Hawaii DOE 2012 Year in Review

News Release from Hawaii DoE

January:

The Hawaii State Department of Education launches the Great Teachers Great Leaders Task Force to advise on the development of a new teacher evaluation system. The newly appointed task force holds its first meeting on January 5 in the Governor’s office.

The U.S. Department of Education releases first-year progress reports for the 12 winners of the Race to the Top grant. In Hawaii’s report, the U.S. DOE listed accomplishments such as improved collaboration in planning, oversight, policy development and communications, increased community engagement and participation, and development of a longitudinal data system to assess schools’ needs and help guide instruction.

Elden Seta (pictured), band director at Moanalua High, wins the 2012 National Bandworld Legion of Honor Laureate Award.

Driver Education cadre instructor Bobby Duque from Castle High earns the Teacher Excellence Award from the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association and the National Road Safety.

February:

Benjamin Parker teacher Jonathan Gillentine (pictured) wins The Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence, $10,000, and is recognized as of the nation's top educators at the National Education Association's Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, also known as the Academy of Awards of public education.

Fifty-one public school teachers are among educators honored by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for earning National Board Certification. Additionally, 11 teachers renew their National Board Certification for 10 years through a process that supports professional growth and accomplished teaching.

More than 200 children receive early childhood education subsidies in the Zones of School Innovation (Nanakuli-Waianae and Kau-Keaau-Pahoa complex areas). Subsidies help ensure Hawaii’s keiki are better prepared to enter kindergarten.

A group of Kohala Middle students are among more than 100 students representing 30 teams from across the country on February 7 in the second-ever White House Science Fair.

March:

Washington Middle is Hawaii's first middle school to achieve the prestigious designation of an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) National Demonstration School.

Waianae High’s Searider Productions is named an Apple Distinguished Program for its use of Macs, MacBooks, iPads, and other software. The honor is reserved for programs that are recognized centers of educational excellence and leadership.

Candonino Agusen, 16, of Kealakehe High, and Jackson Button, 13, of Hawaii Technology Academy Public Charter School, are named Hawaii’s top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Agusen helped raise more than $64,000 to assist victims of Japan’s earthquake. Button co-founded a nonprofit that has collected nearly $100,000 to aid children in Africa, Mexico, and the United States.

The DOE completes a strategic reorganization that includes the establishment of the Office of the Deputy Superintendent and Office of the “Senior” Assistant Superintendent to align state DOE departments.

Teachers in the Zones of School Innovation (Nanakuli-Waianae and Kau-Keaau-Pahoa) and at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind ratify an agreement to extend learning time and receive additional professional development days.

Washington Middle takes first place in the MATHCOUNTS Hawaii State Competition for the second straight year. Waiakea Intermediate is the runner-up.

Maui High senior Kacey Martin wins the Hawaii STEM Conference 2012 logo competition, beating out nearly 200 entries from across the state.

Niu Valley Middle students (pictured) are selected to perform in the 2012 Percussion World Championships on April 19-21 in Ohio.

Pahoa High and Intermediate celebrates its title in the national Keep America Beautiful ‘Recycle-Bowl,’ which drew Some 1,226 public and private schools in 47 states and the District of Columbia.

Pahoa High & Intermediate, Ewa Makai Middle, Waikiki Elementary, and Hawaii Preparatory Academy, a private school, are Hawaii’s nominees to the U.S. Department of Education for national recognition in the inaugural Green Ribbon Schools program.

A team of five Leilehua High students takes first place in the Lexus Eco Challenge with a total of $25,000 in award money for their efforts. The Wahiawa Environmental Action Catalyst Team is one of only eight first place teams nationwide.

April:

Leilehua High Army JROTC students Mark Gitschlag, Jhalil Tyson, and Selena Peebles compete among more than 1,000 teams to win the Top Service Award for Army Services at CyberPatriot IV: The National High School Cyber Defense Competition.

Konawaena Middle’s Taggart Nakamoto (pictured) wins the 2012 aio Hawaii State Spelling Bee on March 24 by correctly spelling the word ‘billabong.’

Waiakea High students are the champions of the ‘It’s Academic Hawaii’ competition after outscoring Kaiser High and Kauai High in the finals. A total of 14 public and 13 private schools participated in the TV quiz show.

Waialua High, Baldwin High, and Island Pacific Academy, win the 2012 FIRST in Hawaii Regional Robotics. The three schools joined Kealakehe High and Kohala High in the national FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.

Debra Lindsey of Koloa Elementary receives the $25,000 Island Insurance Foundation’s Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award during the Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation dinner.

Viola Mocz, a Mililani High sophomore, is the grand award winner in the Senior Division of 55th Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair, for her project titled, “New Ideas in Physics: The Mass Ratio of Elementary Particles From Torus Geometry.”

For the third straight year, Moanalua High wins the Hawaii State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division statewide high school mock trial. The school is selected to represent Hawaii in the national mock trial competition in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Pahoa High & Intermediate wins $5,500 as one of 18 schools nationwide selected as GRAMMY Signature Schools, which honors top U.S. public schools for making an outstanding commitment to music education.

Mililani High and Highlands Intermediate take first place awards at Hawaii’s first STEM Week Awards.

The DOE reaches a memorandum of understanding with the Hawaii Government Employees Association to develop a new principal evaluation system for the 2012-13 school year.

The DOE announces the expansion of its teacher evaluation pilot program to an additional 64 schools for the 2012-13 school year, bringing the total number of schools to 82.

The Hawaii State Board of Education unanimously approves three policies related to performance evaluation systems for teachers and principals. The policies support systems that emphasize educator effectiveness through professional development and compensation tied to job performance.

May:

Nimitz Elementary Principal Kenneth Lee wins Hawaii’s 2012 National Distinguished Principal awards, while Waiau Elementary’s Stacey Makanoe Kawasaki is named Hawaii’s 2012 National Association of Elementary School Principals Outstanding Assistant Principal.

Student Jason Cheng from Kaiser High is recognized by ACT after earning a perfect score of 36 on his ACT college admissions test.

Ewa Makai Middle and Hawaii Preparatory Academy, a private school, are among 78 schools named U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools.

Four Hawaii public schools take home awards at the 2012 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship in Michigan. They were Highlands Intermediate, Searider Robotics from Waianae High, the Hawaiian Kids from Waialua High, and Kohala Middle. In addition, Art and Rene Kimura of Hawaii win the ‘Volunteer of the Year Award’ at the event held April 19-21.

Waimea High’s Angelica Huyen Tran is awarded the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Oustanding Achievement in the Reserve Officers Training Corps Program – the first Hawaii state cadet to win such honor.

Highlands Intermediate wins first place in the Presentation category of the 2012 National SeaPerch Challenge held April 11-13 in Virginia.

Dairius Kawewehe of Campbell High and Abigail Macadamia of Waipahu High are Hawaii’s delegates to the 2012 National Youth Science Camp.

The Hawaii Business Roundtable (pictured) donates iPads to support 63 schools that voluntarily join the DOE’s teacher evaluation pilot program for the 2012-13 school year.

The Hawaii 3R’s program secures a $50,000 donation from AT&T to purchase Science, Technology, Engineering and Math carts for Kau High & Pahala Elementary, and Pahoa High & Intermediate.

Mark T. Seu and Katherine S. Torigoe of Waiakea High are among 10 Hawaii high school students selected as 2012 National Merit Scholars.

Kimiko M. Matsuda-Lawrence of the Education Laboratory, a public charter school, is one of two Hawaii students named 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholars.

Mililani High student journalists grab 11 first-place prizes at the 2012 Hawaii Publishers Association High School Journalism Awards as the school ranks third best in the state in the print and online categories.

Swayd Gomes and Robert Rivera of King Kekaulike win the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills state trophy.

Kevin Michael Agtarap of Kaimiloa Elementary is selected to attend the 2012 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy at Liberty Science Center in New Jersey.

Leilehua High’s JROTC Academic team places first in the state and sixth in the nation in the 2011-12 JROTC Academic Bowl, which included 1,583 teams from across the globe.

Mika Ishii, 10, of Wilson Elementary, is selected to represent Hawaii in the 24th annual National Geographic Bee in the nation’s capital.

Hawaii is the only state to make significant gains in all areas of the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress: grade 4 and 8 mathematics, grade 4 and 8 reading, and grade 8 science.

The Hawaii Association of Secondary School Administrators names Randiann Porras-Tang, principal of Waialua High and Intermediate, as the 2012 MetLife/ National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Hawaii High School Principal of the Year, and Kaimuki Middle Principal Frank Fernandes as the 2012 MetLife/NASSP Hawaii Middle School Principal of the Year.

Candonino Agusen, 17, of Kealakehe High, is selected from a field of more than 26,000 youth volunteers from across the country as one of America’s top ten youth volunteers for his exemplary dedication to serving others in the 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

The U.S. Department of Education reports that Hawaii has retained its Race to the Top grant, following an on-site visit by the federal review team in March.

June:

Six Hawaii public schools are recognized in The Washington Post’s ‘2012 High School Challenge Index,’ which highlights the nation’s top nine percent of schools for effectively preparing students for college success. The schools include Kalaheo High, Campbell High, Kalani High, and Mililani High on Oahu, and Maui High and King Kekaulike High on Maui.

Keith Sasada of Leilehua High is awarded The Ovation Inspired Teaching Award by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. The $1,000 award recognizes exceptional teachers whose students submit to the Scholastic Awards.

The DOE announces it will be offering Summer Extended Learning Time (ELT) in June for students in the Zones of School Innovation. The 2012 Summer ELT Program provided targeted and focused instruction.

Stevenson Middle science teacher Julia Segawa, and Charles Souza Jr., a science, technology, engineering and math state resource teacher, win the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Kaimuki High Principal Wade Araki (pictured) is named the 2012 School Turnaround Principal of the Year.

Waianae High takes ‘Best of Show’ honors and the ‘Voter’s Choice Award’ at the Hawaii Medical Service Association’s 2012 Teen Video Awards.

The DOE, in collaboration with Chaminade University, launches a new program aimed at creating an alternative pathway to certification for school administrators.

Mililani High teacher Cynthia Tong is named the 2012 Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year, Senior Division.

The Common Core Institute – a leading provider of professional development, coaching, and training services for schools – presents Hawaii DOE staff with the Academic Leadership Award to recognize the strong work of the state's data teams and the quality of Hawaii’s professional development on the Common Core State Standards.

July:

In a year of unprecedented improvement, Hawaii’s public school students in every tested grade increase their scores in both reading and math in the 2012 Hawaii State Assessment.

The DOE announces that for the first time ever, middle and intermediate school students attending Zones of School Innovation schools will be able to participate in the Intermediate Athletic Pilot Program (pictured) in the 2012-13 school year.

The Hawaii State Board of Education unanimously approves an updated Hawaii DOE Strategic Plan that builds on key strengths and reform initiatives to ensure all students graduate ready to succeed in college or careers.

The DOE announces it has selected the New Teacher Center to help create a Center for New Teacher Induction.

Mary Correa, Kau-Keaau-Pahoa complex area superintendent, Stephen Schatz, assistant superintendent for the Office of Strategic Reform, and Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe are awarded with the first Alaka’ina Awards by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

August:

Richard Salboro, a driver education cadre instructor and coordinator for Waianae and Nanakuli high schools, wins the 2012 Teacher Excellence Award from the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association.

Calvin Endo (pictured), president of Waianae High’s Parent Teacher Student Association, is honored by the White House as one of 12 national “Champions of Change.”

Waipahu High dedicates its new Academy of Engineering, the first school in the state to be recognized as an accredited school by the National Academy Foundation.

September:

The Hawaii DOE files its application for ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) Flexibility with the U.S. Department of Education. Hawaii's ESEA Flexibility plan will drastically improve the DOE’s accountability system and provide a rigorous alternative to the current No Child Left Behind one-size-fits-all approach.

Delcinda Saito (pictured), Central Oahu District office teacher, and the Mililani Ike Elementary Cafeteria Team, are named the 2012 DOE Employee and Team of the Year, respectively.

October:

The Hawaii State Board of Education approves the DOE’s five-year project to ensure all public schools are accredited in alignment with BOE/DOE Strategic Plan.

Amy Perruso (pictured) of Mililani High is named among five finalists for the 2012 National History Teacher of the Year award, which recognizes the country’s most outstanding American history teachers in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.

Jonathan Gillentine, a special education teacher at Benjamin Parker Elementary, is part of a group of 100 outstanding educators nationwide selected to participate in the prestigious America Achieves Fellowship for Teachers and Principals.

Kihei Public Charter School on Maui wins the Bronze Award in the HealthierUS School Challenge, a voluntary national certification initiative for schools in the National School Lunch Program.

The DOE enters into a memorandum of understanding with the Hawaii State Department of Health, Hawaii State Department of Human Services, Family Court of the First Judicial Circuit, and the Office of Youth Services to provide a system of care for children.

November:

The DOE announces it has made significant progress in its Race to the Top (RTTT) goals, according to several notable accomplishments highlighted in a two-year report. The report notes Hawaii has completed more than 90 percent of its RTTT grant deliverables in the past 24 months.

Nuuanu Elementary, Blanche Pope Elementary, and Waikiki Elementary are named Hawaii’s Blue Ribbon Schools for 2013.

Karen Kutsunai (pictured) from Kailua Intermediate on Windward Oahu wins the 2013 DOE Teacher of the Year award.

The DOE announces it expects to save $7.7 million over the 20-year life of photovoltaic systems installed at Aiea, Kahuku, Kaimuki, Waianae, Radford, and Moanalua high schools.

The DOE launches a new Intermediate Athletics initiative aimed at increasing learning opportunities for seventh- and eighth-grade students in the Zones of School Innovation, starting last fall in the Nanakuli-Waianae complex. Kau-Keaau-Pahoa complex area will hold a kickoff this winter.

December:

Castle High (pictured) dedicates an upgraded athletic complex that includes a new track and football field.

The DOE announces it will be administering college and career readiness assessments to all middle and high school students statewide in grades 8, 9, 10 and 11 beginning next spring. The DOE will be able to comprehensively collect and examine college and career readiness data in reading, mathematics, science and English.