Students ‘Can Do’ PBS

Monday, April 18th, 2011

Students at Molokai High School (MHS) have had a rare learning opportunity – to produce a story for PBS (Public Broadcasting Station).

Hiki No – Can Do – is a new series on PBS Hawaii, completely student written, produced, and shot, with help editing by professionals at the station. More than 50 schools are participating around the state, producing stories about their communities.

Digital media teacher Perry Buchalter signed up his digital media class to participate, and its 15 students will be hosting an hour-long show.

“I’m always trying to find ways to get kids out and motivated,” Buchalter said. “The digital media program is five years old; it’s a challenge get kids to step out of the box and tell stories.”

Buchalter applied to participate in the program when it was announced last summer, and began working with the students at the beginning of this year. They will do everything from start to finish – introduce the series, the stories produced by another high school, and thank the sponsors at the end. In doing so, the students learn about blocking (where the on-camera talent stands), how best to highlight their campus (which serves as the show’s background), as well as basic camera and direction work.

“The purpose of this project is to teach 21st century skills to students by giving them opportunities to create TV journalism…which requires teamwork,” said Robert Pennybacker, executive producer of the series and vice president of creative services at PBS Hawaii. He led a day-long workshop with the students last week, going over the finer points of camera work and how to speak on camera.

The students have been taking turns trying out the different roles, as cameraperson, director, on-camera talent, sound, and framing. While the students are shooting their show in a few days, after Pennybacker’s workshop, they have been learning the techniques since January. Isaiah Alavazo directed a few practice shots, a role he said at first was uncomfortable.

“I saw the growth in his eyes in a matter of 20 minutes,” Buchalter said of Alavazo’s progress.

Cristina Rabino, who is one of the on-screen talent, said she wanted to have more confidence in herself, but felt comfortable in front of her classmates.

An important aspect of Hiki No is teaching responsibility, according to both Buchalter and Pennybacker.

“There are real life consequences,” Pennybacker said. “If its late, doesn’t meet the standards, it doesn’t make it on the air.”

Buchalter called it a “perfect fit” for his class – work that “goes far beyond the classroom.”

“The rest of the community befits by seeing the work students do and seeing the world through their eyes,” Pennybacker said. “This show is an opportunity to see all over the island chain.”

Molokai’s hosting skills can be seen on Monday, April 25, airing at 5 p.m. Hiki No airs on Monday at 5 p.m., with encores on Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m., Fridays at 9:30 p.m., Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. on PBS Hawaii. Also catch the shows anytime at pbshawaii.org

Living Science

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

Ever wanted to be a detective or a doctor? Students at Kilohana School got a chance to be both as they worked to solve medical mysteries. Bishop Museum’s traveling Holoholo Science program visited the school last week as part of their state-wide tour. The program also made stops at Kualapu`u and Maunaloa schools during their week-long stay on Molokai.

This year’s Holoholo theme for their evening program, medical mysteries, offered students the opportunity to diagnose medical scenarios and explore the field of health. Keiki learned how to pick healthy food groups, identify lice, monitor heart rates, and much more.

“[My favorite part] is the skeleton table because you get to see whether the bones are broken or not,” said Kilohana second-grader Elisia. She said she aspires to “do something in science.”

That’s part of the program’s goal – to make science more accessible to kids through hands-on activities and encourage them to explore science fields as a career, according to Melody Chang, one of the museum’s program facilitators.

Hands-On
Holoholo is an outreach program of Bishop Museum that has been making the rounds on neighbor islands since the 1990s. Along with making science exciting for kids, the curriculum is designed to help students meet academic benchmark standards. Topics cover many science-related fields, ranging from astronomy to ecology.

Kilohana Principal Richard Stevens described the program as “very hands on – the stuff that attracts kids.”

During a classroom workshop earlier in the day, students learned about the formation of the Hawaiian Islands by using tarps to act out the movement of the tectonic plates, according to Stevens.

“If we can’t take the kids out to see the world, we try to bring the world here to the kids,” he explained.

“I learned you have to balance your diet – you can’t eat too much of one thing,” said evening participant and Kaunakakai fourth-grader Gus, of an activity in which students chose foods that represented a healthy food groups.

In another activity, keiki learned proper tooth brushing technique using giant mouth models. “I also learned you have to brush your teeth for two minutes,” Gus said. “Sometimes I brush for less than that when I’m late for school.”