High School Sustainable Agriculture Program

The Kohala Center is offering two outdoor-education programs for Hawai‘i Island high school students during the public school spring intersession, Monday through Friday, March 19 to 23, 2018. Participants who successfully complete the weeklong programs are eligible to receive a $125 to $250 stipend in the form of a VISA gift card to commend their dedication to natural resource college, career, and community pathways.

The Kohala Center’s High School Sustainable Agriculture Program will meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, starting and ending each day at the Center’s demonstration farm in Honokaʻa. Participants will learn about traditional and modern sustainable agriculture methods from cultural practitioners and successful agricultural producers through hands-on workshops and field trips. Site visits will include a thriving taro patch in Waipi‘o Valley, a restored Hawaiian fishpond in Keaukaha, and a local poultry producer in Kea‘au. Students will also visit the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s college of agriculture to learn about aquaponics and greenhouses, as well as higher education and career opportunities.

The Center will offer free shuttle service from and to Laupāhoehoe Community Public Charter School, with shuttles departing for Honokaʻa at 7:30 a.m. and returning to Laupāhoehoe at 4:30 p.m.

Students who attend and successfully complete the full program are eligible to receive a VISA gift card valued up to $125. Applications are available online or by contacting The Center at (808) 887-6411 and must be received by Thursday, March 15. The program is sponsored by The Kohala Center, Kamehameha Schools, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Program 2501.

The Center’s weeklong Alaka‘i ‘Ōpio program provides high school students with opportunities to develop leadership skills in the areas of ‘āina-based education and watershed restoration and discover careers in natural resource management. Students accepted to the program can choose to focus on ‘āina-based education (7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily) by shadowing our ‘āina-based education specialist during Kamehameha Schools’ Kilohana Spring Program for middle school students, or on forestry and watershed conservation (7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily) by shadowing The Center’s Kohala Watershed Partnership field crew on watershed restoration projects that include controlling invasive species and propagating native plants.

Students who successfully complete the Alaka‘i ‘Ōpio program will be eligible to receive VISA gift cards valued at up to $250. Applications are available online or by contacting The Center at (808) 887-6411. Preference is given to applications received by Monday, March 5. The program is made possible with support from Kamehameha Schools and Hawai‘i Community Foundation.