There are the only three girls in the Environmental and Spatial Technology program at Kaua‘i High School. That makes Cassandra Tsao, Jasmine Ikeda and Saryna Garcia among the most unique students in Hawai‘i. This is the second year for the
There are the only three girls in the Environmental and Spatial Technology program at Kaua‘i High School.
That makes Cassandra Tsao, Jasmine Ikeda and Saryna Garcia among the most unique students in Hawai‘i.
This is the second year for the Kaua‘i High School program, the Red Raider team of about 30 students joining Molokai High and Middle School as the two most recent EAST schools in the state.
“We got started through a grant last year, but it is partnerships with people like the Young Brothers Community Advisory Board that enable us to really get rolling,” said Leah Aiwohi, the EAST program leader at Kaua‘i High School.
Aiwohi is no stranger to the EAST program, coming from the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School where she was the EAST lead teacher since the program was established there in 2001.
During her tenure at CKMS, the middle school students went on to earn awards at a national level as well as demonstrate their skills in various high technology fields.
Aiwohi said Jade Bowman started with the CKMS EAST program and Aiwohi is excited because they plan to work together on several projects.
“We believe our students will change the world,” is the statement made by the EAST Initiative Web site.
According to a press release from Aiwohi, EAST is an educational initiative established in more than 300 schools nationwide with Hawai‘i “labs” in nine schools.
Schools in Hawai‘i include two on Kaua‘i, one on Molokai, five on Maui and one on the Big Island. Aiwohi said there is a process taking place now that will establish six schools on O‘ahu.
Students in EAST programs perform service learning projects, states the EAST Initiative Web site. They see needs in their communities, and they work to meet those needs.
But EAST students are unique because they apply the latest in technology to the tasks they face in meeting their projects.
Some of the technologies they learn include animation and graphics, digital media, computer aided design, geospatial technology, and Web design and development, Aiwohi said in the press release.
Examples of the students’ work with high technology are not scarce as they pepper the walls of Aiwohi’s classroom.
She said previously, EAST students have generated projects that have built awareness of fire safety, produced public service announcements to promote various community programs, developed extensive Web sites and created a multitude of print materials for a diverse range of audiences.
One of the projects currently on the table is a redesign of the Kaua‘i High School Web site, appropriate since school started last week.
Aiwohi, who also heads the Academy of Hospitality and Travel, said the effects of the EAST program also affects the AOHT students.
“When AOHT interns go out, the employers are happy the students have some high technology skills,” Aiwohi said. “They can let the interns do things like spreadsheets and other projects instead of just letting them shadow people.”
Aiwohi said with community support in the form of grants like those received from YB CAB and Women In Technology, EAST provides students the opportunity to develop teamwork, leadership, self-motivation and public speaking skills in the process of learning how to utilize technological tools.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
