Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 3, 1 March 2011 — NHEA gears up for convention [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NHEA gears up for convention

3 to be honored as Educators of the Year By Ka'imo Muhlestein The Native Hawaiian Education Association on March 17 and 18 will host its 12th annual convention at the Windward Community College. The theme is "Ilei i ke Ala," whieh celebrates the work of Ilei Beniamina, who passed away last year. Beniamina was an NHEA member, former Educator of the Year recipient, longtime supporter of Native Hawaiian education, and a former OHA Trustee for Kaua'i and Ni'ihau. Annually, NHEA in partnership with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs honors outstanding educators with its prestigious Educator of the Year Award. The convention this year will honor those individuals whose philosophies are exemplified through their action, service and support of Hawaiian education. This award, whieh will be presented at a luneheon on March 17, will also recognize

those educators for their outstanding achievements and leadership, whieh have significantly empowered, changed and/or benefited the lives of

imm i i v c nM vv mi i mim » imcvvo | rcMiunco | cvcui o students, educators and their communities. This year's awardees are Charlene and Calvin Hoe, Founders of the Hakipu'u Learning Center, who have been involved in K- 1 2 education their entire lives, as well as Rose Yamada, who is a retired Curriculum Specialist. Yamada started the State Department of Education's Kūpuna and Hawaiian Studies Program. The two-day convention will host a series of events. The first day features a morning keynote address by Honolulu Poliee Chief Louis Kealoha at 9: 15, a presentation on Hawaiian Achievement in the K-12 setting, and workshops offering a diverse range of topics for conference participants to explore. On the second day, the convention will host plenary sessions with Nālani Balutski, Research and Evaluation Coordinator, and Dr. Erin Wright, Director, Native Hawaiian Student Services, followed by Native Hawaiian dissertation presentations. In the afternoon, a Slack Key Masters panel consisting of John Keawe, George Kuo, Ron Loo and Cyril Pahinui will share their slackkey knowledge, whieh will then be followed by the closing remarks at 3:30 p.m. To register or for information, visit www.nhea. net or eall (808) 283-0435.« Ka'imo Muhlestein is OHA's Community Outreach Coordinatorfor O'ahu.

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EDUCATION

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This year's convention honors the memory of llei Beniamina, an advocate for Native Hawaiian education and a former OHA Trustee, with the theme "llei i ke Ala."- Photo: KWO archives