District 5000 - Kauai Clubs

Aloha,

Thank you for the warm reception that you extended to Rotarian Karen Wilson and myself when we presented the Growing Our Own Teachers Service Project ppt, at the conclusion of the District Assembly last Saturday afternoon. Hopefully your Rotary Team will decide to adopt this program for the benefit of your local future teachers and the children they will serve in your island elementary schools for many years to come.

Additionally, I have attached the Growing Our Own Teachers Scholarship Initiative Program Description, and the third attachment is a letter from Dr. Jennifer Herring, Statewide Teacher Education Program Coordinator, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Although the attached Program Description has details about Hanalei Bay's story of successfully addressing the critical shortage of qualified teachers for our community, it is a need that exists everywhere. Dr. Herring's letter speaks to, 'our shared commitment to education' & the 'proposal to support our teacher candidates statewide is ambitious and important'. Both of these documents are in the plastic binder that was given toyou at the District Assembly, but as attachments they can be sent viaemail by you as supplementary information to your members.

Presently there are 4 teacher candidates living on your island who are enrolled in the teacher education program. Because they must give up their outside employment during their Spring 2009 semester to practice-teach full-time in the classroom, an unpaid position, they are in need of financial aid for their last semesters tuition. This will ensure their graduation as certificated elementary school teachers in May 2009. To fulfill one of the Tuition Scholarship's criteria, upon their graduation they are committed to teach in a local school for a minimum of 3 years. This is rarely a problem, since most of them were born and/or grew up on Big Island. Their knowledge & understanding of island culture, is a priceless asset in teaching local children.

Karen Wilson of the Kona Mauka Rotary Club, is a specialist with the U of H at Manoa, College of Education and has volunteered to be the Teacher Coordinator in working with the Rotary Clubs, once they have decided to establish a 'Growing Our Own Teachers on Big Island' Scholarship Initiative. Once that happens, I will send a 'packet' of more detailed information and proven ideas, many of which are in the attached PowerPoint, which will save you time & money in the preparation of your fund raising efforts.

Please email or call me if any questions come to mind. I am looking forward to helping you make the Growing Our Own Teachers Scholarship Service Project successful for your club and for the other Rotary Clubs on Big Island. Hopefully you and your team have enough information at this point to decide if you would like to take on this program for your future teachers and your community. Please let me know of your decision at your earliest convenience, so we can take the next step.

Yours in Rotary,

Robert Dickstein
Scholarships Chair
Hanalei Bay Rotary Club
cell: 639-3939