Today was a great reminder of how STEMS^2 will enhance my teaching and classes this school year. The first email in my inbox was a congratulations from Chevron Grants for Education informing me that my joint grant proposal with our 7th grade Mathematics teacher who also runs ULS Moonshot Academy, our 10th/11th English teacher who also teaches the Hula, and our Hawaiian Language teacher who also teaches Hawaiian Studies, “is one of 27 grants that has been fully or partially-funded”. Our project is a rejuvenation of our school courtyard garden, which was up for grabs at the beginning of the school year the Project Pono elective was discontinued. For all of the years I have been teaching at University Laboratory School (ULS), Project Pono students have cared for the garden and carried out projects related to sustainability and being “pono” which included beach clean-ups, service-learning, and community-outreach projects.
I have long wanted more than the small boxed in planter area that I have used for the past four years, and this year with STEMS^2 in mind, I am more motivated than ever to plant more than just black-eyed peas and corn with my students. We will also study our ahupua‘a of Manoa for the first time in order to increase our studies of biodiversity while sharing data and cultural information with students in Papua New Guinea and with a new partner school in Washington state.
Our garden plans: Hawaiian studies, Hula, and 7th grade science students will collaborate on mapping existing plants in the garden, decide what to keep and what to remove (into pots if possible to offer for home gardens), and what to put aside for compost. The elective students, 30 or so 10th through 12th graders will do the heavy lifting and digging while the 7th graders help with their (soon to be) knowledge of gardening later this semester. Moonshot Academy will continue and expand their aquaponics system, which would be a great way to test non-soil growth of native plants. By the end of the school year we hope to have plants to use for making lei for hula and graduation and other plants that can be cooked outdoors in the garden or used for other traditional Hawaiian cultural purposes. On our list are: palapaki, laua‘e, plumeria, kupukupu, mamaki, taro, and possibly maile. Any suggestions for others that would do well in the lower Manoa area?
In my other classes, this year’s 9th graders have decided to adopt a Hawaiian Monk Seal as our class mascot for the year. You can adopt your own class monk seal from the Hawaiian Monk Seal Foundation. It’s more of a foster care thing because it isn’t permanent and you are not the only adopters, but you do get a plush monk seal and a certificate! We are also following the Worldwide Voyage to track Hokule‘a’s progress through the Indian Ocean Basin and have our first field study set up to visit the NOAA Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center this month to Skype live with scientists onboard the Okeanos Explorer which is mapping the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Congratulations on getting your grant fulfilled. Sounds like you have some great projects ahead. Do you plan only to plant indigenous Hawaiin plants or is their room to cultivate others? I ask, because a neat project is having kids learn about companion planting or establishing plant guilds. These are plants that, when planted together, benefit each other in interesting ways. Also including insect repelling and conversely, pollinater attracting plants is cool and important. Finding out whats what can be a fun research project. I'm actually doing that at home right now and plan to implement with students when I start back up teaching.
ReplyDeleteAwesome that you've connected with the Hi Monk Seal Foundation - what a great way to bring awareness of endangered species to kids :)
Ho'omaika'i on getting that grant!!!! I think creating a mala to plant Native Hawaiian plants, malama it, and then have your students use it will make a huge impact on their connection with nature and the 'aina.
ReplyDeleteThere are some Native Hawaiian plants that are good for la'au lapa'au (traditional healing) like 'olena. There are other plants that are stable foods like kalo, 'uala, and ulu. I hope your students find pride in physical work and seeing the plants grow!
I love that you have a partnership with a school in Papua New Guinea. Cultural exchanges with students can be very powerful. They are able to compare and contrast cultures and to find understanding and compassion for different peoples. We have partnerships with Native American tribes and Maori groups, which our students love to exchange mana'o.
Phil
Jen -
ReplyDeleteYou inspire me! How exciting to get a grant! I need to learn from you & step out of my comfort box! Iʻm looking forward to hearing about all of your future endeavors! I wish I had an area to plant, but with my non-green thumb that might not be the best. Iʻll live vicariously through you!
Thanks for sharing - Charisse
Wow Jen so impressed with the grant and wonderful ideas for plants, later you might be able to ck with the grounds keepers for UH and ask if they have some native plants that they would be willing to share w/ you and your students - ask for Alika he helped PAULINE CHINN with native plants that they planted around the College of ED. Great resource.
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