Lawmakers attend HIDOE student empowerment, leadership conference
Posted: July 24, 2023
Several key Hawaiʻi state senators Friday attended the Student Empowerment and Leadership Conference hosted by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education’s Alternative Learning Programs, Supports, and Services (ALPSS).
Senate Vice President Michelle Kidani (Mililani Town, Waipiʻo Gentry, Crestview, Waikele, portion of Waipahu, Village Park, Royal Kunia), Sen. Herbert “Tim” Richards III (North Hilo, Hāmakuā, Kohala, Waimea, Waikoloa, North Kona), and Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz (portion of Mililani, Mililani Mauka, portion of Waipiʻo Acres, Laulani Valley, Wahiawā, Whitmore Village), attended the week-long conference hosted by ALPSS, which provides supportive environments that help students rise above adversity to thrive.
During the conference, students from Hawaiʻi Island schools stayed at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa dormitories and embarked on an educational experience led by teachers and professionals to learn about various career paths like video production, student empowerment and leadership, and OSHA-15 – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 15-hour course for disaster site response workers.
Student leaders from Kohala High School, Kealakehe High School, Pāhoa High School, and Kaʻū High School shared their experiences and presented their policy proposals to senators.
Kidani, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said, “Alternative learning programs in public schools offer invaluable benefits by providing diverse and flexible educational approaches that cater to individual learning styles which foster a supportive environment that encourages creativity, critical thinking, and personalized growth.”
Dela Cruz reaffirmed his commitment to the Alternative Learning Program saying, “This student showcase was a reminder that it is never about where you start but how you finish. The Alternative Learning Programs help change the trajectories of our most vulnerable students and provide environments for them to grow through their adversities.”
“The Senate is proud to support a program that saves lives and helps establish Hawaiʻi as a global leader for positive change. I commend Director Nishimura and her staff on their commitment to disrupt pathways to prison, prostitution, and poverty,” added Dela Cruz, who chairs the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Richards, who is a member of the Senate Education Committee, said, “The ALPSS program exemplifies our commitment to ensuring every student has a fair chance to obtain that education — every student’s success is our priority. This program can be transformative especially for some of our rural and underserved students.”
ALPSS assists at-promise students to improve their academic competencies and enable them to meet HIDOE-adopted state standards and graduation requirements. Within the ALPSS setting, innovative instructional strategies are applied to re-engage and engage students in learning. Students are assisted in developing appropriate behaviors and social-emotional competencies.
ALPSS provides transitional support services as at-promise students move from school to alternative programs, re-enter school successfully, graduate from high school, and prepare for positive post-secondary outcomes.
Photos courtesy of the Hawaiʻi State Senate Communications Department.
