WHAT WORKS
Winning big with safety
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
A Web site about fire safety has earned a team of eighth-graders from Kamakahelei Middle School on Kaua'i $3,000 each and the chance to compete in a national competition in Washington, D.C., this weekend.
Lessons learned: Last year, the teams learned about the contest after they had completed their projects, so they weren't a perfect fit. But this year, the teams followed the Army's guidelines when putting their Web sites together. "This year, a lot of what the students do in class for developing the projects lines up nicely with what eCYBERMISSION expects," Aiwohi said. How they did it: Since this was project-based learning, the students met with people outside of the school, collaborated with community groups and accepted tips from experts about how to improve their Web sites. Aiwohi points out that "the projects the students do is totally student-driven work. The students pick their topics ... (and projects are entered depending on) if they will be suitable for the contest." Keys to success: "I think the students are the success," Aiwohi said. "It comes from them."
The Lihu'e students already have placed first among eighth-graders in the Southwest/Pacific region in the Army's eCYBERMISSION competition. The contest encourages students in grades 6 through 9 to use science, math and Web technology to solve a community problem.
Kamakahelei's winning way
Daniel Victor, 14, said he and teammates Kelsey Gaetjens, 13, and Kelan Adachi, 13, decided on their topic after looking at several reports of fires in Hawai'i over the past year. "We decided to focus our project on fire safety, and about what to do if there's a fire, and how to be prepared and how to prevent it," Daniel said.
The project took four or five months, he said.
Kelsey hopes the Web site will save lives: "There have been residential fires happening that have caused deaths and injuries that could have been prevented if people in the buildings had been aware of what they should do."
The site includes fire safety information, a video on how to use a fire extinguisher, a quiz, tips on how to prevent fires and other information.
His team will teach other students entering their school about fire safety and is working on public-service announcements about fire safety, as well.
Kelan said the team did research on the Internet but had to do interviews as well. "Some of it we got from talking to fire inspectors, who gave us real helpful insight," he said.
The inspectors have given the team tips on how to improve the Web site. "They thought we had some changes to do," he said. "The one on the Internet isn't the final version."
The team will be working to make the site load faster and reduce the graphics to increase appeal to older viewers, Kelan said.
This is the second year that environmental and spatial technology teacher Leah Aiwohi has helped students enter the contest. While no teams placed last year, two of the three teams that submitted projects placed this time around, with a seventh-grade team winning what amounted to a third-place award for a site on disaster preparedness.
Aiwohi, who will travel to Washington with the students as a chaperone, said the winning team spent the night in the school's computer lab when the results were announced to make sure they would receive the 1 a.m. notification. "It was a really nice bonding time as they awaited their news," she said.
The team is leaving for Washington tonight and the opening ceremony will be tomorrow. The only regret any of them has about the one-week trip is that they will miss the end-of-the-year banquet, as well as their final days at Kamakahelei before starting high school next year.
However, it's a small disappointment, Daniel said. "Going to Washington, D.C., is better."
The Web site is www.k12.hi.us/~fire.
Reach Treena Shapiro at 525-8014 or tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.
