My Hawaiʻi Story Project 2017

Congratulations to the 2017 Winners!

Mahalo to all the participating students and teachers!

Brooklyn Aipoalani, Mālama Honua Kākou
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Taylor Amalato, Wa’a Lessons
Kaimuki Christian School

Connor Arakaki, A Valley of Thoughts
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Cameren Banis, What Might Have Been
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Grace Bostock, I Must Tread Lightly
Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Kylie Chock, The Dying Coral of Hawai‘i
Hawaii Baptist Academy

Jamie Cummings, Tree Time
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Roisin Darby, Thank You
Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Morgan Davis, Beauty Uncovered
Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Ella Gibson, Our Beautiful Island Home
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Koa Higgins, My Hawaii
Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Jaeden Jimenez, Tomorrowʻs the Day
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Gabriel Kalama, Assisting the Island
Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Kamaha’o Liu, What Hanaipoe Gives Us
Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Chase Kamikawa, My Homeland
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Lyla Kaneshiro, Give Back What You Were Given
S. W. King Intermediate

Katherine Payne, Sailing
Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Wainohia Peloso, Fairy Tales of the Islands
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Ella Prado, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Forever
Hawaii Preparatory Academy

Tory Refamonte, E ia mai Hawaiʻi ākea-Behold My Hawai‘i
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Chloe Sylva, The Ships Are Gone
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Quincy Tamaribuchi, Moku Kō Ola (Island of Life)
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

Johnsen Uwekoolani, I Am Wai
Kamehameha Schools Maui

‘Ala’I Williams, E Ho’omalu I Ke Kupa’a No Ka ‘Aina (Continue to be steadfast in your love for the land)
Holy Nativity School

Noah Zitz, Tomorrow Today
Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Middle School

The winners will be presented with awards and prizes at the Hawai’i Conservation Conference on July 17, 2017 at the Hawai’i Convention Center in Honolulu.

My Hawai‘i is an annual environmental writing contest for middle school students in Grades 6, 7, and 8, from across the state. The top 25 poems and short stories were selected from 305 submissions and will be published in an anthology that is distributed to schools, libraries statewide and online on Hawai’i Conservation Alliance (HCA) site

The students’ writing represents their personal reflections on the environment, cultural values, kuleana, stewardship, and place-based writing, and contributes to a collection of youth literature that is unique to Hawai‘i. To date, 275 middle school students have had their stories and poems on the environment published, and the number grows each year. While academic testing provides a measure of content knowledge, creative writing and this writing initiative captures and shares Hawai’i students’ thoughts, passions, beliefs, concerns, and values.

The My Hawai‘i Story Contest provides an educational approach that develops interdisciplinary thinkers. Many of the stories and poems include knowledge from diverse cultural backgrounds, providing good examples of successful collaborations that integrate traditional cultural values and contemporary life in Hawai‘i. The imaginative visions of middle school students reveal their insights on Hawaii’s environment today and their dreams for tomorrow. The future of conservation and environmental leadership lies firmly in the hands our haumana, the young people of Hawai‘i. This important initiative encourages, nurtures, cultivates, and promotes future generations to develop a sense of responsibility to care for and protect Hawaii’s environment.

For the past eleven years, the Pacific Writers’ Connection (PWC), the Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance, and the following state and federal agencies, have co-sponsored the My Hawai‘i Story Contest:

Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Hawai‘i Coastal Zone Management Program

Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance

Hawai‘i Conservation Alliance Foundation

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources

– Division of Forestry and Wildlife

– Division of Aquatic Resources

Hawai‘i Department of Education

Hawai‘i Environmental Education Alliance

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Pacific Writers’ Connection

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monumen

And many community organizations including: Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS)

and Pacific Resources for Education & Learning (PREL)

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact: myhawaiistory@gmail.com