As part of the Ulu A`e Transitions project in the College of Education Center on Disability Studies (CDS), students from King Intermediate School visited classrooms at Kāneʻohe Elementary and Ben Parker Elementary to read books out loud to 178 students in grades K–2 last October and December. Based on their experience, King Intermediate is continuing read alouds in additional elementary schools during Spring 2025.
Through this project, King Intermediate students strengthened their communication skills in this collaboration and also felt they learned and practiced strategies and success skills like respect, time management, and teamwork. In addition, after completing the read-aloud visits to 12 different classrooms, the participating King Intermediate students felt that the project gave them a chance to give back to their community and make their family, school, and community proud.
“I am so proud of my students for the amount of care they put into each reading session,” said Kumu Joshy Noga as she led her King Intermediate students. “It was obvious that the younger kids really enjoyed having my students come into their classes to read to them, but what was clear for me to see was the happiness and pride my students feel from being able to give back to their community in such a meaningful way. I see the confidence they have gained through these experiences and I’m excited to see their continued growth throughout this school year.”
The goal of the project was to serve elementary schools that feed into King Intermediate, as many of the haumāna (students) have ties to and/or attended these elementary schools prior to entering King. Periodic support for the project was provided by Ulu Aʻe Transitions, a federal grant housed in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education.
The books chosen were stories from the Partners in Development “Tutu and Me” series. The stories were practiced by the King Intermediate students months before their visits, practicing their voice, tone, and clarity. With animated voices, the characters came to life, and became more engaging and meaningful to younger peers. Additionally, students came up with questions to ask their elementary student audience, to promote interactive reading, pilina building, and leadership skills.
Along with the Read Aloud, students created coloring pages with a word that best summarized their book – such as “forgiveness” and “loyalty.” This coloring page was shared and distributed to each elementary class to keep, color, and take home and share with their family members the positive take away messages in the chosen book.
“This collaborative work inspired us to continue partnering with other Windward schools and the various organizations who want to support us, such as the University and ALU LIKE,” echoed King Intermediate principal Wade Araki, Kāneʻohe Elementary principal Derek Minakami, and Ben Parker Elementary principal Elissa Johnson. “We appreciate the experience and positive impact the read-alouds had on our students and teachers.”
With this partnership among Windward elementary and intermediate schools, the hope is to inspire students to grow and strive to reach to the highest summit – e kūlia i ka nuʻu.
