2022 Summer Institute STEM & the Arts Summer Series Program
Nā Pua Noʻeau
Honolulu, Oʻahu
Grades 6-8 and 9-12
Summer 2022
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Testimonials:
PROGRAM OUTCOMES:
This summer Nā Pua Noʻeau UH Mānoa hosted its in-person Summer Institute program in over two years since Hawaiʻi's 2020 pandemic. Summer Institute provided haumāna with learning opportunities grounded in Hawaiian culture and language while also integrating STEM & the Arts pathways and mālama and aloha ʻāina. Collaborators for this summer opportunity included Kamehameha Schools, the US Department of Education Native Hawaiian Education Branch, the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Education Office of Hawaiian Education, the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Education Community Engagement Branch, the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health, UH Mānoa Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentorship Program and Project Kuleana. This summer's theme was "Kūpaʻa ma Hope o ka ʻĀina: Ever Loyal to the Land & Native Hawaiian Resiliency".
Students who attended came from various schools and communities. Pariticipants came from Hawaiian immersion, home, public, private and charter schools and came from communities on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island, Arizona and Georgia. For the nearly two-week summer intensive program, students grades 6-12 (Session 1: June 6-17: 6-8th grade/Session 2: June 20-July 1: 9-12th grade) students:
1. Were provided with physical, spiritual and mental grounding during every morning during Kūkulu Kumuhana. Activities included learning mele kāhea and mele komo, oli kāhiko (Ka Wai a Kāne) and mele ʻauana aloha ʻāina (Kaulana Nā Pua). During Kūkulu Kumuhana students also explored Hawaiian values through active discussion on various ʻōlelo noʻeau and how that pertained to their everyday lives. In preparation for Hōʻike, haumāna prepared their own kīhei and lei.
2. After Kūkulu Kumuhana haumāna attended one of three classes they registered for which included:
-Kilo Mele (Hawaiian Music Exploration)- where they learned the connections between kīhōʻalu (Hawaiian slack key) and its correlational relationship to aloha ʻāina. Along with learning how to play kīhōʻalu, students also worked in the land and learned about how various wood types affect the tones and sound of guitars. They also learned traditional tie methods for hale pili and the metaphor of this art in how to "provide slack" in playing Hawaiian music.
-Ola i ka Lāʻau (Medicinal and Healing Pathways)- where they learned about various forms of traditional and contemporary medicine and healing. Students went on hikes to learn about various Hawaiian medicinal plants, made their own teas and learned about lomilomi. In contemporary healing they also explored meditation, anatomy and physiology.
-Kahua Lolo Uila and Wilikī (Computer Design and Engineering Foundations)- where they learned about engineering and computer science through hands on projects which included computer and keyboard building, building and computer coding robots and audio systems. For one of their huakaʻi they went to a Hawaiian-owned resilent and sustainable engineering firm with a focus on coastal engineering.
3. After their daily classes, students then participated in NPN's residential program. During recreational time, they learned about their peers, engaged in team building activities and did mālama ʻāina through community service. During the evening portion of the residential program aka Nā Mea Hawaiʻi, students engaged in discussions and activities centered around Hawaiian resiliency. These themes included leadership with Time 4 Change HI, poke culture with Fort Ruger Market, food sustainability with Chef Mark Noguchi, ʻaipono with Kaʻiulani Odom and mele aloha ʻāina with Nā Waihoʻoluʻu o ke Ānuenue and Kumu Hina Wong, just to name a few.
4. At the completion of each session's Summer Institute, students returned home and then attended the program's Virtual Hōʻike. Hōʻike allowed ʻohana of student participants along with collaborators and supporters to experience what their keiki learned during the program (as mentioned above). The Hōʻike was broadcasted live from NPN's office location at Native Hawaiian Student Services at UH Mānoa with the integration of pre-recorded 5-8 minute prerecorded vignettes of each of the three summer classes Kūkulu Kumuhana and the residential program.
Also as part of the Hōʻike engagement experience, each household was provided with a Hōʻike learning kit which co-incided with the evening event to allow ʻohana to engage with their keiki while also learning about the various successes and outcomes of the summer program.
Media Coverage:
Class Videos (From Summer Institute Session 2):