July 19, 2010
Contributed by Thomas Yoshida
Nānākuli High and Intermediate was selected as one of two schools in the state (Wai'anae High School is the other) to join the New Technology Network (NTN) in 2010. This initiative will add a new student cohort with each incoming freshman class, and by 2013 it is envisioned that more than 1,000 Wai'anae Coast students will be networked in to virtually all of their school work through their own computers.
Nānākuli high school student Branielle Young-Valarde is excited to see her brand new Toshiba laptop computer for the first time. (Michael Young photo)
"Through the support of Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, Ko Olina Training Fund, and many other community organizations and businesses who have pledged their support, we are able to provide meaningful change for our students and families," said Diana Agor, director of the 21st Century Nānākuli High School Golden Hawks New Tech Academy. "As an educator on O'ahu's Leeward Coast, it is exciting to see our students engaging in an approach to learning that will significantly change their futures. Our school, our teachers and our community all becoming part of the New Tech Network will allow them to learn on a global level. It is through partnerships like this that our students' worlds will grow beyond bounds they've ever known."
Beginning in 1996 in Napa, California, the NTN Model is based on project-based learning, culture of empowerment, and use of technology. The Network currently partners with public high schools, school districts and communities nationwide. It helps schools transform teaching and learning into a powerful, student-centered process. Students work in collaborative teams to acquire and apply subject-matter knowledge and critical thinking skills to identify and solve problems. The teacher becomes the facilitator and designs projects tied to Hawai'i state standards and customizes them to meet the interests and needs of their students. NTN not only prepares students to be entrepreneurial, innovative and thoughtful members of the workforce, but also helps turn low-performing schools into high-performing ones.
"We are excited to have Nānākuli High and Intermediate and Wai'anae High Schools join the New Tech Network which includes 62 schools nationwide, making New Tech Network one of the largest networks of innovative schools in the country," said Monica Martinez, President of New Tech Network. "In 2009, New Tech schools displayed higher rates of attendance and lower drop out and suspension rates. It's encouraging to report that eighty-five percent of seniors applied to one or more colleges and among them, ninety-eight percent were accepted to at least one post-secondary institution.
The New Tech initiative will become a catalyst of the area's DOE Education Innovation Zone, which provides a structure for attracting and collaborating with other community resources – public and private – to support and strengthen the Leeward Coast learning environment. The Education Innovation Zone is also a key component of Kamehameha Schools' Ka Pua Initiative, which stretches from Kapolei to Ka'ena Point. Itis a multi-community collaboration of education and keiki support organizations that focuses efforts and resources toward systemic education reform on the Leeward Coast. The hope is to createstrategic alliances and collaborations around a shared vision for positive change that will support long-term, intergenerational improvements in wellbeing and prosperity on the Wai'anae Coast.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
