One big mahalo for da keiki from Kohala High School! Dem guys wen take home da winnah prize for da Department of Education’s Alternative Learning Programs, Supports and Services inaugural Kalo Challenge last Friday. ??
Da big event was da final part of one yearlong project wea da ‘at-promise’ students from all ova da state wen spend da year learning about da cultural practice of cultivating kalo. ??
Too many times, our keiki drop out when they not successful. Das why dis DOE program is so important – it offers a way for our students for succeed, so they can earn their high school credits and graduate with one diploma, all while supporting dem socially, emotionally, academically, and behaviorally. Da goal is for connect dem to post-secondary goals and outcomes. ???
Da event wen happen at Kupu Hawaii’s Ho‘okupu Center, wea students from Pahoa and Kohala High School on Hawaii island and da Honolulu district wen present their projects, along with poi and other grindz made from da kalo they grew. Each project wen get scored by a panel of judges who determined da winnah based on things like the students’ slide show presentation, da taste of their grinds and da size of each group’s kalo. ???
Da competition gave da students da chance for learn da cultural practice of cultivating kalo, while also fulfilling a year’s worth of their school credits. Da students needed for provide English, science, social studies, and do calculations like da area of da land. They had for figure out for themselves what that area would be. ???
Dis competition was made possible by a series of bills passed over recent years that have steadily increased funding for da state’s Alternative Learning Programs. Also in attendance was Senate Vice President Michelle Kidani and Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, who have supported the legislation that now funds the programs. ?????️
Each of da three groups’ presentations included the story of how kalo came to be, according to Native Hawaiian moolelo. They also detailed how they decided on which varieties of kalo for grow, the methods they used for cultivate the crop, its growth timeline, the plants’ measurements and more. Students also explained da challenges they faced and how the experience helped them grow as people. ???
Da keiki from Pahoa High School shared that the experience taught them how for work together. Even though the project was hard at times, it gave them a skill that they could take home to their families. ??????
Those from da Honolulu district said that they learned for bring their good intentions and positivity into their work, and how a simple change can affect the resulting product. ???
Da keiki from Kohala High School said the experience taught them that they could successfully learn one new skill, which they looked forward to passing down to future generations. ????
Watching the students present clearly demonstrated the confidence they had built through the alternative learning classroom setting. Seeing how da keiki see themselves as people changed was inspiring to us all. And it gives us hope, but it also motivates us so that when we go back into session, how
we can try expand da programs for meet the needs of the entire state. ???
Da experience was a real eye-opener for all of us. Not only did da students get da chance for learn about their culture and da importance of kalo, but they also got da chance for prove to themselves and to others that they capable of achieving great things. ??
We saw how da students grew as individuals and as a team, and how they overcame challenges that they faced. They showed us that with determination and hard work, anything is possible. ???
As we look forward to da future, we excited to see what these talented keiki will achieve next. This Kalo Challenge was just da beginning for dem, and we can’t wait to see where their journey takes them next. ??
So, we like say one big mahalo to all da keiki who participated in da Kalo Challenge. You guys are da true winners, and we couldn’t be more proud of all of you. ???
So until next time, aloha and mahalo nui loa. ????
NOW IN ENGLISH
?? Kohala High Students Snatch the Winning Spot for the Kalo Challenge! ??
A big thanks to the students from Kohala High School! These guys took home the winning prize for the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning Programs, Supports and Services inaugural Kalo Challenge last Friday. ??
This grand event was the final part of a year-long project where ‘at-promise’ students from all over the state spent the year learning about the cultural practice of cultivating kalo. ??
Too many times, our students drop out when they are not successful. That’s why this DOE program is so important – it offers a way for our students to succeed, so they can earn their high school credits and graduate with a diploma, all while supporting them socially, emotionally, academically, and behaviorally. The goal is to connect them to post-secondary goals and outcomes. ???
The event took place at Kupu Hawaii’s Ho‘okupu Center, where students from Pahoa and Kohala High School on Hawaii island and the Honolulu district presented their projects, along with poi and other dishes made from the kalo they grew. Each project was scored by a panel of judges who determined the winner based on things like the students’ slide show presentation, the taste of their dishes and the size of each group’s kalo. ???
The competition gave the students the chance to learn the cultural practice of cultivating kalo, while also fulfilling a year’s worth of their school credits. The students needed to provide English, science, social studies, and perform calculations like the area of the land. They had to figure out for themselves what that area would be. ???
This competition was made possible by a series of bills passed over recent years that have steadily increased funding for the state’s Alternative Learning Programs. Also in attendance were Senate Vice President Michelle Kidani and Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, who have supported the legislation that now funds the programs. ?????️
Each of the three groups’ presentations included the story of how kalo came to be, according to Native Hawaiian lore. They also detailed how they decided on which varieties of kalo to grow, the methods they used to cultivate the crop, its growth timeline, the plants’ measurements and more. Students also explained the challenges they faced and how the experience helped them grow as people. ???
The students from Pahoa High School shared that the experience taught them how to work together. Even though the project was hard at times, it gave them a skill that they could take home to their families. ??????
Those from the Honolulu district said that they learned to bring their good intentions and positivity into their work, and how a simple change can affect the resulting product. ???
The students from Kohala High School said the experience taught them that they could successfully learn a new skill, which they looked forward to passing down to future generations. ????
Watching the students present clearly demonstrated the confidence they had built through the alternative learning classroom setting. Seeing how the students see themselves as people changed was inspiring to us all. And it gives us hope, but it also motivates us so that when we go back into session, how we can try to expand the programs to meet the needs of the entire state. ?
