Story and video by Kimberlee Bassford, Gen XIII, Windward CC
Photos by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
It was nice returning to Kapi‘olani Community College, which was the first repeat campus visit for our cohort. The last time we were here, Jackie and Jamie planned a day for us focused on sustainability. This time around, we got to experience a more eclectic mix of KapCC’s programs.
Then we were off to learn about dreams with human anatomy and physiology professor Sheryl Shook who teaches PHYL 160: The Science of Sleep. She started with a thought question: Why do we dream? After we shared our ideas, among them to process events in our waking lives, to learn new skills and to live out fantasies, she gave us a quick overview of four main topics that have come out of sleep research.
First, she shared that the word for sleep in Hawaiian culture is moe‘uhane, which translates to dream or sleep of the spirit, and said that Native Hawaiians believed that sleep was a way to meet with the ‘aumākua or ancestral guardian spirits. She then relayed that sleep is important in emotional healing as it allows us to replay events from our conscious lives without the charge of stress hormones. Like a survival strategy for the brain, dreams help us create clearer memories of important situations with calmer, wiser responses. By contrast, people who suffer from PTSD still feel stress in their dreams.
I found the next topic to be quite fascinating: sleep and facial expressions. Sheryl said that research has shown that people who do not dream enough misinterpret facial expressions, which could be especially problematic for those who experience chronic sleep deprivation because of their careers or socioeconomic status. I had never considered sleep wellness to be a social justice issue, but she made a convincing case for it.
Finally, dreams are related to problem solving as it seems creativity gets a boost from dreaming. Among the examples she shared were the structure of DNA, the riff from the Rolling Stones’s “Satisfaction” and the lyrics to Paul McCartney’s “Let It Be” all came from dreams. And the expression “to sleep on it” is found in many languages, but really based on the research, she said the phrase should be “to dream on it.” Sheryl then engaged us in a quick Jigsaw learner-centered activity where we broke into groups and became experts on one of the four topics and then taught it back to our groups.
In a role playing game, she turned us all into members of the Hawai‘i State Legislature. Jamie became Speaker of the House; Jackie became Senate President; and the rest of us became chairs or members of committees based on the roles on our name tags Susan had prepared for us. The exercise showed us how a bill becomes a law, as we each played our roles discussing, amending and voting on two mock bills. The footballs helped us track the paths of House Bill 12, which required students who are tardy to class to pay for pizza for the next class, and Senate Bill 34, which rewarded students doing well academically with free bus passes, as they were passed through the process, and we learned that the majority of progress happens via committees.
I could see why Susan won the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2011, as the role playing game really brought the legislative process alive for us!
While the previous two activities involved lots of talking, in Alex’s Find Your People sticker game, we had to stay absolutely mum! First, Alex put a sticker on each of our backs and then we had to silently and without the use of our hands try to form groups with the people with the same stickers as us.
After many kicks and head gestures, it became clear that everyone either had a X, O or check mark on their stickers except poor Kahale, who had a smiley face on her sticker. So the challenge became how do we get Kahale into one of our groups? Could she join the O group? “No,” said Alex. Could we put two Xs, one O and one check mark in a group (and have Kahale join one of the groups)? “No, that’s not the solution,” said Alex. Finally, we had Kahale leave the space completely and asked Alex if that was the solution. It was one of the solutions (although in the world of this game, Kahale would have earned a F for the class and we’d all earn As). The other solution was apparently for us all to quit the game. We then debriefed the game and how it can serve as a metaphor for life. Who are “our people” in life? How do we define ourselves? What differences and similarities do we focus on? I’m sure we’ll continue ruminating on this game and its lessons for weeks to come.
We then returned to the conference room for lunch (burritos and more from South Shore Grill on Monsarrat Avenue) and our business meeting where we hammered out a timeline for our special cohort project. Thanks to Jackie and Jamie for hosting another fabulous meeting at KapCC and for the brightly colored ceramic pots filled with rambutan. A huge mahalo to our tour guide, Sheldone Tawata, and amazing teachers for the day, Sheryl Shook, Susan Jaworowski, and Alex Salinas-Nakanishi. Thank you also to our drivers, Kelli Nakamura (Gen XII), Porscha dela Fuente (Gen X), our own Mitch Okamura, and Jamie's husband, Aaron, who served not only as as driver but food delivery person, and to Shellie Numazu, Virginia Yoshida, and Lance Akana for their support. And a special mahalo to the Department of Education's Office of Hawaiian Education for providing our portable recycled utensils.
It was a thought-provoking day overall and a great way to end 2019 together. 'See you all in 2020!
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"Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water,
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Then we were off to the culinary program kitchen for an ‘ulu demonstration by former WoLC and chef Martina Hilldorfer and her CULN 121 students. Little did we know that the demonstration was pretty much a four-course meal, all of it featuring ‘ulu that had been grown at Kaua‘i CC’s own ‘ulu orchard (more on that later)!
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Chef Martina and her students greeted us with ‘ulu marinated like artichoke hearts. The punchy flavor woke up our palettes as many of us enjoyed our first taste of ‘ulu. The starchy fruit, which was considered a famine food in ancient Hawai‘i but is a staple around Oceania, is often compared to potatoes. So it was fitting that our next course was ‘ulu “potato style” salad. It was the perfect picnic dish–homey and hearty! And the bits of celery and onions added a nice crunch.
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Now with our bellies full of ‘ulu, it was time to venture over to Kaua‘i CC’s “upper 40” to see the ‘ulu growing in the orchard. While the original plan was to have us walk there, the early morning downpour resulted in lots of mud on the road, so botany professor Brian Yamamoto instead shuttled over us in a pickup truck (making two different trips). Thanks Brian!
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The 64-tree orchard is the first scientifically designed field experiment studying the potential of ‘ulu as a major field crop. According to the Ulutopia website (www.kauai.hawaii.edu/ulutopia), the objectives of the project are to create a teaching plot where students can learn agricultural-based field methodology, study the effects of cultural practices on the growth and yield of breadfruit, determine the effect of fertilizers and cover crops on breadfruit pests, diseases and soil microorganisms, and help the community by providing breadfruit plants as a source of food.
Brian shared with us that the orchard yields two harvests a year instead of the usual one. And then we got to work serving as his research assistants measuring the trunks of the trees and shouting out the numbers as Brian recorded the data in the project binder. Ducking down under the tree branches to get to the trunks was a challenge at times, but everyone seemed happy to be part of the Ulutopia research team. We even got to harvest and taste some of the ripe fruit, which had more of a jackfruit flavor than the cooked ‘ulu we had tried earlier.
Then it was back to campus for plate lunches from Epic Eats (despite all the ‘ulu, I still managed to eat!) and our meeting, in which we began formulating our cohort project: a social media campaign focusing on faculty stories from around the system.
Thanks to Michael and Shaunte for planning such a fun and productive day for us! We left with concrete plans for our project, a lot more knowledge of ‘ulu and an ‘ulu parting gift. |
Story and photos by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
Video by Kimberlee Bassford, Gen XIII, Windward CC
Video by Kimberlee Bassford, Gen XIII, Windward CC
We're baaaaack! Leeward CC was the destination for our post-summer break reunion, and we took full advantage of our time together. Kelsie and Michelle packed a full morning of food, fellowship, and campus experiences into our agenda; in the afternoon, we all came together and outlined our Gen XIII project (yay!), and we kept the party going with an after-hours excursion to a local distillery.
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Previous generation LCC Wo's William Albritton (Gen X), Warren Kawano (Gen X), and Summer Miles (Gen XII) joined us as we started our day with an engaging chat with recently appointed Leeward CC Chancellor Carlos Peñaloza. The Chancellor shared his journey from Venezuela to New York, then Kansas to Hawai‘i. Hearing him speak so passionately about his work with underserved populations and how connected he remains to previous students was truly inspiring, and it's exciting that the UHCC system has gained such an energizing leader!
After talking story and catching each other up on our summer breaks, Teacher Education faculty Jeff Judd and Michael Cawdery showed up to collect us and lead us on a tour of their beautiful new digs. 'Imi 'Ike is home to the Associate of Arts in Teaching program. The LEED-certified building houses classrooms, offices, a community events space and collaborative workspace for students. We had the opportunity to see the thoughtfully planned classrooms that accommodate a variety of configurations and approaches to instruction and wrapped up with morning tea in the student gathering space that was designed to build community and provide a sense of place for LCC's preservice teacher candidates. Here, we discussed and debated math education, specifically pondering how we can bolster elementary teachers' content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and confidence in math instruction.
After teacher ed., we moved outdoors for a visit to the automotive technology program. Here, our fantastically informative former graduate and current student tour guide, Camille Basa, showed us the ropes. Camille was a perfect transition from teacher education to automotive technology, as after graduating, she plans to teach automotive tech at a local high school. She guided us through a world of cars, trucks and automotive parts of every kind, introducing us to the various modules and their respective instructors and students. Milton Ayakawa, Eric Pang and Jeff Eligio discussed everything from the Ford ASSET program to the evolution (and vast improvement) of engines. Mark Lacasandile set up an exciting demo of an airbag deployment. We all gathered around with the students, armed ourselves with protective eyewear and readied our cameras as Mark counted down...3...2...1.........After several failed attempts to deploy the airbag (and many anticipatory photos), we moved on with the tour, revisiting at the end to try again: 3...2...1.......same result. We all got a good laugh out of it, though we were a little sad for the students to miss out on the finale. After saying our mahalos and goodbyes, we made our way back toward the middle of campus, and just as we were nearly out of earshot, we heard the "POP!" followed by a round of applause :)
Our next stop was the library for an informative presentation on Open Educational Resources (OER) by OER champions Wayde Oshiro, Leanne Riseley and Junie Hayashi. They talked to us about the system-wide OER network, how they encourage and support OER on their campus, and offered realistic advice for initiating, incentivizing and growing OER efforts at our own campus. Leeward has recently achieved 40% textbook cost 0 courses, thanks in no small part to the efforts of these folks!
Our last stop on this well-rounded whirlwind tour of LCC was the stunning new theater building, where our host Don Ranney regaled us with stories of productions past and shared the rich history and present state of the theater facilities and program at Leeward CC. Don is a truly engaging storyteller, and it was a treat to be able to tour the theater with someone with so much historical knowledge to share. But what is a trip to the theater without a performance? We were extremely fortunate to witness both musical and theatrical performances from Jessica Choi's piano student, who played a piece she'd recently performed in competition, and Loretta Tan's theater students, who performed a self-written production entitled 'The P Word', in which they drew upon their own unique perspectives and lived experiences to tackle issues of privilege. The student performances were certainly a highlight! The talent and enthusiasm (and sheer courage!!!) in the students' performances was inspiring, and we were all grateful for their willingness to share their time and gifts with us.
We returned back to home base in the Education building, energized and inspired to re-address our Gen XIII project over lunch. While we now have a consensus, I will leave the details to a later post as we continue developing our plans, but I believe we were all grateful to have identified a purpose! More details to come...
We wrapped the official Wo meeting and said a hui hou to several of our Wohana who had to head off. The remainder of us continued on to our post-Wo tour of Kō Hana, where we learned about the fascinating history of the former pineapple plantation, turned sugar cane farm, turned distillery. Kō Hana uses native Hawaiian heirloom sugar cane varietals to produce its unique rum. We were able to see the various types of sugar cane growing outside the facility; the stalks are hand-harvested, pressed into juice in the field, and distilled on site. We sampled freshly pressed sugar cane juice, five types of rum, rum-infused chocolate from Mānoa chocolate factory, rum cake, and barrel-aged honey. Several of us walked away with the honey, and we all had a great time. Mahalo nui loa to Kō Hana for comping this experience and to Kelsie and Michelle for setting it up - I believe several of us will be booking the tour with guests in the future!
Story and photos by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
Video by Kimberlee Bassford, Gen XIII, Windward CC
Video by Kimberlee Bassford, Gen XIII, Windward CC
Our last meeting of the year took us to Maui College, where Whitney and Jeff hosted us for an engaging day of creativity, team building, and brainstorming. We were greeted with a sinfully delicious breakfast spread, including highly coveted Maui Krispy Kreme donuts, Joyce Yamada's (Gen VIII) addictive tapioca pudding with mandarin slices, Jeff's homemade granola (which happened to pair wonderfully with the topioca!), fresh fruits, yogurt, and bacon for the keto folks, thanks to Whitney.
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While fueling ourselves for the day, Chancellor Lui Hokoana welcomed us and talked story about his journey to UHMC.
The next hour was spent touring the campus with Associate Professor of Art, Mike Takemoto. We started with the crowning jewel of UHMC, an amazing two-story mural adorning the Ka‘a‘ike building, which serves as the main focal point of the campus. The mural itself is fascinating, and the story of its genesis is equally compelling. A true testament to the richness of the experience and support present in the UHCC environment, this mural was born out of a class project. Student Kammy Kaiwi requested to work on a mural for his art class, and when his sketch was complete, it became apparent that the artwork was worthy of a prominent canvas on campus. It took a year for Kammy to complete the mural, with the help of Mike Takemoto and other UHMC art faculty. Even the chancellor pitched in, captaining the lift from time to time. Mike relayed that every once in awhile, a passerby would stop to admire the progress and offer a suggestion ("Hey - you should add dolphins in the water...") that would be integrated into the painting. The mural depicts three phases of the traditional Makahiki season. A great deal of research informed the portrayal of the people, food, and events in the work, and Ho‘oulu, the UHMC student newspaper, published a fantastic article on the details (A Thought, a Dream, a Vision and Success!).
Our tour took us all around campus, where we visited "Dolphin", created in 1987 by then Maui Community College welders Linlee Boulet, Eric Sato, Gwen Brush with the support of their instructor John Ringen. We also saw "A Path Through the Trees", created by Satoru Abe, a small grove of patina-covered bronze sculptures. A new-to-its-location installation of heavy cast bronze sculptures anchored in rock, called "Na Moku ‘Ekolu (The Three Islands)" was created by Sean K. L. Browne and came to UHMC through the Art in Public Spaces program. "Kūlapa Kai (To Frolic in the Ocean)" was a gift to the campus. It's a sculpture of a monk seal and her pup carved in New Zealand marble. Many forms of student artwork was showcased throughout the outdoor spaces.
From there, we moved on to visit the Library, a veritable art gallery in itself. In the atrium, we saw "Nalu Analua (The Wave Cave)", carved and donated by Maui woodworker David Mouffe. The base of the 1,000 lb. sculpture is carved from a monkeypod tree. Cascading down from the ceiling above was "The Art in the Everyday Community Quilt". This social engagement project, led by visiting artist Laura Phelps Rogers, is currently visiting the UHMC library before moving on to travel the world through 2023. The intent is to celebrate the everyday through creatively interacting with common items around us. Upstairs in the library, we saw more student works, from sketches and paintings to ceramics and quilts.
After being inspired by the diversity of art around campus, it was our turn to step behind the easel. UHMC graduate and artist Malorie Arisumi led us in a fun and engaging creative expression session with acrylics. We had a great time painting (and often laughing at ourselves) as we all followed the guidance of our kumu.
While we shared the subject of lily pads floating in water and even walked through the same procedures, it was fascinating how every Wo had their own unique result.
During and after lunch, which was an ōno selection of quite possibly the biggest bentos I've ever seen, we reported out on our legacy projects, finalized revisions to the Wo awards, addressed requests for funding, and planned for our fall meetings. Most of our discussion was aimed at homing topics, outcomes, and formats of our special project, which may (or may not) focus on the theme "Why [I'm at my] community college," "Why I teach, counsel, etc." and/or "How to keep the joy [in what you do]" and may (or may not) include podcasts, professional development workshops, and/or an unconference. There was a lot of solid brainstorming, and it seems we're circling around some key themes, but for now, we're sitting with it over the summer break and hoping to jump back in this fall with renewed energy and clarity. Mahalo nui loa to Whitney, Jeff, Lui, Mike, Malorie and the Maui Wos of the past generations who generously provided transportation and food - it was a wonderful day! For now, I'm wishing everyone some time to relax and recharge in the sunshine this summer, and looking forward to reuniting and continuing our journey in the fall! A hui hou, Wohana!
Story and video by Kimberlee Bassford, Gen XIII, Windward CC
Photos by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
For our third meeting, we ventured to Kap‘iolani Community College where Jackie and Jamie brought the theme of sustainability to life. Sustainability is a buzz word these days for obvious reasons: we live on islands, we’re running out of fossil fuels, and we’re changing the planet with disastrous consequences. Sustainability is also a UH System-wide initiative with new programs and classes cropping up on all campuses. The activities of the day, however, illuminated how multidimensional sustainability can be and how simply one can put it into practice.
Photos by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
For our third meeting, we ventured to Kap‘iolani Community College where Jackie and Jamie brought the theme of sustainability to life. Sustainability is a buzz word these days for obvious reasons: we live on islands, we’re running out of fossil fuels, and we’re changing the planet with disastrous consequences. Sustainability is also a UH System-wide initiative with new programs and classes cropping up on all campuses. The activities of the day, however, illuminated how multidimensional sustainability can be and how simply one can put it into practice.
Our meals, for instance, were nearly zero waste. Jackie and Jamie brought their own serving containers, bowls, plates, even coffee mugs from home, and Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation donated reusable bamboo sporks. Being eco-conscious made the food (especially the Korean lunch from Young’s Kal bee) that much more scrumptious. |
During our breakfast potluck, we also got to meet some past WoLCs from Kapi‘olani. Joining us were Laure Burke (Gen V), Vern Ogata (Gen VI), ‘Iwalani Koide (Gen VII), LaVache Scanlan (Gen VII), Wendy Kuntz (Gen X), Annie Thomas (Gen XI) and Kelli Nakamura (Gen XII).
We then learned about how sustainability can bring seemingly disparate disciplines together. We met KapCC’s Sustainability Project team, comprised of Dr. Kathleen Ogata (Chemistry), Ronald Takahashi and Chef David Brown (Culinary) and our own Jackie Lindo (Economics), who won the 2018 UH President’s Green Project Award. For more on this impressive project, visit the KCC Sustainability Project page.
Ron presented us with some staggering statistics. For instance, did you know that:
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Ron then shared what he and the culinary program have been doing to create a sustainable food service initiative at the college such as using biodegradable disposables, converting to LED lights, planting edible gardens, composting food waste and using waste cooking oil to generate biodiesel fuel.
That’s when Kathy stepped in to explain how she and her chemistry students create the biodiesel fuel (by combining the waste oil with potassium hydroxide and methanol). The other byproduct in the chemical reactions is glycerin, which can be used as a degreaser, as fertilizer for the garden, in la‘au lapa‘au (Hawaiian medicinal practices) and to make soaps and candles. |
Enter Jackie and her ECON 130: Principles of Microeconomic course, in which she has students propose their own soap companies and in doing so put into practice key economic principles like waste reduction and reduced resource extraction. Her students do market research on soap, collaborate with caretakers of the campus native garden, come up with their own recipes for the soaps, make the soaps, strategize branding and packaging and then present their projects to the campus community. Her student Beau Fujii shared his group’s proposed company Huali‘ili‘i (meaning “little bubbles”), and it was clear that he learned so much through the process. What a brilliant way to infuse economic theory, ‘āina-based learning and indigenous knowledge! |
Jackie’s and Beau’s presentations also connected to our service-learning for the day as we got to make our own candles from glycerin. The Kapi‘olani CC ceramics students generously donated some of their beautiful work (thank you!).
It was a fun process of pouring various chemicals, including what would have otherwise been waste from the creation of biofuel, bringing our mixture to a boil and then letting it cool in ceramic candle holders.
We also got to experience other aspects of The Sustainability Project. Chef Dave Brown took us to see the edible gardens on campus where we got to taste finger limes … zesty! He also showed us the forced-air composter and vermi-composting (earthworm composting) bins. On our way back to the classroom, we spotted the Cooking Up a Rainbow food truck, which serves as a mobile, hands-on classroom for culinary students and delivers healthy meals to keiki at six meal sites out in the community during the summer.
The campus tour and hands-on activities were definitely inspiring. But hearing more from Jackie about her class and also talking with KapCC’s sustainability curriculum coordinator (and WoLC Gen VII) Krista Hiser made me think more seriously about the ways I could incorporate sustainability in my own teaching.
For instance, I loved how Jackie takes her students on the Tour de Trash, where they follow the path of opala from blue, green and grey bins to their respective sorting, composting and waste-to-energy facilities. And Krista made it seem like a no-brainer to consider making courses at least S-Related (indicating that the course includes a significant assignment related to sustainability), if not S-Focused (meaning sustainability is a major theme of the course).
During lunch, we got to business and debriefed HSSI and started brainstorming our cohort project, a process we’ll continue at our next gathering.
For instance, I loved how Jackie takes her students on the Tour de Trash, where they follow the path of opala from blue, green and grey bins to their respective sorting, composting and waste-to-energy facilities. And Krista made it seem like a no-brainer to consider making courses at least S-Related (indicating that the course includes a significant assignment related to sustainability), if not S-Focused (meaning sustainability is a major theme of the course).
During lunch, we got to business and debriefed HSSI and started brainstorming our cohort project, a process we’ll continue at our next gathering.
I left the meeting with a list of notes on how I might revamp my courses to incorporate sustainability issues. And sustainability is potentially one of the areas our cohort wants to explore for its project. Thanks Jackie and Jamie for planting the seeds!
Special thanks to our Wo drivers, Wendy Kuntz (Gen X), Annie Thomas (Gen XI) and Kelli Nakamura (Gen XII) for airport transportation, the past generation Kapi‘olani Wos for joining us in our potluck breakfast, our amazing faculty and student presenters, Kaili Chun and her ceramics students for donating their beautiful cups, and Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation for donating reusable sporks!
Photos by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
The Hawai‘i Student Success Institute was a fantastic day of community building and learning!
Mahalo to the Wos of past and present for gathering for our extended Wohana photo - Once a Wo, Always a Wo!
The Hawai‘i Student Success Institute was a fantastic day of community building and learning!
Mahalo to the Wos of past and present for gathering for our extended Wohana photo - Once a Wo, Always a Wo!
Here are just a few Wo-filled photos snapped between volunteering, presenting, attending sessions, chatting with students and colleagues, and eating! Mahalo to the organizers, volunteers, presenters (especially our students, who took time out of their busy lives to share their experience and insights with us!) and attendees for a wonderful event!
Story, photos and video by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
Windward Community College was the second destination on the Gen XIII itinerary. We’d all been in touch at a distance over the course of the last month and were excited to be reuniting for another day of inspiration and learning. Mahalo to Kim and Christian for planning a day that exceeded our expectations!
Arriving to Windward campus, I was awestruck by the beauty and serenity of my surroundings. The Koʻolau mountains cascaded down into the sprawling, green landscape accented by beautiful, Spanish Mission Revival architecture.
Arriving to Windward campus, I was awestruck by the beauty and serenity of my surroundings. The Koʻolau mountains cascaded down into the sprawling, green landscape accented by beautiful, Spanish Mission Revival architecture.
Our first order of business was to catch up with our fellow Wos over an amazing breakfast spread provided by Chef Dan Swift and the Hiilaniwai Foodservice Innovations Training Program team. During breakfast, Kim and Christian introduced us to their campus and our team building activity, including stories and artifacts of their work with students. We all received copies of the student newspaper, Ka ‘Ohana, which provided campus and local community insights and served as an impressive example of applied learning. We also viewed a trailer for a documentary that the Windward CC Creative Media students are creating on Kawainui Marsh, the site of our service learning activity for the morning. The documentary will examine the complicated controversy surrounding the Kawainui-Hamakua Marsh Complex Master Plan, exploring concerns for conservation, infrastructure, education, tourism and efforts to mitigate human interference while acting to ensure the native ecosystem thrives.
At Kawainui Marsh, Kim and Christian introduced us to our guide and kumu for the morning, Lehuakona Isaacs. Lehuakona is the president of ʻAhahui Mālama I Ka Lōkahi, a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving native Hawaiian ecosystems. One of the stewardship programs of the organization is the restoration of the wetlands at Nā Pōhaku o Hauwahine.
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They have brought hundreds of students into the area for education, conservation and work study projects and host community workdays on the third Saturday of every month. Lehuakona educated us on the history and current state of Kawainui Marsh, the largest wetland in the state of Hawai‘i and site of the earliest known inland settlements in the Hawaiian Islands. We learned that the Ramsar Convention, an environmental branch of the United Nations, recognizes Kawainui Marsh as a "Wetland of International Importance,” helping bolster efforts to preserve the center of the Kailua ahupua’a.
Lehuakona led us up the trail to an overlook with a humbling view of the expansive wetlands below.
ʻAhahui Mālama I Ka Lōkahi is currently working to recreate the native lowland forest across 12 acres, planting 80 different species of native Hawaiian and early Polynesian plants. From our vantage point, we could view the three ponds where the water levels are controlled to provide habitats for various native wetland birds. We also learned about Nā Pōhaku o Hauwahine, the rocks of the Hawaiian Mo‘o guardian of Kawainui Marsh. The lizard-like goddess is said to have sunned herself on the large rocks, presiding over the land and ensuring that its resources were shared fairly among the people.
We worked diligently in the time we had, carefully picking, digging, pulling up and carrying away invasive plants while leaving Aunty Waimea’s ti plants to flourish. It was rewarding to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. Learning about the long history of Kawainui Marsh and helping to prepare for an optimistic future for this ‘āina brought a welcome sense of perspective.
Back at Windward CC, we cleaned up and enjoyed an ‘ono lunch of multigrain rice, fresh garden veggies, steamed ginger fish with red velvet mochi, lemon cake and peanut butter cookies for dessert. The entire meal was so satisfying after working up an appetite all morning, but there was one dish that a clear crowd favorite: the uala hummus with kabocha! We enthusiastically inquired with Chef Dan about the recipe, which he graciously shared with us. Here are the notes, directly from him. Just click the image to open a PDF version of this recipe - you’ll definitely want to give this one a try!
The rest of our day was focused on WoLC business. Louise reviewed the expectations of Wo Learning Champions, and we deliberated over the Wo award applications, discussed potential changes to the awards in the future, planned for the upcoming Hawai‘i Student Success Institute, and selected our Gen XIII swag for guests, volunteers and presenters. We received our Gen XIII Wo shirts, which we will debut at HS2I, and Mitch created and gifted custom Wo Learning Champion stickers to all of us in our unofficial, official color (mahalo nui, Mitcho!).
I finished the day with a sense of accomplishment and an overwhelming sense of gratitude - gratitude for the good fortune to live in such a beautiful place on this Earth, for the perspective brought by our experience at Kawai Nui, for the selfless efforts of people like Lehuakona and ʻAhahui Mālama I Ka Lōkahi, and for the opportunity to spend the next year and a half on this journey with such inspiring people. I am so grateful to be a part of our Wohana!
Story and video by Kimberlee Bassford, Gen XIII, Windward CC
Photos by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
Photos by Jamie Sickel, Gen XIII, Kapi‘olani CC
Generation XIII officially kicked off today on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. A huge mahalo to Neva and Toni for hosting us and for organizing a thought-provoking and productive day at Hawai‘i Community College.
We crossed the field, took off our shoes and entered the hale, where the HLS students and faculty continued to greet us with ‘oli and dance. I had never heard an ‘oli chanted (or rather sung) in harmony before. It was beautiful. And each member of the group moved with such purpose and conviction. It was like each of them truly wanted each of us–who were strangers–to feel welcome.
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Thanks to Steve, Gen VII, and Neva for making early runs to the airport to pick most of us up!
We knew we were in for something special from the Kīpaepae we received from the I Ola Hāloa Center for Hawai‘i Life Styles. Gazing across the field at the kihei-adorned HLS members chanting at full volume, the energy was palpable. The beats of the pahu (drums) reverberated; the sound of the pū (conch shells) echoed through the air. |
Director of Hawaiian culture and protocols engagement Dr. Taupōuri Tangarō set the tone for the day–and for our 18 months–with inspiring remarks, harkening to our mission as Wo Learning Champions. He told us to strive for innovation and to reflect on our passions and why we pursued careers in education. He reminded us of the importance of leadership and how it comes from all levels in the UHCC system. He acknowledged diversity and the system-wide initiative to indigenize the curriculum. To truly transform our students and communities, however, he said we must know ourselves and where we came from.
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He also shared the deeper meaning of the pahu and pū. The pahu, which was the first sound we heard, is a reminder of our connection to one another. Just as the first sound we hear in our mothers’ wombs is her heartbeat and our fetal hearts find rhythm with hers, he said we need to find rhythm with the universe. The pū and its oceanic origins reminds us that Hawaiians and all native peoples migrated, adapted and innovated. So should we. The Kīpaepae ended with each of us and our hosts touching noses, breathing in the same shared space.
The rest of the morning introduced us to the innovative programs at Hawai‘i CC. We visited a classroom where students design model homes.
Later, we drove to see one of the homes–the program’s 52nd–being built. As I walked through the frame of the house, it was easy to imagine how this program transforms lives. It provides the homeowners and the students who build the homes a solid foundation for their future. |
We also met agriculture instructor Lew Nakamura and learned of the unique partnerships between his program and with Hilo High School (offering dual credit courses) and with the college’s culinary program. We later visited the Agricultural Farm Laboratory and marveled at the rows of pristine lettuce and herbs in the greenhouse, many of which we got to enjoy at lunch.
Lunch, which was so generously hosted by Lew and the culinary and Farm to Table programs, was an event. Everyone wanted to bring home the kai choi soup. It’s just the thing that would hit the spot on a rainy Hilo day–or any day really. The greenhouse salad, smoked meat and assortment of desserts (chocolate mochi, butter mochi, cookies and blueberry cheesecake) rounded out a memorable and thoroughly satisfying meal.
Lunch, which was so generously hosted by Lew and the culinary and Farm to Table programs, was an event. Everyone wanted to bring home the kai choi soup. It’s just the thing that would hit the spot on a rainy Hilo day–or any day really. The greenhouse salad, smoked meat and assortment of desserts (chocolate mochi, butter mochi, cookies and blueberry cheesecake) rounded out a memorable and thoroughly satisfying meal.
Then it was time for business. Perhaps it was Dr. Tangarō’s call for us to be in rhythm with the universe that our generation settled on our shirt in 20 minutes flat. Louise had us drill each other’s names into our brains: Toni, Shaunte, Jackie, Kim, Christian, Jamie, Michelle, Mitch, Kahale, Whitney, Jeff, Neva, Kelsie, Michael, Louise … got it! We talked about the Hawai'i Student Success Institute, started brainstorming our group project and shared what was on our minds.
As I sit on the plane back to O‘ahu, my mind is brimming with ideas for our meeting #2 next month at WinCC. And I know I’m in for a meaningful and transformative 18 months together.
As I sit on the plane back to O‘ahu, my mind is brimming with ideas for our meeting #2 next month at WinCC. And I know I’m in for a meaningful and transformative 18 months together.
Welcome to the new home of Wo Learning Champions on the World Wide Web! This space is a work in progress as we transition into Generation XIII. We hope to breathe new life into the web presence of WoLC while honoring the generations who came before us and highlighting the history of the WoLC ohana. You are welcome to watch this space, and check back often, as we will be blogging about our experiences and efforts beginning in January 2019. |
We will be highlighting many of the transformative learning experiences and outstanding initiatives happening across the University of Hawai‘i Community College system as we visit a new campus each month, beginning in January 2019. In the meantime, please check out the rest of our new site or follow us on social media.
Mahalo for your interest!
Mahalo for your interest!