Spark & Inspire
April 16, 2019
Hawai‘i State Capitol Auditorium
5-8pm
HawaiiKidsCAN and Teach For America Hawaiʻi are incredibly excited to co-host Spark & Inspire - an evening focused on innovative ideas driven by local educators. We hope to provide a platform to showcase locally-grounded education innovators and bring these edupreneurs together with experts, policy makers, funders, and decision makers in order to access networks, resources, and supports to cultivate their ideas. Spark & Inspire will feature presenters sharing their bright ideas and "ask" with a panel of advisers. An ask might be a request for feedback, expert support, or a solicitation for partnerships and resources. Expect to hear about ideas that: ● Have the potential to scale or impact the broader system ● Will create a legacy of impact over many years ● Demonstrate collective impact or partnership with others Throughout the evening, presenters, advisers, and audience members will have the opportunity to network. We hope to facilitate interactions between stakeholders in our educational community to spark new ideas and inspire a renewed commitment to uplift all kids in Hawaiʻi. Advisers: ● Catherine Payne, Chairperson, Hawaiʻi State Board of Education ● Dr. Christina Kishimoto, Superintendent, Hawaiʻi State DOE ● Ian Kitajima, Director of Corporate Development, Oceanit ● Jack Wong, CEO, Kamehameha Schools ● John Komeiji, President and General Manager, Hawaiian Telcom ● Micah Kane, President and CEO, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation ● Terry George, President and CEO, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation
Eduprenuers
Bill Chen, Kahakai Elementary
Mathieu Williams, Kealakehe Intermediate
Ka Hale o ka Lanakila
Bill and Mathieu's project seeks to create a shared learning space for students from multiple schools to lead and explore their learning in the areas of STEM, media, and culture. In this learning space, students will be able to access resources and community experts and fuel their learning. They are co-designing this project with students, families, and community members.
Brigitte Russo, Waiʻanae Intermediate
Mālama Based Learning
For her project, Brigitte adopted an acre of park at Keawaʻula. She is working to make this space a living lab for her students, removing invasive species, improving the land, learning the history of the place, and changing mindsets about the beach. This is paired with a plan to build a greenhouse at her school so that the students can plant seedlings of native plants, to replant at Keawaʻula.
Christopher Pike, Hōnaunau Elementary
South Kona Community Health & Education Center
Topher has been working with his complex area to establish the first school-based clinic on Hawaiʻi Island. They are now looking to develop the clinic into a full service health center that can service the entire South Kona community. This includes offering behavioral health services, parent resources, and community spaces.
Juan Espinal, Konawaena Elementary
Karina Hernandez, Konawaena High School
Kevin Argueta, Kahakai Elementary
Maestros Vibe
These three teachers launched a weekly podcast reflecting on education as it interacts with culture, traditions, and students. They hope to turn this into a movement and community that uplifts marginalized voices and helps to impact systems change in education.
Sponsors
Hosted by
HawaiiKidsCAN
Founded in 2017, HawaiiKidsCAN is a local nonprofit education advocacy organization dedicated to empowering communities with accessible information and helping elevate community voices and concerns to build the conditions for all students in Hawai‘i to thrive. In our first year of operation, HawaiiKidsCAN has focused on expanding equity and innovation in education, working with students and community members to drive policy change at the Hawai‘i State Legislature and Board of Education. Visit us on the web at hawaiikidscan.org.
Teach For America Hawaiʻi
Since 2006 on O‘ahu and 2009 on Hawai‘i Island, Teach For America Hawai‘i has recruited and developed over 800 educational leaders. Beginning as teachers serving public school students affected by poverty, the alumni of our program continue to work across career sectors – including education, law, business, medicine, and government – to improve opportunities for young people and advocate for educational equity. As a native and rural region of Teach For America, we work with local and national partners to provide all students with access to an education that empowers them to be authentic leaders of our local and global communities. For more information about our region, visit www.teachforamerica.org/hawaii and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.