The Hawai‘i DOE celebrated63 teachers statewide who haveearned or renewed their NationalBoard for Professional TeachingStandards Certification — a markof distinction recognizing accom-plished teaching.

The teachers voluntarily un-dertook and completed the pro-

fession’s highest mark ofachievement through a rigorous,performance-based process,demonstrating their impact onstudent learning and achieve-ment. They join more than 650National Board Certified Teach-ers (NBCT) in Hawai‘i, rankingHawaii 11th in the country for

the percentage of teachers whoare Nationally Board Certified

“The level of dedication shownby these teachers speaks volumesabout their commitment to excel-lence in teaching and we sin-cerely applaud their efforts,” saidAsst. Supt. Cynthia Covell.

Superintendent’s

EDUCATION UPDATEHAWAII STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | FEBRUARY 2019

CONNECT WITH US!

OpportunitiesEDUCATORS

The Hawai‘i Council for theTeachers of Mathematics ishosting an Elementary Mini-Conference focusing on PreK-5learners, with an exciting slate ofpresenters on a range of topicssuch as STEM, Math &Comprehension Strategies, MathGames Around the World andmore. Feb. 23, Salt LakeElementary, $10 members, $30non-memebers. bit.ly/HCTM-19

Kōkua Hawaiʻi FoundationField Trip Grants help bringstudents to outdoor sites wherethey can experience hands-onlearning about Hawaiʻi’senvironment. Most field triplocations provide hands-onlearning experiences for studentsgrades K-12 and offereducational tours that can becustomized to any grade level.Funding is limited to $1,000 perschool per year and is awardedon a first-come, first-serve basis.Apply by March 1. kokuahawaiifoundation.org/fieldtrips

EdTech Team Summits areengaging, conference-styleevents focusing on implementing,integrating, and utilizing Googlefor Education and othereducational technology tools.Oahu, March 19-20, UH-Manoa:events.edtechteam.com/hawaii-summit-2019 and Hawai‘i Island,March 21-22, Keaau High:events.edtechteam.com/big-island-hawaii-summit-2019. Earlybird registration $299 throughFeb. 14, $349 thereafter,discounts for groups of 5, 10 or20 participants.

HawaiiPublicSchools.org | 808-586-3230 | Email: doe_info@hawaiidoe.org | Social:

Oahu’s 2019 cohort of National Board Certified Teachers, new and renewed, were honored at the Capitol in aceremony with Gov. David Ige, First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige and Supt. Christina M. Kishimoto.

Hawai‘i 11th in nationally certified teachers

Hawaii Island (12)• Julienne Arasato, Waiakea High• Shannon Kline, Konawaena High• Jacqueline Luna, Chiefess Kapiolani El• Tracie Kuniyuki, Mountain View El• Shelby Loo, Waimea Middle PCS• Nauileiilima Murphy, Waimea MiddlePCS• Laurie O'Brien, Keaau High• Kerry Ogawa, Mountain View El• Judah Plaut, Konawaena Middle• Hwa Sohn, Chiefess Kapiolani El• Samantha Tomori, Keaau El• Heather Wickersham, KonawaenaHigh

Kauai (7)• Brenda Barker, Kanuikapono Learning Center PCS• Elizabeth Corrigan, King Kaumualii El• Summer Holwegner, King Kaumualii El• Denise Karratti, Kekaha El• Peter Nash, Kauai High• Kathy Shibuya, King Kaumualii El• Doreen Stone, King Kaumualii El

Maui County (10)• Mary Jean Bega, Pukalani El• Lani Espinoza, Kihei El• Andrea French, Hana High and El• Jennifer Kaopua, Waihee El• Greta Vides, Kualapuu El PCS• Teresa Rosario, Maui High• Kathleen Schaffer-Barr, Kihei El• Rodney Wade, Kihei El• Julia Wagner, Princess Nahienaena El• Andrea Yuen, Kaunakakai El

Oahu (34)• Shelly Andrews, Kailua High• Rachel-Leslie Arashiro, Lanakila El• Lorna Baniaga-Lee, Campbell High• Kristen Brummel, Hawaii StateTeacher Fellowship Program, Hope Street Group• Kimberly Celebre, Leilehua High• Leimomi Chun, Koko Head El• Michelle Colte, Inouye El• Lisa Espiritu, Nimitz El• Laura Ginoza, Pearl City El• Camille Hampton, Waianae High

• Vanessa Ching, Ewa Makai Middle• Lisa Hyatt, Kahuku High and Int• Ryan Kanetani, Holomua El• Mark Kurisu, Leilehua High• Kristina Lee, Moanalua Middle• Mae Masuda-Kop, Nimitz El (retired)• Erin Mendelson, Central District Office• Derek Minakami, Kaneohe El• Megan Moynihan, Kamaile Academy• Phyllis Nakama-Kawamoto, Executive Office on Early Learning• Kathleen Nullet, Kailua Int• Claire Oshita, Kaewai El• Melissa Padilla, Campbell High• Lory Peroff, Waikiki El• Jillian Przygodzinski, Aliiolani El• Michael Ericson Ragasa, Waikiki El• Natalia Sandoval, Waikiki El• Mary Shire, Aiea Int• Lisa Staib, Kamaile Academy• Courtney Tawata, Kalihi Kai El• Kathleen Trifonovitch, Maunawili El• Liane Voss, Moanalua High• Emily Willis, Kailua Intermediate• Maile Yasui, Momilani El

2019 COHORT

A few years ago, first-gradeteacher Chelsey Villamin noticedsome of her students were havingtrouble getting along with othersin class. One student expressed toher on the very first day of schoolthat he wasn’t allowed to sit by an-other student.

“Right then and there I knewthat we were going to have to dosomething as a class and set a goalas a community to really embraceeach other and our challenges, andreally figure out ways to spreadkindness and peace,” Villamin said.

And with that, the Peace Projectwas born.

Villamin, who is in her seventhyear of teaching at Manoa Elemen-tary School, started off exposingstudents to literature and books thatencouraged the young students toreflect on times when they experi-enced peace. When they felt it.Tasted it. Smelled it.

The class then adopted a fic-tional pineapple as a symbolic classmascot to promote the idea of hos-pitality and the concepts of wel-coming and belonging.

“And then it transformed intothis challenge of all of them com-ing up with ways that they canteach each other how to make eachother feel really good about them-selves, spread kindness, and thissense of being in the moment, calmand able to empathize whilespreading this joy,” Villamin said.

The effort grew from there andhas evolved into a year-long proj-ect that Villamin has implementedthe last three years. Each year herstudents help guide what form thePeace Project will take on. Lessonsspan all subjects from reading,writing and vocabulary to socialstudies and history.

The first year, students createda book — a ringed binder filledwith colorful student artwork on“How to Spread Peace.”

“Whatever their idea was, theyhad to embrace it and teach thewhole class,” Villamin said of thatinitial project. “Everyday therewould be a peace leader and they

would teach the class, and the chal-lenge was that everyone would dothat act of peace.”

Some of the students’ examplesin the book include:

• Give someone a compliment.• Spread peace by hugging

someone when they are sad.• Spread peace by calming

yourself down somewhere peace-ful so you can think before youact.

• Spread peace by making anew friend and giving them afriendship bracelet.

In other years, her first-graderschose to focus their Peace Projectson a mural and a peace garden.

In addition to a big project eachyear, Villamin incorporates dailylessons and activities on peace andmindfulness.

Activities include “FriendshipFridays,” when students pull namesfrom a hat and write each otheranonymous compliments on asticky note; greeting each studentby name with an appropriate hug,

handshake or high-five to start theday; and forming a Peace Circlefor self-reflection and goal-setting.

Villamin said it’s rewarding tosee her students embrace the con-cepts and get excited to share whatthey’re learning with their familiesand other students.

“At this young age, incorporat-ing social emotional learning intoour everyday routine is the mostpowerful practice because not onlydo they come to school to learn,but they come to school to really

work together and to thrive,” shesaid. “Now we’re learning these21st Century learning skills — it’sall about collaborating and work-ing together and listening to eachother.”

She said the positive changes shesees in her students fuel her moti-vation.

“When kids have a connectionto their classroom, to their teacher,to their space, they’re so muchmore dedicated that the learningjust comes naturally because theywant to be here,” she said. “Andbecause of that, the transformationthroughout the year of them bond-ing more as an ohana than just peersis the most inspirational thing.”

PAGE 2 › EDUCATION UPDATE

WATCH

Manoa Elementary’s PeaceProject takes root: vimeo.com/312180617

▼

Growing peace ambassadors SCHOOL DESIGN STUDENT VOICE TEACHER COLLABORATION

HIGH-IMPACT STRATEGIES:bit.ly/HIDOE-strategies

“When kids have a connection to their classroom, to their teacher, to their space, they’re so much more dedicatedthat the learning just comes naturally because they want to be here,” Villamin said.

FEBRUARY 2019 ‹ PAGE 3

Briefs More at HawaiiPublicSchools.org

DESOTO FINALIST FORNATIONAL HONOR

Wai‘anae High School Coun-selor Desiré DeSoto was namedthe 2018 Hawai‘i School Coun-

selor of the Yearand was selectedas one of six fi-nalists nation-wide for the 2019American SchoolCounselor of theYear recognition.

The School Counselor of theYear award honors professionalswho devote their careers to advo-cating for the nation’s students andaddressing their academic and so-cial/emotional development andcollege and career readiness needs.Finalists were judged based ontheir ability to create systemicchange within the school counsel-ing profession. DeSoto, along withthe five other finalists, participatedin a congressional briefing, metwith her members of Congress andattended a School Counselor of theYear Gala in Washington D.C.

“We would like to congratulateDesiré on being selected by theAmerican School Counselor Asso-ciation for this honor,” said Supt.Christina M. Kishimoto. “Throughher efforts at Waianae High Schooland in the community, she hashelped to advance school counsel-ing and maximize the educational,academic, career and social devel-opment of her students.”

DeSoto has been at Wai‘anaeHigh since 1996, serving as aschool counselor for 12 years. Sheis a First Nations’ Futures Fellowand a graduate of Whitworth Uni-versity, Chaminade University andWalden University.

A native of Mākaha, DeSoto isdedicated to supporting the uniquechallenges faced by the families inthe community where she was bornand raised. DeSoto’s determinationto help students envision their post-secondary future lead her to spear-head an important college-goingpartnership. As an alumna of Whit-worth College, she had a critical

role in forming Wai‘anae to Whit-worth ʻAuwai, a community part-nership with Kamehameha Schoolsthat provides the opportunity for17 local high school students to at-tend Whitworth University on fullscholarships.

“The most rewarding part of mywork is bearing witness to thegrowth, development, and matura-tion of my students,” said DeSoto.“There are no words to describe thefeeling of witnessing students over-come obstacles and fulfill their post-high school goals and dreams.”

FAFSA DASHBOARD TOTRACK AID APPLICATIONS

The Hawaiʻi DOE has launcheda new online tool to track comple-

tion rates for Free Application forFederal Student Aid, or FAFSA,submittals. Hawaiʻi’s FAFSA DataDashboard tracks the number ofcompleted applications at highschools statewide and illustratesschools’ progress comparared withother schools in the same complexarea or across the state, and overtime.

“Each year the federal govern-ment offers more than $150 billionin federal student aid to help stu-dents pay for college, including freegrant money that does not need tobe repaid, along with scholarships,loans and tuition assistance,” saidSupt. Kishimoto. “FAFSA applica-tions open the door to college accessfor our graduates. We want to re-mind parents that this aid is not al-

ways need-based and it is importantto complete applications as early aspossible to avoid any delays in re-ceiving aid.”

Since the opening of the currentFAFSA application period on Oct.1, 42 percent of high school seniorshave completed their applicationsas of January 11, an increase ofthree percentage points from thesame time a year ago. This comple-tion rate ranks Hawaiʻi as 11th high-est nationally.

HIDOE has set a goal to have 70percent of high school seniors com-plete the FAFSA in School Year(SY) 2018 and 90 percent in SY2020.

The federal deadline for onlineFAFSA applications is June 30,2019.

DeSoto

With the legislative session offto a productive start, I’ve beenparticularly inspired by the levelof civic engagement our studentsare demonstrating.

In January, I spent a weekendkicking off the 68th Annual Youthand Government legislativesession with the YMCA ofHonolulu and connected withstudents from across the state atthe 2019 Secondary StudentConference. There were livelydebates and well-informedquestions and discussionshappening among our state’sfuture leaders. These studentscould easily have been taken forseasoned adults with years of

experience in the legislativeprocess. It is crucial that weinstill in the next generation theimportance of civic engagement.

During the 2018 generalelection, voter turnout in Hawai‘iwas 53 percent — tied for an all-time low and down from 94percent in 1959, the year Hawai‘ibecame a state. This represents ahuge missed opportunity, and asadults we need to lead byexample. Even before they’re oldenough to vote, our students areshowing us they are aware of thedecisions being made on behalfof their generation.

This is why, for me, studentvoice is so critical and one of my

high-impactstrategies to advance the

goals of the Department. As weprepare our students for college,career and community, we wantthem to be engaged citizens whowill inspire others to care. Weneed to equip them to navigate theworld they are inheriting.

Legislative update: TheDepartment continues to monitorproposed bills that stand toimpact education in Hawai‘i,from the expansion of pre-kindergarten offerings to ourbudget request. (Visit our budgetpage at bit.ly/DOEbudget.)

On Jan. 23, the House FinanceCommittee gave initial approval

to the state’s base budget (HB2).However, HIDOE’s operatingbudget was removed from thisbill along with those of severalother state departments. Under anew method lawmakers are tryingthis year, our base budget will beincorporated into a bill introducedby what’s known as SubjectMatter Committee, in this case,the House Lower and HigherEducation Committee (LHE). Aseparate bill will also beintroduced by LHE to addressany incremental changes beyondthe base budget. If you would liketo lend your voice to this process,please contact your legislativerepresentative for your district.

Education Update is a monthly newsletter by the Department’s Communications Office, distributed to schools, the first Board of Education meeting of the month, and posted to HawaiiPublicSchools.org. We encourage submissions! Please contact us at the phone, email or social channels above.

EDUCATION UPDATE › FEBRUARY 2019 › BACK PAGE

CONNECT WITH US! HawaiiPublicSchools.org | 808-586-3230 | Email: doe_info@hawaiidoe.org | Social:

Supt’s Corner DR. CHRISTINA M. KISHIMOTO

Don’t Miss This! EVENTS, DEADLINES & FUN STUFF

‹‹‹ MAR 2-9

JOURNEY ACROSS THE UNIVERSENow in its 15th year, more than 70Gemini Observatory professionals andinformal educators will visit classroomsin Hilo-Waiākea, Honokaʻa, Paʻauilo,and Waimea in grades 2-12. The weekincludes portable planetarium shows,career panels, certification workshops,public colloquia titled, “Discovery, NewFrontiers, and Solar SystemExploration,” by NASA’s Brian Mitchell,and more! www.gemini.edu/journey

FEB 20-28 ›››

ACT EXAM FOR JUNIORSThe ACT is a curriculum-basedexamination that can provide helpfulinformation for all students, not justthose who are planning to attendcollege. Taking the ACT can give everystudent a measure of his or heracademic strengths and weaknesses inEnglish, Mathematics, Reading andWriting, and can be used for collegeentrance. Resources: www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation.html

MAR 1

READ ACROSS AMERICA DAYShare the joy of reading and celebrate21 years of the National EducationAssociation’s signature reading programwith a Dr. Seuss party in yourclassroom. Resources for the day andfor dynamic reading opportunities andevents year-round are available atwww.nea.org/readacrossamerica.

Practice QuestionWhen x = 3 and y = 5, byhow much does the value of3x2 – 2y exceed the value of2x2 – 3y?

Answer at bottom right of grid.

4

14

16

20

50

ACT Practice Question Answer: 14