ABOUT
The Kalani FFA Maker Club
Our projects have real-world scale or meaning and are informed by Design Thinking (Stanford School of Design) and the scientific method. We seek to do entrepreneurship through Supervised Ag Experience Project platform. See "Types of Learners" in "More" section. |
Respecting the Culture
We believe our kuleana is to live pono. We maintain a pono lifestyle by having aloha for: Ke Akua (spiritual, non-living, ancestors) Kekahi i Kekahi (each other) Aina (the land and environment) |
Vision
We see a thriving and sustainable Hawai`i. We gauge our growth with these Strategic Dimensions: Programs - NR/FFA Curriculum Personnel - NR Teachers, Volunteers Partnerships - (see below) |
Our valued Partners and Helpers:
Our awesome students are supported by Parents, Teachers, Administrators, school staff, Oio Project, Ag P20 Alliance, UH Manoa School of Architecture Ka Hui Kalani, La Tour Bakehouse, Hawaii Ag Foundation, Ag Leadership Foundation of Hawaii, Monsanto, Pioneer Seed, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, KUPU, Representative Mark Nakashima, Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Kanu Hawaii, Ajifu FFA Memorial Foundation, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, University of Hawaii (CTAHR, College of Education, West Oahu, Hilo College of Agriculture, Community Colleges, Kauai Coffee Company, Center on Disability Studies, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Hawaii State Department of Agriculture, Oceanit, Uncle Clay's HOPA, TEDxHonolulu, Representative Richard Onishi, Kalani HS/Kaimuki MS/Wilson ES, Waikiki ES, Palolo ES, Kaiser HS, Roosevelt HS, Honolulu District Office, P-20 Ag Education Framework Ohana, Sierra Club, Hawaii Environmental Education Alliance, Hawaii Academy of Science, National FFA Association
Our awesome students are supported by Parents, Teachers, Administrators, school staff, Oio Project, Ag P20 Alliance, UH Manoa School of Architecture Ka Hui Kalani, La Tour Bakehouse, Hawaii Ag Foundation, Ag Leadership Foundation of Hawaii, Monsanto, Pioneer Seed, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, KUPU, Representative Mark Nakashima, Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Kanu Hawaii, Ajifu FFA Memorial Foundation, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, University of Hawaii (CTAHR, College of Education, West Oahu, Hilo College of Agriculture, Community Colleges, Kauai Coffee Company, Center on Disability Studies, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Hawaii State Department of Agriculture, Oceanit, Uncle Clay's HOPA, TEDxHonolulu, Representative Richard Onishi, Kalani HS/Kaimuki MS/Wilson ES, Waikiki ES, Palolo ES, Kaiser HS, Roosevelt HS, Honolulu District Office, P-20 Ag Education Framework Ohana, Sierra Club, Hawaii Environmental Education Alliance, Hawaii Academy of Science, National FFA Association
A Message from Uncle Ken for Ag/FFA Teachers
"Why FFA/Ag-Natural Resources Education and the Path Onward"
FFA and Ag/Natural Resources works. It is relevant and engaging and delivered by dedicated and caring teachers who are informed by the needs of today and tomorrow and by a 90-year culture of John Dewey-based pedagogy.
How do we continue to contribute to the greater good?
Know and honor the internal environment and use this knowledge to get help
We are part of public education so master the DOE's mission and goals and be a smart part of the solution. Yup, learn about standards/benchmarks and the Next Gen Science Standards. Do the CASE institute and help position our ohana to give our students science credit.
Know the external environment and choose your partners wisely
Join the groundswell of grassroots, commercial and government ag and sustainability partners and contribute time and resources to the movement. Attend the AG2017 Conference (August 29 and 30, 2017 at the Hawaii Convention Center) with your students, join hands with our many friends and show the public what we can do, how we teach leadership, STEM, science and technology, and reinforce basic academic skills.
Coalesce your needs and speak with one voice from our Strategic Plan
Tired and frustrated as you may be, make time to talk with your students and partners and articulate your needs and views in the Ag Ed/FFA Strategic Plan. This plan will be the document that will be used to generate fiscal and human resources, build programs and partnerships, and grow your skill set through professional development.
In other words, either step up or step aside and let things happen to you. Join the team and let's attack our challenges.
Keep up your great work!
Imua Craig, Jackie, Jeff, Jeff, Carlos, Shaun, Koko, Kylie, Ken, Keith, Kai, Clinton, Manuel, Koby, Janean, Terence, Mailei, Colin, Tina, and Baldwin/Kapaa/Maui/Lanai/Kalaheo and friends and volunteers!
"Why FFA/Ag-Natural Resources Education and the Path Onward"
FFA and Ag/Natural Resources works. It is relevant and engaging and delivered by dedicated and caring teachers who are informed by the needs of today and tomorrow and by a 90-year culture of John Dewey-based pedagogy.
How do we continue to contribute to the greater good?
Know and honor the internal environment and use this knowledge to get help
We are part of public education so master the DOE's mission and goals and be a smart part of the solution. Yup, learn about standards/benchmarks and the Next Gen Science Standards. Do the CASE institute and help position our ohana to give our students science credit.
Know the external environment and choose your partners wisely
Join the groundswell of grassroots, commercial and government ag and sustainability partners and contribute time and resources to the movement. Attend the AG2017 Conference (August 29 and 30, 2017 at the Hawaii Convention Center) with your students, join hands with our many friends and show the public what we can do, how we teach leadership, STEM, science and technology, and reinforce basic academic skills.
Coalesce your needs and speak with one voice from our Strategic Plan
Tired and frustrated as you may be, make time to talk with your students and partners and articulate your needs and views in the Ag Ed/FFA Strategic Plan. This plan will be the document that will be used to generate fiscal and human resources, build programs and partnerships, and grow your skill set through professional development.
In other words, either step up or step aside and let things happen to you. Join the team and let's attack our challenges.
Keep up your great work!
Imua Craig, Jackie, Jeff, Jeff, Carlos, Shaun, Koko, Kylie, Ken, Keith, Kai, Clinton, Manuel, Koby, Janean, Terence, Mailei, Colin, Tina, and Baldwin/Kapaa/Maui/Lanai/Kalaheo and friends and volunteers!
In April 2017, the Hawaii FFA Association had active dues-paying chapters at these schools. Lead teachers or Department Heads are named:
Kauai District: Kauai HS - Craig Duff, (Kapaa and Waimea to join next year)
Oahu District: Castle HS - Carlos Kaukahi Severson, Kalani HS - Alexis Jinbo-Doran, Leilehua HS and Ag Learning Center - Jackie Akuna Tichepco,
McKinley HS - Shaun Kamida, Mililani HS - Jeff Yamaguchi, Waipahu HS - Jeff Garvey, Waipahu Intermediate - Ken Kozuma
Maui District: Lahainaluna HS and Ag Learning Center - Keith Ideoka, Molokai HS - Kai Sawyer (Baldwin and Maui to join next year)
Hawaii District: Honokaa HS - Manuel Jadulang, Keaau HS - Terence Moniz, Konawaena HS - Tina Alcain, Pahoa HS - Mailei Bumanglang,
Waiakea HS - Robert Kobayashi
Kauai District: Kauai HS - Craig Duff, (Kapaa and Waimea to join next year)
Oahu District: Castle HS - Carlos Kaukahi Severson, Kalani HS - Alexis Jinbo-Doran, Leilehua HS and Ag Learning Center - Jackie Akuna Tichepco,
McKinley HS - Shaun Kamida, Mililani HS - Jeff Yamaguchi, Waipahu HS - Jeff Garvey, Waipahu Intermediate - Ken Kozuma
Maui District: Lahainaluna HS and Ag Learning Center - Keith Ideoka, Molokai HS - Kai Sawyer (Baldwin and Maui to join next year)
Hawaii District: Honokaa HS - Manuel Jadulang, Keaau HS - Terence Moniz, Konawaena HS - Tina Alcain, Pahoa HS - Mailei Bumanglang,
Waiakea HS - Robert Kobayashi
Agriculture Education and the FFA time-tested practices:
Below is what DOE Agriculture Teachers and FFA Advisors were thinking 24 years ago. The beliefs, vision and mission in 1993 captured the best traditions of the then past and present, and laid the foundations for our agriculture education future. Our values are our strength, and our resiliency and adaptability continue to characterize us as educators. We continue to advocate for student opportunities and a quarter of a century later, we still need professional development and quality partners to achieve our mission.
Below is what DOE Agriculture Teachers and FFA Advisors were thinking 24 years ago. The beliefs, vision and mission in 1993 captured the best traditions of the then past and present, and laid the foundations for our agriculture education future. Our values are our strength, and our resiliency and adaptability continue to characterize us as educators. We continue to advocate for student opportunities and a quarter of a century later, we still need professional development and quality partners to achieve our mission.
1993 Agriculture Education Strategic Plan Elements
THE LONG STORY LONG
The Kalani FFA Maker club is part of a sustainabililty program that started at Kalani High School (KHS) on "Furlough Fridays" in the 2009 to 2010 school year when the state government mandated public school closures on 17 Fridays as a cost-cutting measure. During non-school hours, retired Department of Education and curriculum educational officer and former science teacher Mr. Stephen Kow implemented a 120 hour curriculum for a diverse group of 20 students known as the "Green Teens." It was Mr. Kow's dream to introduce city students to urban agriculture and the leadership training of the FFA program.
The sustainability curriculum integrated agriculture, science and health with an infusion of guest speakers and hands-on activities. These early efforts were supported by former principal Mr. Gerald Teramae and Ms. Darnelle Ng of the district office and Mr. Ken Kajihara, a former agriculture teacher, curriculum specialist and environmental safety program manager and followed earlier sustainable practices projects developed by robotics program leader Mr. Bryan Silver. The Green Teens program was a success and continued after the end of Furlough Fridays when new principal Mr. Mitchell Otani created a Kalani HS Natural Resources teaching line and later led the effort to make sustainability the theme of the entire Kalani Complex
In school year 2010 - 2011, the Green Teens worked under the guidance of engineer Shanah Trevenna of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) and staff and students from UHM and Kapiolani Community College to advance sustainability. Among their projects was a comprehensive space-by-space audit of the entire Kalani High School campus under the Student Energy Ambassador Development (SEAD) program (http://www.hawaii.edu/sustainability/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Summit2013-Trevenna.pdf). The FFA (Future Farmers of America) leadership component of the Natural Resources curriculum began with the help of Stacie Sasagawa of Monsanto Hawaii and a grant from the Hawaii State Teachers Association.
As the curriculum solidified, cultural expert and leader Kumu Ramsay Taum named the program "Kipuka Kalani`iki" or oasis of Kalani`iki Valley. The word "Kipuka" came from Dr. Davianna McGregor's book "Na Kua`aina" that shared the value of cultural kipuka or areas in Hawai`i that retain the values and traditions of old Hawai`i. Kumu Taum provided the framework of the ahupua`a as a modern-day business model to advance food security and energy sustainability by respecting place-based traditions. By mid-2010, entrepreneur Mr. Sterling Higashi had built a "mountain-to-the-sea" aquaponics system that drew nitrogen-rich water from aquaculture tanks in the upper campus down through a series of terraced bins and tanks to nourish basil, lettuce and beans. After dropping 25 feet in elevation, the water was pumped back to the upper campus to repeat the cycle. It was fitting that Mrs. Winona Rubin, a respected cultural leader, entrusted Mr. Kow with a valuable message: that in order to live pono or responsibly, we must have aloha for the non-living (ke akua), each other (kekahi i kekahi) and the land (aina). Loosely but respectfully, our kuleana is to live pono.
The evolution of the "facility" went from brush and rocks to a working unit made of repurposed materials. Volunteers Mr. Sterling Higashi and Army helicopter mechanic and veteran Mr. Joseph Pelarske guided students in the construction of the system using recycling pallets, television studio monitor racks and bins from the Kokua Hawai`i Foundation to build the system at no cost. Also installed were a recycled solar powered street light and a wind generator using a motor from a recycled threadmill. This low-budget program thrived on dumpster diving and sidewalk treasures from bulk trash days. Major finds included a $600 shredder that was revived with a $5 spark plug, patio glass doors that become classroom windows, and a host of electric wheelchairs and utility vehicles. Discarded 55 gallon drums and commercial shelving became burners and the shell of a biochar burner that generated heat while sequestering carbon in high grade charcoal, a nutrient and moisture-retaining soil amendment and a home for beneficial microorganisms.
By 2013, the three-part Natural Resources program (ag education, FFA leadership training, and supervised ag experience projects) under the guidance of Mrs. Alexis "Koko" Jinbo-Doran was well underway and the sustainability program shifted its emphasis from aquaponics to the application of technology to agriculture production through the use of programmable Arduino circuit boards and Raspberry Pi computers. Recent FFA Maker club projects include the UC Davis "Virtual Sandbox" using a kinect sensor ($90 on Ebay), a short throw projector (via the Oi`o Project) , a fast graphics card and a donated i5 computer and a very low budget design and extension of the FFA Maker Clubhouse.
Although we remain a zero-to-no budget program (so as not to compete with other school programs), we have been very fortunate to have support from many volunteers, the UH Manoa School of Architecture (pre-doctoral students organized a community build of a zero-environmental impact potting shed), the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Monsanto and Pioneer Seed Companies, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, legislators, the Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaii, Hilo College of Agriculture, West Oahu College, Kapiolani Community College, Honolulu Community College and the UH Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Other agency supporters include the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the UH Extension Program, the State Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture. A key mover in the FFA revival at Kalani and across the state has been Rep. Mark Nakashima of the Hamakua district.
The facility gained more traction with the support of KUPU youth conservation interns and KUPU mentor Ms. Maeghan Castillo, who brought environmental and cultural learning opportunities to KHS. In 2016, she mentored a team that won a trip to China to compete in an international environmental forum.
Throughout this evolution, the program strived to develop affordable and low cost STEM solutions to address pressing local and global sustainability challenges. Although program founder Mr. Stephen Kow passed away in 2016 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his legacy lives on. We will continue to do what we can, where we are, and with what we have.
The sustainability curriculum integrated agriculture, science and health with an infusion of guest speakers and hands-on activities. These early efforts were supported by former principal Mr. Gerald Teramae and Ms. Darnelle Ng of the district office and Mr. Ken Kajihara, a former agriculture teacher, curriculum specialist and environmental safety program manager and followed earlier sustainable practices projects developed by robotics program leader Mr. Bryan Silver. The Green Teens program was a success and continued after the end of Furlough Fridays when new principal Mr. Mitchell Otani created a Kalani HS Natural Resources teaching line and later led the effort to make sustainability the theme of the entire Kalani Complex
In school year 2010 - 2011, the Green Teens worked under the guidance of engineer Shanah Trevenna of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) and staff and students from UHM and Kapiolani Community College to advance sustainability. Among their projects was a comprehensive space-by-space audit of the entire Kalani High School campus under the Student Energy Ambassador Development (SEAD) program (http://www.hawaii.edu/sustainability/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Summit2013-Trevenna.pdf). The FFA (Future Farmers of America) leadership component of the Natural Resources curriculum began with the help of Stacie Sasagawa of Monsanto Hawaii and a grant from the Hawaii State Teachers Association.
As the curriculum solidified, cultural expert and leader Kumu Ramsay Taum named the program "Kipuka Kalani`iki" or oasis of Kalani`iki Valley. The word "Kipuka" came from Dr. Davianna McGregor's book "Na Kua`aina" that shared the value of cultural kipuka or areas in Hawai`i that retain the values and traditions of old Hawai`i. Kumu Taum provided the framework of the ahupua`a as a modern-day business model to advance food security and energy sustainability by respecting place-based traditions. By mid-2010, entrepreneur Mr. Sterling Higashi had built a "mountain-to-the-sea" aquaponics system that drew nitrogen-rich water from aquaculture tanks in the upper campus down through a series of terraced bins and tanks to nourish basil, lettuce and beans. After dropping 25 feet in elevation, the water was pumped back to the upper campus to repeat the cycle. It was fitting that Mrs. Winona Rubin, a respected cultural leader, entrusted Mr. Kow with a valuable message: that in order to live pono or responsibly, we must have aloha for the non-living (ke akua), each other (kekahi i kekahi) and the land (aina). Loosely but respectfully, our kuleana is to live pono.
The evolution of the "facility" went from brush and rocks to a working unit made of repurposed materials. Volunteers Mr. Sterling Higashi and Army helicopter mechanic and veteran Mr. Joseph Pelarske guided students in the construction of the system using recycling pallets, television studio monitor racks and bins from the Kokua Hawai`i Foundation to build the system at no cost. Also installed were a recycled solar powered street light and a wind generator using a motor from a recycled threadmill. This low-budget program thrived on dumpster diving and sidewalk treasures from bulk trash days. Major finds included a $600 shredder that was revived with a $5 spark plug, patio glass doors that become classroom windows, and a host of electric wheelchairs and utility vehicles. Discarded 55 gallon drums and commercial shelving became burners and the shell of a biochar burner that generated heat while sequestering carbon in high grade charcoal, a nutrient and moisture-retaining soil amendment and a home for beneficial microorganisms.
By 2013, the three-part Natural Resources program (ag education, FFA leadership training, and supervised ag experience projects) under the guidance of Mrs. Alexis "Koko" Jinbo-Doran was well underway and the sustainability program shifted its emphasis from aquaponics to the application of technology to agriculture production through the use of programmable Arduino circuit boards and Raspberry Pi computers. Recent FFA Maker club projects include the UC Davis "Virtual Sandbox" using a kinect sensor ($90 on Ebay), a short throw projector (via the Oi`o Project) , a fast graphics card and a donated i5 computer and a very low budget design and extension of the FFA Maker Clubhouse.
Although we remain a zero-to-no budget program (so as not to compete with other school programs), we have been very fortunate to have support from many volunteers, the UH Manoa School of Architecture (pre-doctoral students organized a community build of a zero-environmental impact potting shed), the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Monsanto and Pioneer Seed Companies, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, legislators, the Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaii, Hilo College of Agriculture, West Oahu College, Kapiolani Community College, Honolulu Community College and the UH Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Other agency supporters include the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the UH Extension Program, the State Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture. A key mover in the FFA revival at Kalani and across the state has been Rep. Mark Nakashima of the Hamakua district.
The facility gained more traction with the support of KUPU youth conservation interns and KUPU mentor Ms. Maeghan Castillo, who brought environmental and cultural learning opportunities to KHS. In 2016, she mentored a team that won a trip to China to compete in an international environmental forum.
Throughout this evolution, the program strived to develop affordable and low cost STEM solutions to address pressing local and global sustainability challenges. Although program founder Mr. Stephen Kow passed away in 2016 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his legacy lives on. We will continue to do what we can, where we are, and with what we have.
Volunteerism and Applied Academics
Links to Past Projects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AvSnQxAxoU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmHBnbYYasg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AvSnQxAxoU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmHBnbYYasg
2016-17 SERVICE PROJECTS
Alumna Jade Enomoto and current Kalani FFA members at LIliuokalani Garden service project (Angela,Sage, Audrey, Willyson below)