Media Releases
School garden events focus on professional development
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—April 10, 2014—Online registration is now available for a weeklong series of educational events for school garden educators, teachers, and others passionate about improving student wellness, cognitive development, and engaging deeper learning.
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FoodCorps program launches in Hawai‘i
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—September 23, 2013—FoodCorps, a national non-profit program in partnership with the AmeriCorps service network, addresses childhood obesity and food insecurity in underserved communities. This year, FoodCorps has selected The Kohala Center as the host site for the state of Hawai‘i’s FoodCorps Program. Operating in fifteen states, FoodCorps has added Hawai‘i, California, and New Jersey to its roster for the 2013-2014 service year.
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Annual statewide school learning gardens symposium announced
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—May 7, 2013—School garden teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, staff, volunteers, and interested community members from around the state may register now for the annual Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network (HISGN) summer symposium in June on Hawai‘i Island. The symposium, “School Learning Gardens and Sustainability Education: Bringing Schools to Life and Life to Schools,” will be held June 7–8 in Kamuela at the Gates Performing Arts Center at Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy (HPA) and Mala‘ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School.
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Hawai‘i FoodCorps extends service member application deadline
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—March 18, 2013—Individuals interested in becoming Hawai‘i FoodCorps service members now have until March 31 to submit applications. The national FoodCorps is recruiting service members throughout Hawai‘i who are passionate about healthy food, farms, and kids to help connect our keiki (children) to real food and help them grow up healthy. FoodCorps, a national organization addressing childhood obesity and food insecurity in underserved communities, has selected The Kohala Center as its host site in Hawai‘i. More
information and an online application are available at http://foodcorps.org/become-a-servicemember.
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Hawai‘i FoodCorps seeks applicants for service member positions
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—February 8, 2013—The national FoodCorps is recruiting service members
throughout Hawai‘i who are passionate about healthy food, farms, and kids to help connect our
keiki (children) to real food and help them grow up healthy.
FoodCorps, a national organization addressing childhood obesity and food insecurity in
underserved communities, operates in 12 states, and this year will be adding Hawai‘i, California,
and New Jersey. FoodCorps has selected The Kohala Center as its host site in Hawai‘i.
FoodCorps is accepting applications for its third class of service members, and is seeking to hire
ten service members in Hawai‘i. Applicants must be 18 years or older by the start of service and
hold a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent. Applications are due March 24. More
information and an online application are available at http://foodcorps.org/become-a-servicemember.
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Garden-based nutrition workshop for teachers
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—October 26, 2012—Hawai‘i Island educators who teach or participate in school garden programs are invited to attend a workshop on garden-based nutrition from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, November 10, at the Hawai‘i Academy of Arts and Science in Pahoa. This professional development workshop for school garden and class teachers is part of Eat-Think-Grow—an initiative created by The Kohala Center’s Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network (HISGN) program. Eat-Think-Grow is made possible with financial support from the Hawai‘i Island Beacon Community’s Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Program. This workshop is intended to give new insights into the foundations of good nutrition.
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Eat-Think-Grow events for families and teachers
Learn simple ways to encourage healthy eating habits and curb growing obesity rates
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—August 10, 2012—In hopes of reversing the trend of skyrocketing childhood and adult obesity rates, several Hawai‘i Island organizations are working together to provide free educational workshops and events for families and school garden teachers. Eat-Think-Grow—an initiative created by The Kohala Center in conjunction with its Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network (HISGN) program—will host nutrition education events for island families and community members during the 2012-2013 school year.
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Community training program for school garden volunteers
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—June 4, 2012— It takes a community to raise a garden, and many community volunteer hands are needed in Hawai‘i Island school gardens. The Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network (HISGN) will offer two free school garden volunteer training classes from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, July 19, and on Thursday, July 26, at Nancy Redfeather’s Kawanui Farm in Honalo, Kona.
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Spring tours and tastings at school gardens
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—March 19, 2012—School gardens around Hawai‘i Island are in full bloom, and students and teachers at several school gardens are opening their gates for tours and tastings in April. On these tours, the public can enjoy produce grown and prepared by the students, teachers, and volunteers, and see how food self-reliance is growing in our communities.
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Schools receive garden grants from The Kohala Center
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—December 14, 2011—Sixteen Hawai‘i Island schools have received grants from The Kohala Center to support funding for garden educators, for curriculum development, and for garden supplies. The Kohala Center funding supports school garden programs at participating K-12 schools in order to improve the quality of food and agriculture sciences education in Hawai‘i.
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Learn to save seed at Kaua‘i workshop
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—September 27, 2011—The first in a statewide series of workshops for farmers and gardeners on seed saving will be held November 6 and 7 on Kaua‘i. The two-day workshops, funded by a Ceres Trust grant awarded to The Kohala Center, are designed to create a practical working knowledge of seed growing, botany and biology, selection, harvesting, cleaning, and saving. Each workshop will include hands-on fieldwork. Future workshops will also held on Maui, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, and Hawai‘i Island.
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Kohala Center receives funding to launch statewide Public Seed Initiative
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—August 16, 2011—The Kohala Center has received funding from the Ceres Trust for a statewide Public Seed Initiative designed to help Hawai‘i’s farmers and gardeners to select, grow, harvest, store, and improve seed varieties that will thrive in Hawai‘i. The Ceres Trust, whose name pays homage to the ancient Roman goddess of agriculture, has as its main focus the support and promotion of organic and sustainable agriculture.
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Planting Hope school garden conference
KAMUELA, Hawaii—July 6, 2011—School garden and classroom teachers from around the state will converge this week (July 7–9) at the oldest school garden in the state, Hoa ‘Aina O Makaha, for the 4th annual Summer School Garden Conference. The theme of this year’s conference is Planting Hope: Growing the Next Generation. “We wish to plant hope in each of the participant’s minds, hearts, and bodies, so that they can bring this hope home with them as they begin the new school year,” said Nancy Redfeather, coordinator for The Kohala Center’s Hawai‘i Island School Garden Network (HISGN).
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Travel scholarships for teachers to attend summer garden conference on O‘ahu
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—May 18, 2011—The Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation is offering travel scholarships for neighbor island school garden teachers to attend the Hawai‘i School Garden Conference July 7-8 on O‘ahu. To apply for travel scholarships, teachers should fill out the Environmental Education Mini-Grant Application, which is available online at www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org. Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation will provide free transportation for up to 20 neighbor island teachers to attend the summer “Planting Seeds of Hope: Growing the Next Generation” conference.
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Workshops and crop share at Mala‘ai garden
KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—March 10, 2011—Three free workshops are being offered in March and April at Mala‘ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School. Workshop dates, times, and details are: • March 12, 2–4 p.m.: Introduction to Hawaiian Herbalism with Kai Kaholokai • April 2, 10 a.m.–noon: Vermicomposting (composting with worms) with Dr. Norman Arancon.
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