Showcase touts students’ progress

Norma Hara, mother of two teenage boys with dyslexia, remembers one day when her younger son, Jason, came home from kindergarten.

She was sitting at the dining table and Jason came up to her and said, "Look Mom, look what I can do,"then opened up a book and read it aloud.

It was a turning point in his struggle with language and reading and it brought tears to her eyes.

Jason, now 16 and a high school sophomore, has been a student at Assets School, a private school that offers a curriculum geared toward gifted and dyslexic children, since he was in kindergarten.

Dyslexia, which translates to "absence of language," is the term used to describe individuals who have difficulty learning to read and spell despite average to above-average intelligence.

A common misconception about people with dyslexia is that they all see letters backwards.

"It can present differently in different people," said Assets School spokeswoman Patti Almirez.

Some students describe it as seeing letters on a page looking like waterfalls, she said, while other students may see movement in the letters. Challenges can extend to negotiating listening and speaking tasks necessary in a traditional classroom environment.

Students with dyslexia often have unique gifts but learn differently, according to Almirez. Early intervention is key. With proper support and learning tools, most students at Assets develop compensation and coping skills and can go on to college and have successful careers.

Hawaii’s schools have an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 dyslexics statewide, according to Almirez. Assets has about 350 students from kindergarten to 12th grade; it recently announced plans to move its high school to the former Academy of the Pacific site, which should expand enrollment.

Teachers at Assets use a multisensory structured language approach to learning. For example, the class is introduced to the letters "sh" visually with a card that has the letters on it, auditorily by saying the letter sounds aloud, and kinesthetically by forming the letters with arm swings in the air or on the desk.

In high school, students use various technology, whether it be visual examples on the computer or voice recorders, to aid with learning.

To expose students to careers and firsthand experience in the real world, Assets offers a mentorship program in which students in grades 10 through 12 work with a company or organization one day a week in exchange for school credit.

The school’s annual mentorship expo, open to the public, is a showcase of what students learned through their experiences.

"The beauty of the program is students find out what kind of work they’re suited for," said Nichole Sakai, dean of curriculum and instruction and mentorship program coordinator. "They find out firsthand the kind of work you’d be expected to do in a certain position."

Jason Hara, who has been playing golf since he was in kindergarten, will give a presentation about the business and rules of golf which he learned at the Pro-Am Golf Shop.

"It’s more of a mental game than a physical game," Hara said of the sport.

Think positively or negatively, and that will translate into your performance, he said.

Junior Daniel Omura of Mililani, an avid fisher and diver, worked at the Living Arts Marine Center, where he helped lead school tours for elementary school kids, tally tropical fish for export and take care of invoices. He’ll be giving a presentation on fish printing.

Other students will be demonstrating what they learned in mentorships ranging from the auto industry to culinary arts.

Assets School alumni have gone on to pursue careers in visual arts, film, health, finance and education.

The current Miss Hawaii USA, Moani Hara, now a model and public relations major at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is an Assets School graduate, while musician Danny Carvalho attended from second to eighth grades.

For Norma Hara, an understanding of learning differences has helped her see the potential in both of her sons, even though each had unique challenges.

"The kids are so accepting here," she said. "They’re a lot more compassionate and accepting of others’ differences."

Nina Wu, Star-Advertiser

Sample new games, gourmet grub at fair

Food, rides and fun are back as the annual ‘Iolani Fair returns to the school’s campus Friday and April 26.

The school’s new Sullivan Center for Innovation and Leadership will add to the festivities 

at the fair, themed "Circus Dreams." Students dreamed up and created video games that will be featured in an arcade in Seto Hall, and miniature succulent plants propagated at the Sullivan Center will be sold in laser-cut wood boxes designed and fabricated with high-tech tools.

New menu items this year include taco rice, barbecue corn and kim chee fries. Foodies can also visit the gourmet food tent, which will feature mouthwatering items like red wine-braised beef loco moco, Greek wraps and creme brulee. There will also be cooking demonstrations by chefs Ronnie Nasuti of Tiki’s Grill and Bar and Fred DeAngelo from Ola at Turtle Bay Resort.

The fair also features EK Fernandez rides, games, the annual I-Factor talent contest and 

a futsal tournament, in which preregistered teams of five will face off in a game similar to soccer.

Entertainment includes the Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association, ‘Iolani Dancers and Stage Band, ManoaDNA, Conscious Roots and Nesian N.I.N.E. on Friday and Hawaii MusicWorks, Good Foot, Ian O’Sullivan Quartet, Everyday Aloha and Waikiki Acrobatic Troupe on April 26.

The fair is open from noon to 10:30 p.m. both days. Parking and trolley service is available at Kaimuki High School. For more information, call 943-2339 or visit iolanifair.org.

Stefanie Nakasone, Star-Advertiser

Contest honors Hokule’a’s voyage 

This year’s Aloha Festivals pays tribute to the upcoming worldwide voyage of the Hokule’a with its poster contest theme of "Maluhia Honua — World Peace with Aloha."

The theme, inspired by an Irmgard Aluli composition, "For a Peaceful World," honors the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s mission to promote world peace.

The top entry wins a $250 Royal Hawaiian Center gift certificate, appears on the official 2014 Aloha Festivals poster and will be on display at the Keiki Ho’olaule’a from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 13 at Pearlridge Center.

Keiki (kindergarten to eighth grade), ‘Opio (grades 9 to college in Hawaii) and adult Hawaii residents can create a poster that illustrates the Hokule’a’s worldwide voyage of peace. The design must include the words "Maluhia Honua" and the Aloha Festivals logo.

Entries must be postmarked by 5 p.m. May 16 and mailed to Aloha Festivals Poster Design Contest, c/o Communications Pacific, 700 Bishop St., Suite 600, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Five designs will be selected for voting on the Aloha Festivals Facebook page through June 16. Entry forms and templates are available at www.alohafestivals.com.

Nina Wu, Star-Advertiser