Ocean Girl Project LOVES Hui Malama na Mea a Kane, we are with you 100%

Please meet Randi and learn more~

aloha Friends,

My name is Randi Brennon and I’m a middle school teacher for our project-based learning program here at Hawaii Academy of Arts & Sciences charter school. We’re in Puna on Hawaii Island. My program, Hui Malama na Mea a Kane, is a self-contained program for 7th/8th grade students. Our website, http://huimalama.weebly.com/, explains in more detail what we do.

I’ve created a class called Junior Ocean Scientists for our students who want to design and conduct their own environmental stewardship/research projects connected to the ocean. One of those projects has been to raise awareness of the critically endangered Hawaiian False Killer whales. My students have been working with Robin Baird of Cascadia Research to learn more about the FKW, and one of his ideas is to have the FKW named as the official state whale. It’s been a long, sometimes frustrating process to find elected officials who will work with the kids! I have two girls who have hung in there for over a year and a half, and they have worked non-stop to follow through with Robin’s request. They are at the point that they would like to go to the State Capital building in Honolulu, talk with elected officials, and secure a partnership with people in the government to provide meaningful support for the FKW from our state government.

The impact from this project will be experienced by many students at our school. The girls will present to the whole class and their families at one of our ‘Ohana Nights. They will also present out to several of the elementary classes at our school. Historically, our students return to Hui Malama in a student leader capacity to lead environmental stewardship projects for our 7th/8th graders, and I expect these girls will follow in that tradition.

Normally, my program would have some funding to support the kids’ fundraising efforts, but our budgets have been cut (like everyone else these days!). I’d love to secure $400-600. in grants/funding to ensure my girls and I can get to Honolulu by the end of this school year.

If you have any ideas or leads, I would appreciate it 🙂

thanks for your interest and time!
Randi

Thank you Randi, you rock and your program is amazing, can we come visit???

Please support if you can!!!

and Contact Randi
Hui Malama na Mea a Kane
c/o Hawai’i Academy of Arts & Sciences PCS
PO Box 1494
Pahoa, Hawai’i 96778

school office (808) 965-3730
Tom’s cell (808) 640-7905
Randi’s email randi.brennon@gmail.com

Also! Ocean Count in Hawaii

Every year, volunteers head out to the ocean to watch for whales, turtles, seals and other protected marine species. Randi is the site leader for one of the sites on the East side of Hawaii Island. We collect data on how many we see and what we see them doing, and then we turn it all in to the Hawaii Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary crew. Feel like coming out and lending a hand? Count days are one each in January, February and March.

Want more info? Contact Randi