As our state hosts the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress in September, 2016, it is our great pleasure to share the inaugural HE LONO MOKU – HAWAI‘I’S STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT 2016. It now is available at www.helonomoku.com. Using data gathered by the Hawaiʻi Green Growth Initiative’s Aloha+ Dashboard and other […]
Announcing support for Windward Makerspaces
The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is pleased to offer ten grants of up to $2,500 each on a competitive basis in support of Makerspaces in public schools and libraries located in Windward, Oahu. The Maker Movement inspires students to take risks, be messy, and design solutions to a range of real and conceptual challenges. We […]
Community-based cannot be community dividing
The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is committed to marine conservation in Hawai’i—defined as strategic efforts toward well-managed nearshore ecosystems that can support our continued, sustainable use for generations to come. Because each of our islands’ ahupuaʻa and moku have different characteristics, resources, and issues, we think that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work […]
For you, Uncle Henry
I first met Uncle Henry Chang-Wo almost a dozen years ago at the very first E Alu Pu meeting on Moloka‘i. And then, as with many other times since, when he was asked to speak his talks were as widespread and sprawling as the limu about which he invariably chose to speak. And perhaps […]
Hawaii students did well on challenging exams
(commentary by Foundation President/CEO Terry George and Castle & Cook President Harry Saunders) As Hawaii’s largest employers, we care deeply about the abilities of Hawaii’s public school students. So what are we to make of recent news that slightly less than one out of two public school students met the standard in 2015? After all, […]
Teacher voice: how do we move forward together?
(guest commentary written by Hope Street Group Teacher Fellow Chris J. Rodriguez of Waipahu Elementary School) Before I became a teacher, I would dream about my career and imagine how things would be. My future classroom occupied my thoughts. I saw this one room as the place where great learning would take place. But as […]
The heat is on: cared straight at Castle
Guest commentary by Windward District’s Jorene Barut Old habits die hard. But sometimes a spark ignites change, casts a light and levels the past into a distant memory. The Pookela Academy (Academy of Excellence) is the spark at Castle High that’s refining former self-described “kolohe” kids into steel-willed students committed to turning their lives around […]
Does shared leadership benefit Hawaii’s kids?
Over the past six years, the Harold K.L. Foundation has spent more than $4M to support instructional leadership teams in 80 schools. This investment has supported 1) direct service from Targeted Leadership Consulting to facilitate and coach, 2) substitute teachers, 3) numerous convenings, 4) focused training sessions and 5) travel both within and outside of […]
DOCARE: Why we need to restore Hawaii’s ability to enforce the laws that protect our precious natural resources
Over 8 million visitors annually come to enjoy our environment, accounting for $14 billion a year in tourism, the largest single contributor (at 21%) to Hawaii’s economy. The overall asset value of coral reefs in the main Hawaiian Islands is estimated at nearly $10 billion (Cesar and van Beukering 2004). Just as importantly, our residents […]
ThinkTech Hawaii features Karen Lee on 55 by ’25
One of the Foundation’s core partners, Hawai‘i P20 Executive Director Karen Lee recently joined ThinkTech Hawaii to share the “55 by 25” movement seeking to increase the percentage of working age adults in Hawai‘i with a postsecondary degree or credential.