Richard Ha writes:

Lately I have learned a lot about Keaukaha Elementary School.

Such as that the school cannot afford to take its students on field trips. The field trips its students usually take are walking excursions around the neighborhood.

My friend Duane Kanuha and I have this big idea, and we’re asking for your help: We want to send Keaukaha students on excursions that broaden their horizons and help them develop excitement for learning and positive attitudes about their place in the world. It’s my opinion that if Hawaiian kids are comfortable with their place in the world, they will not hesitate to participate in that world.

I’m specifically thinking about excursions to Hilo’s new astronomy center ‘Imiloa. ‘Imiloa is particularly powerful because it situates the Hawaiian culture and scientific knowledge in parity with the highest level of astronomy. It is a “discovery center” that celebrates both science (the world-class astronomy atop nearby Mauna Kea) and Hawaiian culture (including the marvels of traditional Hawaiian voyaging, navigation and much more).

It’s a place where Hawaiian kids see that there are careers and avocations directly related to their culture, and that these cultural traditions are important enough that they are celebrated in a world-class museum. And that the people pursuing these careers and passions are people who look just like them and their families.

Through my involvement with the advisory board of the UHH’s Keaholoa STEM program (a group that supports college-age Native Hawaiian students in Math and Sciences) I have learned that the most important years for a child are the formative years from Kindergarten to 8th grade. Children need to be engaged between K and 8th grade in order to be successful at the college level in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

I’ve also learned that between Kindergarten and 8th grade is when children develop their beliefs about their place in the world.

I compare the situation at Keaukaha Elementary to that of my grandson Kapono, a Kamehameha Schools student who thinks that all his school’s incredible facilities and programs are “normal.” It’s all he knows. Consequently, nothing is beyond his horizon.

I also think of St. Joseph’s School. Hamakua Farms donated some produce as part of a recent St. Joseph’s fundraiser, which the school held at Restaurant Kaikodo. The fundraiser raised $10,000.

These schools have the funds and the ability to nurture their students through those important “formative” years. But what about students at schools like Keaukaha Elementary School, which doesn’t have adequate funding and where students do not have access to the same sorts of resources?

I asked Lehua Veincent, Keaukaha Elementary School’s principal, how much it would cost to send each class at Keaukaha Elementary School on an excursion to ‘Imiloa twice a year. With a 50-passenger bus costing about $300, and entry fees at $5.50 per student, it would cost about $600 for each class to take one trip to ‘Imiloa, where students can see what Hawaiians have done, and can do.

‘Imiloa photo by Macario

Keaukaha School has seven grade levels (K – 6th), and just one class per grade. We are soliciting people to adopt one grade, for one semester, for $600 – which will send them on a field trip during that semester of the 2007-2008 school year.

For instance, one person (or group) would donate $600 in order to sponsor, say, the 3rd graders on a field trip to ‘Imiloa during the second semester.

We’ll let the teachers, of course, have final say where they go for a field trip. We just want to make sure that should they choose a visit to ‘Imiloa, money will not be a barrier.

After the excursion, the students will write letters thanking the sponsors and saying what they got from the trip, which we will post.

When you realize that because of lack of funding, Keaukaha Elementary students are confined to a walk around their neighborhood for field trips, you can see that this is a very specific place where we can make a real difference in kids’ lives.

My interest in Keaukaha Elementary School came about as a result of my work on a subcommittee of the Hawai‘i Island Economic Development Board that was working with the TMT people – the ones considering putting the Thirty Millimeter Telescope atop Mauna Kea.

I joined that group because I was determined that should this extensive, multi-million dollar telescope project come to Mauna Kea, it would actually benefit the people of Hawai‘i. We all know this isn’t the norm re: the telescopes atop Mauna Kea.

I started to ask some basic questions, such as: Where is the center of the universe for all things Hawaiian on this island? I determined it was Keaukaha Elementary School, because it has been in existence for 75 years and its primarily Hawaiian alumni are spread far and wide.

Then I asked myself, “What is the tangible benefit of astronomy in Hawai‘i to the Keaukaha community?” I could not find anything the community would agree was a direct benefit. But that’s a whole other story.

I learned a lot about Keaukaha Elementary School as a result of all this. And I found something very specific we can do to help its kids.

Here’s how it works. You can adopt-a-class for the whole $600, or be a partial sponsor by donating $300, $200 or $100. Click here to see who’s already sponsoring what class, and which classes are still available.

Download and fill out the commitment form, fax it back to me at 981-0756 (if you’re off-island, it’s area code 808), and we’ll update the website chart to include your name. Please mail me your check, made payable to the non-profit Keaukaha School Foundation, within 30 days (or by the start of the semester; those details are here).

And then sit back and know that you are making a real difference in the lives of children in our community.