Congratulations KES and KIC!

Congratulations KIC and KES students! 

This year has been filled with wonderful surprises and exciting news.  Earlier this month we received word that KIC received 2 grants to help out with our Native Hawaiian garden initiative.  We started off the year with $650 from the Chevron grant working in conjunction with the Hawaii Community Foundation.  This helped us start off our garden however we quickly noticed that this amount was not enough to fulfill all the plans and goals that we had planned out for our garden.  Students then utilized their skills in business letter writing to urge the community, neighboring businesses and organizations to help with funding.  Although not all replied back, we did find that more and more helpers were willing to contribute to our goals within the garden.  (Check out our KIC International Peace Garden donations page on our school website for the listing of all the donations received)

Since the students worked on the letters, I decided to write up grants to receive further funding from outside sources.  Through the Kokua Hawaii Foundation “Environmental Education Mini grant” KIC was able to receive $850 to help out with garden material costs and tools. 

KIC students also received a $1,000 Disney Friends for Change Grant from Youth Service America (YSA) and Disney to support their Native Hawaiian learning garden.  Disney Friends for Change (www.disney.com/friends) is a program designed to inspire kids and families to join together and make a positive impact on their communities.  Fifty Friends for Change grants were offered domestically through a competitive application process that identified youth-led projects that inspire kids, families and communities to work together.  On April 21^st, which coincides with the Global Youth Service Day, KIC students will partner up with the Running Club (4^th and 5^th graders) to work in the agricultural section, which is one of the 6 sections of their native garden.  The students, parents and staff will work on various tasks within the garden.  More information about this is forthcoming from the KIC writer’s team.

Again, great job KES and KIC students!  I am amazed at all the hard work you are willing to put in to Keone’ula’s first ever school garden.  I am also fascinated at the amount of learning we are able to accomplish through this project, as well as all the fun we have had with nothing but dirt and plants.  Truly great experiences and great reflections…Thank you!

Ms Coffin