 percent proficiency from 58 percent.

"For any child, give them a chance to get into moderate to vigorous exercise mode for 10 to 15 minutes, then they sit down and they will concentrate," said Donna Ede, DOE acting educational specialist for health and PE. "They will focus. If they're antsy, that's how they will remain."

Ede said Dr. John Ratey of Harvard Medical School, an expert in exercise and the brain, spoke a few years ago at a Hawaii conference of "compelling studies that tell us that exercise does wonderful things to chemicals that increase brainpower and learning."

Bellosi, who was one of 10 children in a Kailua, Oahu, running family dubbed the "Motley Crew," tries to motivate by example, as did her parents, making it fun by running with the kids and dropping comments like "old lady coming through" as she weaves through the pack. There is no pressure nor drill sergeant tactics.

She points out that running doesn't require great skill or agility, and some prefer to walk and talk.

Bellosi said students more involved in sports and clubs are not only healthier, but also less likely to be influenced by negative things.

At Keaau, 75 percent of students are at the poverty level, predominantly from immigrant Filipino and Micronesian families. Many can't afford running shoes.

Because they have modest means, the students often have poor diets, with little fresh fruit and vegetables, Bellosi said.

"They have very little control over their circumstances and their lives, so we give them an opportunity to do something to make good choices."

A variety of programs is helping public school students. They include Kahoomiki, an after-school program

A new mural at Konawaena High School inspires all who pass by to commit to going green for the sake of our aina. The mural was dedicated in an Earth Day ceremony co-hosted by the school's Go Green Club.

The mural, entitled, Malama mai uka a ke kai, Take Care from the Upland to the Sea, commemorates sustainability practices. It was planned by Class of 2010 student Danielle Stover for her senior project in collaboration with Konawaena graphic arts classes of teacher and artist, Michelle Obregon.

The mural dedication ceremony featured community contributors: chant and hula performances by Kumu Kaehuaea's Hawaiian Classes, speeches by the Student Government, and Go Green officers dedicating the mural to the passing of the school's long-time supporter, Karen Heinecke. The Go Green Club also promoted the school's annual Earth Hour, where classrooms are encouraged to turn-off their lights during the brightest time of the day, 12:00 Noon to 1:00 p.m. Classes were also encouraged to unplug "phantom devices" such as VCR and DVD players, microwave ovens and coffee makers, computers, digital monitors, printers, and devices with a stand-by light or clock. Mahalo Konawaena students for setting an example for us all!

What happens when a strong principal, involved parents and motivated teachers come together?

Moanalua High School is a good example. The school has been selected as one of 15 model high schools for 2011 by the International Center for Leadership in Education, an educational advocacy and consulting company. The schools will share their best practices at the 19th annual Model Schools Conference this June in Nashville. The conference attracts thousands of educators and is widely considered the nation's leading education reform event.

It's not the first time Moanalua has grabbed the spotlight in recent years.

"We've had so many national and state awards this year that it would take me half an hour to go through all of them," Principal Darrel Galera said at a May 10 school community council meeting. He wasn't bragging - he merely meant it as a compliment to his students.

Moanalua faculty, students and parents say the secrets to their success are a strong principal, an unusually collaborative culture, a focus on constant professional development and an outside-the-box approach to the classroom.

Collaboration Is Key

Everyone seems to want to credit someone else for the school's success.

The teachers attribute it to Galera's visionary leadership. Galera attributes it to a collaborative faculty and involved parents. The students say it's the personal attention they get from their teachers and a wealth of extracurricular opportunities.

"I think it's a collaboration that started with the principal," said Chris Eng, a parent who still serves on the school community council even though his children have already graduated. "He had a vision for what this school could be, and everyone has caught that vision. It's been an exciting time."

"I'm a (geographic exception) parent, so I asked for my kids to come here," said Julie Fujiwara, a mom from Kaneohe. "All of the programs here are exemplary, and I was just impressed with everything - the academics, the commitment, the support, and the fact that they are always looking for ways to improve."

Committed to Improving People

The school's dedication to continuous improvement is driven by Galera, said Wray Jose, a U.S. history and government teacher. One thing Galera does well is provide the tools, resources and support that teachers need in order to develop professionally.

"A good leader helps, and Darrel Galera is great at that," said Jose.

Moanalua ramped up its focus on professional development in 2001. Galera actively sought educational speakers and conferences for his teachers. He assembled a dedicated professional development team that began walking teachers through new strategies. That year Galera also began requiring his faculty to share their best new methods in writing and in digital presentations at an annual conference for fellow educators from around the state.

"Incentives like that force you to get involved, to be more hands-on and pay closer attention to what you're doing in the classroom," said Jose.

For the last 10 years, the Moanalua High School Professional Development Conference has driven improvements at Moanalua and all over the state. It has been called by at least one Nanakuli teacher, "Hawaii's best professional development opportunity for teachers all year, period."

Not Afraid of 'Stretch Learning'

The school's video presentation for the Model Schools Conference features a high-energy campus bustling with activities from academic competitions to athletic events and orchestra concerts.

Senior Anna Pidong said that the extracurricular activities provided her with opportunities to take learning to the next level - what she calls 'stretch learning.' She has used her involvement on the mock trial and robotics teams to synthesize concepts from her classes.

"Especially in mock trial, you are really applying what you learn and bringing it all together," she said.

But that synthesis - the part of school that makes learning relevant to students - isn't limited to extracurricular activities. It pervades Moanalua's classrooms, too. Although the high school consistently does well on annual assessments, they are never the focus.

"In our classes, you don't do just book work, but you're doing all these activities and applying your unique experiences to what you learn," Pidong explained. "The teachers develop quality relationships with us and teach for a bunch of different learning styles."

Embracing Data and Technology

A model school doesn't become a model school overnight, but two new initiatives this year may have helped give Moanalua a boost in the Model Schools competition: Data teams and a 21st-Century technology team.

Data teams review data derived from student scores on common course assessments. They use the information to identify strengths and weaknesses, and then develop strategies for addressing students' needs, said Jose.

The 21st-Century technology team is a group of faculty members who wanted to integrate technology into the teaching and learning experience, said Melissa Goo, a science teacher and chairwoman of the school community council.

As a result of the team's efforts, the school has 30 Promethean interactive whiteboards on campus and has fully implemented an online grade book that students and their parents can access anytime. The school also upgraded its online Blackboard system so it's more interactive.

"In doing that, we're really taking the classroom outside of the classroom," Goo said - a consistent theme at Moanalua.

Even though they may never be able to narrow down which people and programs should get the credit for it, almost all the school's stakeholders agree on one thing: Moanalua is one of the premier high schools in Hawaii and the nation.

"Wow, this is one terrific school," said Eng.

HILO -- The Honokaa High School Jazz Band, long a source of Hamakua civic pride, will soon have another award in its trophy case -- the 2011 Grammy Signature Schools Enterprise Award.

The award carries a $5,500 grant from the Grammy Foundation. Honokaa High is one of only 36 Signature Schools nationwide.

"The Grammy Signature Schools program exemplifies the Grammy Foundation's commitment to fostering excellence in music education in public high schools," Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation, said in a written statement.

Gary Washburn, Honokaa High music teacher and bandleader, called the award "the biggest recognition that we've attracted." That's saying a lot. Last year, the school's music program was recognized by the National Association of Music Merchants and the jazz band was featured on National Public Radio's "From the Top" program. And this year, Washburn received the Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction Award from the National Society of High School Scholars.

The Enterprise Award will be presented to Washburn and the 34-member band at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Honokaa People's Theatre, preceding the Honokaa High School Ensembles Talent Show at 7 p.m. Admission to the show is $5 adults, $3 students.

"This band this year is just dynamite. I have so many key players who are really into it. This year is overall, my best band," Washburn said.

In April, the band played a series of shows on Oahu for National Jazz Month billed their "Big City Tour." One of those concerts was opening for the Royal Hawaiian Band at the Iolani Palace Bandstand.

Washburn, a former staff arranger for Motown Records in Los Angeles, said that when he started teaching music in Honokaa more than three decades ago, the kids weren't interested in the traditional high school marching band.

"I sparked on the idea that I should educate these kids so they can use what they take away in music from this school to gain partial or full-time employment in the music industry here -- playing music in the hotels, working for a production company that provides P.A. systems, making their own CDs," he said. "I really geared it towards how the business works and how they can use playing an instrument to make money. And you can't do that with a marching band."

Washburn also teaches ensembles classes, where the students form groups and play the types of music they enjoy, whether it be reggae, rock, rhythm-and-blues or country.

"I would teach them the kind of music they were listening to and that they wanted to play. And then, after they saw that I was open to that, I started introducing things that were cool and educational, and jazz is my background," Washburn said.

Honokaa's program has launched a number of music careers. Ryan Hiraoka and Kamakoa Asing are Na Hoku Hanohano award winners. Former jazz band vocalist Kiani Ventura-Tampos has been nominated this year for two awards -- Female Vocalist of the Year and Reggae Album of the year -- for her album "Kiani." Maelan Abran, RJ Kaneao and Mark Saito are also on the short list of professional musicians who developed their chops in Washburn's program.

Jacy Anderson, a 17-year-old junior, plays lead alto sax in the jazz band, but is also lead guitarist in the reggae band Nonami and the rock band Evolution. He's also jammed onstage with The Durgas, an international rock band. Anderson, who's completing a master's certificate in guitar from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, calls Washburn "an inspiration."

"He motivates kids to want to go out and do something with their lives, whether it's music or just being a better person in general," Anderson said. "He's the friend that's always got your back."

With 33 years of service at Honokaa, Washburn could retire at any time -- but doesn't plan on doing so anytime soon.

jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com

Members of the Lanai High and Elementary School (LHES) HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) members and FCCLA (Family, Career & Community Leaders of America) competed for medals and places on teams traveling to the national leadership conference during the 2011 Hawaii State CTSO (Career & Technical Student Organization) Conference. The State Conference was held at the Hawaii Convention Center.

This is the 6th year that LHES Health Services Program and the 5th year that LHES HOSA members have competed at the State Conference. Lanai has always been competitive. Last year, six out of seven participating Lanai students received medals and were eligible for nationals. This year, there was special reason to celebrate when all ten of the Lanai members competed at this year's conference and all ten members won.

1st Place: Kristi Caberto & Mark Corre
Community Awareness Project on exercise titled Heart of a Champion

1st Place: Belinda Locquiao
Clinical Specialty - Pediatrician Project

2nd Place: Anne Mariesse Butay, Nishae Niimi, and Dianne Rendon
Health Education Project on stress titled Time Out

2nd Place: Micah Calilao, Victoria Joy Calilao, and Ann Jillian Fernandez
Public Service announcement on sun protection titled Take Cover!

3rd Place: Ashley Caberto ,br> Clinical Specialty - Pediatrician Project.

This is the 9th year that FCCLA Lanai has competed in the State Convention. This year all four members received silver medals:

Adrienne (Chris) Gaoat, Bronson Fernandez, and Mahealani Ohashi earned Silver Medals in the Culinary Arts. They had one hour to prepare and present the following menu: Papaya & Blueberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing, Chicken Scampi, and Lemon Basil Pasta.

Royalene (Mele) Fernandez earned a Silver Medal with her Focus on Children Project focusing on the difficulties of physical handicap. She conducted six workshops with upper elementary students that focused on the reasons a person might be handicapped and the challenges the person might have.

"I am so proud of all the students. Our students are awesome and our community is awesome. This year Lanai HOSA set a state record. All ten members competed at convention and all ten members placed in an event. Over the six years that HOSA has been in Hawaii, no other school can claim such a record. A large part of our HOSA success is due to partnerships with Lanai Health Care Providers. Mahalo for welcoming the students into your facilities and mentoring them. They learn so much. We thank you for all your help in making us successful."   Sandra Wigger, teacher.

HOSA travels to Anaheim, California June 20-26 for the 2011 HOSA National Leadership Conference.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110430_Waialua_Highs_robotics_team_wins_honor.html

By Star-Advertiser staff
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 30, 2011

Competing among the world's top 352 robotics teams at the FIRST Robotics World Championships, Waialua High School's robotics team was awarded the program's most prestigious prize, the Chairman's Award.

It didn't take Waialua High School's Robotics Team long to distinguish itself among the 352 international high school teams competing in this weekend's FIRST Robotics World Championships in St. Louis. On the first of two days of divisional competition, the so-called "Hawaiian Kids" were named the winner of the Chairman's Award, which recognizes individual programs' contribution to robotics through community involvement, service to other robotics programs and overall excellence. Waialua was one of 48 regional chairman's award winners competing for the prize.

"The award recognized Waialua for being an outstanding model and exemplar for other teams to emulate," said Corrie Heck, chief coordinator of the Robotics Organizing Committee-Hawaii. "They are what other robotics programs hope to be like."

The award was announced during a private concert by the Black Eyed Peas.

Waialua is one of six high school teams - along with McKinley, Waiakea, Waianae, Sacred Hearts Academy and Kealakehe - representing Hawaii at the championships. The overall field totals more than 11,000 students on 352 teams representing 29 countries.

Maggie Desmond

Maggie Desmond has high hopes for the ninth-graders she teaches at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School. "By the time they're seniors, they're going to be rock stars. They're going to be ready for anything," she said. The 24-year-old Desmond is one of eight teachers who, along with an administrator and counselor, took a leap of faith this year by volunteering to implement the New Tech High model for Nanakuli's freshmen class "We've really attempted to make some big changes," said Desmond. "We've really attempted to make some big changes," said Desmond.

Maggie Desmond team-teaches Global Studies at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School, where she helped implement the New Tech High for the freshmen class.

Those differences range from requiring uniforms to assigning every student a laptop to integrating classes to even extending instruction time by about seven hours a week. Even with longer school days, the students come in during their lunch recess and remain after school to work on their laptops, which are kept at the school. And, Desmond said, at least 30 of the 155 freshmen come in every time the teachers open their classrooms on Saturdays.

She said the New Tech students are held to a higher standard and have proven themselves capable of rising to the challenge. She has seen them become more engaged and confident over the past several months - even those who began the school year not knowing how to type or save a document.

Detailed feedback lets students know where their strengths and weaknesses lie. Although they still get the traditional A-F grades, percentage scores on specific competencies give them a better understanding of their performance.

The New Tech school model, which has also been introduced at Waianae High School, is centered on project-based learning. Academic standards are taught through assignments based on real-life scenarios. The projects are made more relevant through integrated classes that combine different subjects - digital art and math, for instance, or English and social studies in the global studies class which Desmond team-teaches with Kim Coleman.

In addition to learning the academic content required of all public schools students, Nanakuli students are picking up other skills that will serve them throughout their lives: work ethic, written and oral communication, collaboration, content literacy, civic responsibility and community engagement.

Each project starts with a stated purpose and every student group comes up with its own binding contract which spells out what each member is responsible for in order to remain part of the group, Desmond explained. By identifying what they already know and what they still need to learn, students become active participants in developing their work plan.

Nanakuli-Waianae Complex Area Superintendent Lisa DeLong describes the New Tech schools as the centerpiece of efforts in the Leeward Coast Innovation Zone.

DeLong oversees one of two "zones of school innovation" in Hawaii: The other is on the Big Island, where targeted support is being used to close persistent achievement gaps throughout the zone. "While all of our schools have made improvements on the statewide assessment over the years, we still have significant numbers of students who are performing below grade-level in reading and math, and we need to change those outcomes," she said.

New Tech schools are one of several initiatives aimed at raising student achievement throughout the zone, from preschool learners through post-secondary students. These plans, which have inspired several partnerships, are aligned with the DOE's overall goal of ensuring that all public school graduates are ready to move into college and careers. In the Leeward Innovation Zone, community and college leaders are working with area high schools to develop projects that address relevant problems and focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects and sustainability themes.

"[By offering] New Tech projects that require students to solve real world problems while working collaboratively with others and thinking critically, we're preparing Hawaii's future workforce, and students will be prepared to work and serve in a global community," DeLong said.

Further collaboration with the University of Hawaii-Manoa will result in New Tech students earning six college credits before they even graduate from high school, she added.

Desmond, who serves on Nanakuli's Race to the Top workgroup, said there has been some anxiety at the school as the staff waits to hear more about the anticipated changes in the DOE's comprehensive reform strategy. Several plans still need to be fine-tuned through collective bargaining - such as extending instruction time and developing performance-based evaluations for teachers and principals.

Additionally, Desmond believes teachers and administrators should be involved in the reform initiatives in a way that presents opportunities for collaboration and engagement.

With performance-based assessments on the horizon, schools should be careful that they not pit teachers against each other, but rather that they use collaboration and teamwork so that no teacher is left feeling that if they fail, it's because of what they did, Desmond said.

The responsibility for a school's success or failure should be shared by all teachers, rather than falling on the shoulders of only those who teach the tested subjects - English language arts, math and science - said Desmond, who teaches social studies.

Starting the New Tech High hasn't been easy, but Desmond believes that all teachers want the best for their students and recognize that they need to do more.

"The kids deserve it," she said. "They deserve the best. The state needs it and the country needs it. They're capable and worthy of the challenge."

Penny Martin Given Friend of Youth Award
Community Contributed

View article here »

By Ric Ornellas

The Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) recognized Penny Martin’s 25-plus years of volunteer teaching to Molokai students by awarding her with the Friend of Youth Award 2011 at their yearly convention on April 2 at the Sheraton Waikiki. This prestigious award, given annually since the 1980s from teachers state-wide, acknowledges a non-teacher who demonstrates excellence to teaching and learning within their local community. In her acceptance speech before 411 teacher delegates, Penny said, “I am surrounded by wonderful teachers on Molokai and I receive so much support from our community. If your teachers here are a reflection of our teachers on Molokai, then the children of Hawaii are very lucky.” She is the first Molokai community leader to receive this award.

Jenifer Tsugi, Award Committee chairwoman, presented Penny with a kamani bowl and engraved plaque. Prior to Penny’s award, she gave Gov. Abercrombie a lei on behalf of Molokai before his keynote speech to HSTA delegates. Penny’s two sons, Kealiiaukai “Magic” and Conrad Martin also attended the award ceremony honoring their mother.

Penny Martin (middle holding box) is the first community leader from Molokai to receive the HSTA Friend of Youth Award.

Penny’s efforts to help youth are familiar to Molokai residents who see her trucking from school to school, east end to west end, sharing her mana`o with young leaders of the future. While Penny’s primary work is for the AIDS Foundation, her volunteer work is without compensation and is grant funded through Papahana Kuaola. She visits all four public elementary schools, along with private Aka`ula School, providing keiki with engaging lessons and activities on Native Hawaiian culture. She coordinates with myriad teachers trying to infuse students’ lives with an awareness of Hawaiian values and traditional care for the environment. Penny sees the youth as Molokai’s future caretakers.

She attends class field trips voluntarily assisting students and teachers in their work with Hookuleana O Molokai, the Maui Digital Bus, the Alaka`ina Foundation and the Aloha Aina curriculum. Penny was a founding member of the Earth Day committee on Molokai and for years has spent countless hours in planning, organizing, and setting up booths.

Penny has assisted with science fairs at Kilohana Elementary School, and was the keynote speaker there (again without pay) when the then-fourth grade teacher was awarded Teacher of the Year, in large part, because of the science-based environmental projects they developed together. One of those students has followed directly in Penny’s footsteps, and now, as a young adult, works with teachers implementing their curriculum.

Last year, Penny Martin volunteered at Aka`ula School for their annual PRISM (Proving Resolutions with Integrity for a Sustainable Molokai) conference. As keynote speaker, she urged students and parents to take care of the aina, suggested ways for families to focus on environmental issues and promoted sustainable practices with youth.

Post date 04/08/11

Palolo Elementary a model for improvement

Honolulu Star-Advertiser Article here »

By Mary Vorsino
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 28, 2011

On a cluttered bulletin board in her office, Palolo Elementary Principal Ruth Sil­ber­stein keeps track of the prog­ress of her school.

There are line graphs, bar charts, memos and awards.

But one piece of paper kept way up on top tells all you really need to know:?It shows the big rise in test scores of her students over the last seven years.

Palolo Elementary School was once in the bottom 10 percent of Hawaii schools for test scores. In 2003, on a state math assessment no longer used, only 3 percent of Palolo students tested as proficient.

Today Palolo is a model for campuses seeking to take a leap forward.

The school, with 270 students, is situated near the Palolo Valley Homes public housing proj­ect; many of its students live there. About 85 percent of Palolo Elementary's students are on free and reduced-cost lunch, an indicator of poverty.

Silberstein said her school's dem­o­graph­ics have created challenges.

But Palolo has been able to overcome them through teacher training and intervention programs to help struggling students.

Over the last four years, the school has seen student proficiency rise by double-digit percentage points. Last school year, 57 percent of students were proficient in reading, up from 38 percent in 2007. About 58 percent of students were proficient in math, from 41 percent in 2007.

Silberstein, who became principal of Palolo in 2001, attributes the growth to a total shift in attitude at the school: Everybody agreed something needed to be done, and everybody agreed to help do it.

Silberstein said she's changed, too. Today she's much more involved than ever in the day-to-day education of students.

She wants to know where students aren't doing well and where they're excelling. She wants her teachers always striving to improve, and she wants to continue getting better.

That attitude of constant improvement spurred the school to take on a big reinvention this year. The entire campus has adopted a science- and tech-heavy curriculum, where students learn all subjects (reading, math, social studies and, of course, science) through hands-on proj­ects.

At the school on a recent drizzly morning, fourth-graders were explaining their aquaponic garden and proudly showing off the lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries they'd grown. Third-graders were detailing how they used vermiculture that's worm composting to fertilize a school vegetable garden.

In fifth grade, students are building underwater robots with cameras. They plan to take them to the Ala Wai Canal to measure pollution in the water.

Silberstein said the science curriculum was drawn up by teachers, who saw it as an opportunity to give students hands-on proj­ects and get them more excited about learning.

Students have given the curriculum good reviews, she said, and many stay regularly after school to tend to gardens or help out with big proj­ects.

Second-grade teacher Naomi Kamau­oha has been at Palolo Elementary for 12 years, and said she's delighted with how students have responded to the new science emphasis. Her kids have been charged with taking care of a traditional compost pile.

She said her students are taking home words like sustainability and teaching them to their parents.

"It's really challenged us to look beyond the book."

6 isle students score big wins in science fair
Hilo's Nolan Kamitaki gets a first-place award in leading a neighbor island contingent

Six students from around the state were prize winners at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, Calif. State winners shown are Hannah Rojeski, left, Megan Kurohara, Nolan Kamitaki and Mali'o Kodis. Missing are Michael Flynn and Taylor Nakamura.

By Helen Altonn
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 19, 2010

Honolulu Star-Bulletin article here »

Six neighbor island high school students were Hawaii's big winners at the recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, Calif.

Twenty-three public and private school students from across the state, including 19 girls, were among 1,500 competing in the prestigious worldwide event.

Taking top honors was Waiakea High School senior Nolan Kamitaki of Hilo, who won the first-place grand award of $3,000 and best of category for $5,000, plus $1,000 for his school. He also won $1,000 from the American Statistical Association.

His senior project was titled "Gene Dosage and Expression in Human Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines."

The second-place grand team award of $1,500 will be shared by Hannah Rojeski and Megan Kurohara, Hilo High School juniors, for their project, "A New Spin on Green Energy: Increasing Hydrogen Evolution in a Spirulina Derived Photobiological System."

The first- and second-place winners also received "naming rights" to minor planets through a program sponsored by the Ceres Connection at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory.

Mali'o Kodis, a Waiakea High School senior, won a fourth-place grand award of $500 for her project, "Diversity of Foliar Fungal Endophytes in Wild and Cultured Metrosideros Polymorpha Inferred from Environmental PCR and Its Sequence Data." A fourth-place grand team award of $500 went to Maui High School juniors Michael Flynn and Taylor Nakamura for their project, "Muon Detection at Elevation."

Flynn won an expenses-paid trip to the European Center for Nuclear Research either in Switzerland or France. Nakamura did not apply for it because he had accepted a summer internship in engineering at the University of Hawaii.

"It was wonderful to see excellence in so many fields," said Hawaii Academy of Science President Gareth Wynn-Williams, adding that the science students have "some terrific teachers."

Kamitaki has won top awards for six years at the state Science and Engineering Fair, as well as previous awards in the Intel competition. He and Caitlin E. Mori of Sacred Hearts Academy High School were selected as 2010 U.S. Presidential Scholars. They will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington next month.

The Big Island youth also was one of two Hawaii seniors recognized with Siemens Awards for Advance Placement as top achievers in math and science. Andie Mitsuda of Punahou School was the other one.

Kamitaki attributed his educational and personal growth to the state science fair in remarks recently in the governor's office.

"It's a terrific bunch of kids," Wynn-Williams said of the young Hawaii scientists. "It was very moving to see them all jumping up and down cheering when one of them won a prize. They all sang 'Hawai'i Pono'i,' and Mali'o Kodis led them in a chant."

Hilo High's water robots win
Honolulu Advertiser article here »
Posted on: Wednesday, May 19, 2010

A team from Hilo High School took top honors at the Big Island Regional Remotely Operated Vehicles competition Saturday at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo.

Waialua robotics team wins again
Honolulu Advertiser article here »

Advertiser Staff

The Waialua High School robotics team - known as "the Hawaiian Kids" - have won their second national regional competition in two weeks.

The Waialua students led a three-team alliance with teams from California and Arizona to win the 2010 Arizona Regional FIRST Competition at Arizona Veterans Coliseum in Phoenix.

Fifty-six teams from the U.S. and Mexico competed in the event.

The Waialua team was also recognized with the Chairman's Award, honoring the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of the competition, as well as the Entrepreneurship and Cooperation Awards.

Last weekend, Waialua took top honors at the 2010 San Diego FIRST Regional Competition.

In two weeks Waialua will join 23 other Hawai'i robotics teams and four others from Alaska and the Mainland at the third annual FIRST in Hawai'i Regional Robotics Competition at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Kea'au High wins state LifeSmarts title for 4th year in a row
Advertiser Staff

For the fourth year in a row, Kea'au High School won the state title for the sixth annual LifeSmarts consumer education competition, which was held Saturday at the State Capitol Auditorium.

The game-show style competition tested students on their knowledge of personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities.

The members of the winning team, Keaau Mixed Plate, are: Ricky William Tabandera, Jak Murasaki, Riana Brown, Mark Seu, and Chloe Frizelle. The team was coached by Kathlynn Tabandera and David Lee.

The team qualifies to represent Hawai'i at the national competition in Miami Beach, Florida, April 24 - 27.

LifeSmarts is brought to Hawai'i by the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and is run by the National Consumers League. Local partners include the Better Business Bureau Foundation, the Hawai'i Credit Union League and the State Department of Education.

Congratulations to Hawaii’s new National Board Certified Teachers

40 Hawaii teachers are joining the ranks of National Board Certified Teachers. Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment, and peer review.

An "extraordinary group," is how U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan referred to this year’s class of National Board Certified Teachers. He said teachers who achieved National Board Certification have "demonstrated a commitment to taking their teaching practice and the teaching profession to a different level."

The process for becoming board certified normally takes one to three years to complete. It requires at least 400 hours of preparation. Candidates submit a portfolio of four entries—two require video tapes of the candidate teaching, one requires student work samples, and the last one requires documentation of the professional accomplishments that impacted student learning. In addition, each teacher candidate must complete six exercises at an assessment center to assess the depth and breadth of a teacher’s knowledge of subject matter taught.

Hawaii is one of 15 states in the nation with at least a 20% increase in the total number of National Board Certified Teachers.

View Hawaii's National Board Teachers here»  (pdf document)

Two Hawaii teachers among group honored by Obama at White House
By Star-Bulletin staff and the Associated Press
POSTED: 12:07 p.m. HST, Jan 06, 2010

Read article here»

Two Hawaii teachers were among more than 100 educators recognized by President Barack Obama at the White House today for their dedication to mathematics and science.

Liane Tanigawa of Aiea and Seanyelle Yagi of Honolulu received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

"This award reaffirms my educational beliefs that learning should be engaging and meaningful. It also encourages me to continue sharing my love of teaching science with others," said Tanigawa, a mathematics and science coach at Pearl Ridge Elementary School, in a written statement.

Yagi, a sixth-grade mathematics teacher at Kalakaua Middle School, said, "The award represents what is possible when you push yourself to give students opportunities for individual growth and accomplishment."

"I believe so strongly in the work that you do," Obama said at a ceremony in the White House East Room. "And as I mentioned to some of you, because I've got two girls upstairs with math tests coming up, I figure that a little extra help from the best of the best couldn't hurt.

"So you're going to have assignments after this," he said. The audience laughed. "These awards were not free," he added.

Obama said teacher quality is the most important single factor that influences whether students succeed or fail in the "STEM" fields of science, technology, engineering and math. But, he said, U.S. students trail their peers around the world.

He said a substantial shortage of teachers in these subject areas will deepen unless steps are taken to reverse the trend, and that doing so requires outside help because the federal government cannot do it alone.

"Make no mistake: Our future is on the line," he said. "The nation that out-educates us today is going to out-compete us tomorrow."

Obama, who has included students in several science events at the White House, said he would do his part, too. Planning is under way for a White House science fair to honor student winners of national science and technology competitions, he said.

Kapolei High School: Consumers buy, schools gain
By Pat Gee
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 12, 2009

Kapolei High School could get an extra $15,000 to $30,000 in the next school year just by having students and supporters go shopping.

That's why Principal Al Nagasako was the first to sign up his school for a new program, called Learning Point Rewards, which allows his students and their families to get back a percentage of their everyday spending to help their school.

"It's a win-win situation," said Nagasako, who plans to spend the extra money for technology upgrades for about 2,200 students.

"It gives us the opportunity to patronize the vendors who are always helping us -- their outreach has just been fabulous. It's not just (our) getting the money; it's giving back, sustaining the community," he said.

The program is a year-round "perpetual fundraiser" that closes a funding gap at a time of deep cuts in school budgets, and benefits local retailers during the economic downturn, said Chris McMahon, spokesman of Learning Point.

Hawaii is the third state to use the program since it was developed last year by Utah-based CreditBack Inc., he said.

More than 240 local merchants -- like Pizza Hut, Times Super Markets and McCully Bike and Sporting Goods -- will participate in the program with the approval of the state Department of Education, he said.

Depending on the merchant, an average of 1 percent of purchases will be donated to the school, added McMahon, who is former director of sales and membership programs for Oahu Publications Inc., publisher of the Star-Bulletin and MidWeek.

All but 12 of Oahu's nearly 200 public schools are participating. Free membership cards have been distributed, and the program will start when school does in late July, he said. Students are allowed to enroll as many family members as they wish.

Parents, relatives and any supporters can go online to register at www.learningpointrewards.com and designate the school of choice. Also, the student (or card holder) can earn points toward an online catalog of about 1,000 popular online merchants, he said. The points can be passed on to family members, and the reward items are shipped free to Hawaii.

Kahaluu Elementary, which has 251 students, would earn at least $3,000 annually, based on conservative estimates, said McMahon.

Kahaluu Principal Naomi Matsuzaki said she signed up for the program because "it will help provide many things for the students we are not able to provide with regular funding from the state."

Because the community is not affluent, she recently purchased jump ropes as a cost-effective way to help her students meet new physical fitness guidelines, Matsuzaki said. She would use the extra money to buy new sports equipment, like mobile basketball hoops, volleyball nets and balls of all kinds.

"Some parents have already asked for second cards for relatives, so that's very encouraging," she added.

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20090612_Consumers_buy_schools_gain.html

'A' is for Anchialine

Students clean ponds, preserve ecosystem

AYP does not measure all aspects of school achievement.  While test scores are important, we know that they do not capture everything that goes on in a school.  Here is an example of some of the good things happening in a school that does not make AYP.  read more>>

Hoolehua Educators Receive $5,000 Grant
Washington, DC- Jennifer Ainoa and Kelly Ka'awa-richardson of Molokai Middle School in Hoolehua, Hawaii have received a $5,000 Student Achievement Grant from the NEA Foundation for a science fair, providing students an outlet for hands-on, relevant science projects. Through support from scientists within the community, students will be able to design and carry out high-quality projects integrating literacy and science. read more>>

Students excel in auto-repair contest
HAWAII'S SCHOOLS | LAHAINALUNA HIGH SCHOOL
By Kelsey Fortey / Ka Leo Luna   POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, May 11, 2009
STAR-BULLETIN.

"Gentlemen start your engines ... if you can" is the motto for the National Ford/AAA Auto Skills Competition. read more>>

2009 Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair
PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WIN TOP HONORS.

Public and private school students from across the state impressed judges with their outstanding research projects at the 52nd Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair. read more>>

Twelve States Rise above the Nationwide Dropout Crisis
Hawaii is among a dozen states that significantly improved their high school graduation rates between 2002 and 2006, while the rest of the nation lagged behind, according to a report by researchers at the new Everyone Graduates Center at the Johns Hopkins University. read more>>