Save Our Schools Hawaii will kick off a project dubbed “1000 Student Voices About Furlough Fridays” tomorrow — the fifth furlough day in the 2009-2010 school year.
In an effort to spotlight student perspective about the ongoing furlough days, education, and leadership in our state, SOS is now accepting student-produced letters, artwork, and video messages.
And in the spirit of the holiday season, Save Our Schools Hawai'i, together with other groups, parents and youth, will tomorrow create “Student Voices” art and wreaths from recycled materials. Students will be invited to creatively express how they feel about public school education and the furlough situation, and what the future of their education means to them.
The public event will be held 2-4 p.m. at The Arts at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave.
Families, community members, and vendors will display the wreaths this month and into January in support of the youth-centered dialogue.
The “1000 Student Voices” project will wrap up mid-January, just before the beginning of the legislative session. SOS Hawaii will then deliver "1000 Student Voices" submissions to Gov. Linda Lingle, state lawmakers and representatives of the state Department of Education and other organizations tied to public education. Additional information about the project is posted on the SOS Hawaii website: www.sos808.org
Submissions may be in the form of letters, photos, videos, and artwork (including wreaths). Electronic submissions (in doc, text, pdf, jpg) are accepted electronically via the website http://www.sos808.org (please send us a link to your You Tube Submissions) or by e-mail to saveourschoolshi@gmail.com.
Mail hardcopysubmissions to c/o Clare, 1617 Kapiolani Blvd. #202, Honolulu HI 96814.
SOS Hawaii, a group of concerned parents and community members, stands with Hawaii's public and charter school children and teachers. In a news release, the group said: “We are united behind one promise: We will do all we can to make sure Hawaii's keiki and teachers are valued, prioritized, and that education is sustainably funded. We believe that investing in education today supports all of Hawaii for tomorrow.”