All Good Things Must Come to an End

Community Contributed

By Kalei “Pumpkin” Moss

As they say, “all good things must come to an end,” and so does the 21st Century grant program. The 21st Century grant program, which is federally funded, has just entered its fifth and final year. The grant was designed to run for five years, with funds decreasing each year; so in its final year, the budget for the afterschool program is half of what it usually receives, meaning fewer classes can be offered. With the tight funds, administrators of the 21st Century grant program have decided that in its final year, the focus will be on educational activities which promote student achievement in reading and math.

This specific focus means that programs such as music, dance, and art will unfortunately not be offered, but there are still programs offered that will help students in their academics, such as homework help and math whizz. Programs such as robotics and computer aided design (CAD) will also be offered because it has strong ties to math. Thanks to Mr. Bob Underwood, violin, brass, and woodwinds are still being offered at Kaunakakai Elementary School. The 21st Century grant program bought the musical instruments that are being used in these classes, but Mr. Underwood is volunteering his time to continue teaching students the fine art of music.

Grant activities are offered at various schools on island and a schedule of classes currently offered at Kaunakakai Elementary School is listed below. In the next couple weeks, look for schedules of grant activities that will be offered at Kilohana and Maunaloa Elementary Schools as well as Molokai Middle and High schools. If you or your children are interested in participating in any of the classes offered at Kaunakakai, please contact Joshua Adachi at 553-1730; please be aware space is limited. This may be one of your last opportunities to take advantage of the programs the 21st Century grant has to offer, so do not let this opportunity pass you by.