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Lori Kwee, who encourages her fourth graders at Ala Wai Elementary School to look for real-life problems and try to solve them, has been named the 2021 Hawai State Teacher of the Year.
“Lori has been instrumental in leading the way in showing how if we ignite student passion, students are so willing to take the lead and inspire those around them,” Principal Michelle DeBusca said. “It’s been just beautiful.”
Kwee, whose mother also taught at Ala Wai Elementary, will represent Hawaii in the National Teacher of the Year program next spring in Washington, D.C. She was chosen Friday from among 15 complex area teachers of the year and the charter school teacher of the year, on behalf of the state’s 13,000 public school educators.
The ceremony is usually hosted by the governor at Washington Place but was staged instead as a Facebook Live event due to the coronavirus pandemic. Each candidate had a chance to speak, from their homes or schools across the state, as supporters cheered them on with comments in the chat bar and floating hearts and other emoji.
A veteran of more than 30 years teaching in Hawaii’s public schools, Kwee is known for her empathy and grace, according to Ala Wai School librarian Jennifer Moku. She brings a fresh approach to each school year, asking students what they are curious about and creating an inquiry-based curriculum. They then tackle the project as a group and share it with others.
“The results of these student-led projects are astonishing,” Moku wrote in a letter of recommendation. “She truly changes the lives of all who are near her.”
One year, her students chose to research and raise money to help save the Vaquita porpoise, which is on the verge of extinction. The next year, they faced up to something closer to home — bullying among their peers. They researched different types of bullying and proactive strategies to prevent it, then shared their knowledge through mini-assemblies at school.
“Ms. Kwee is an amazing teacher!” said Amelia Smith, a sixth grader who worked on that project two years ago. “Together we learned about causes, effects, and ways to calm yourself, and Ms. Kwee made all of this fun.
“We learned that some people in our class were bullies, but we helped them stop bullying and they became a buddy,” she wrote in a joint letter with her father, Will, recommending her teacher for the award. “Her class made a huge difference in my life.”
Such projects have built motivation among students, boosting attendance and ultimately academic performance, Moku said.
More than half of the students on campus qualify for subsidized lunch due to low household incomes, and a third of them are learning English as a second language.
“Learning starts in the classroom with relationships of trust and love, empathy and understanding how others feel,” said Kwee, a Roosevelt High School graduate who earned her education degree at the University of Hawaii.
In an interview, she recalled what happened when a “notorious bully” heard from his classmates about the pain he caused, and he in turn told them about his experience.
“When the boy opened up, he said he was angry, he was frustrated and he’d had some abuse,” Kwee recalled. “And the students really felt compassion, hearing that raw, sensitive honesty. It was just moving for these 9- and 10-year-olds to be so honest and be so tender. It was a pivotal point.”
Her students now are raising money to create a “peaceful oasis” at the school, with “buddy benches” and native plants. They have developed a “share aloha” brand, with #sharealoha T-shirts — and now face masks — plus “Jars of Aloha,” that contain slips of paper with positive messages and inspiring quotes.
“We have school playgrounds, but sometimes we don’t create that intentional space for kids just to find quiet, to find peace, to take a moment to share a kind word,” said DeBusca, the principal. “That’s the space they imagined for our campus. It’s not an adult-generated project. It’s really a kid-centered project. The students are leaders in our school community.”
The 16 top teachers each received an honorarium from Hawaiian Electric Co. Servco Pacific gave the winner a one-year lease of a 2021 Subaru Forester.
“Each of these individuals were deserving of being named a teacher of the year before the pandemic started and they have also been shining examples of how to succeed and excel no matter how difficult and unpredictable the circumstance,” said Schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto.
A blue-ribbon panel from outside the Department of Education handled the judging.
To watch the ceremony and hear from all the finalists, visit the Hawaii Public Schools’ Facebook page.
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Top Teachers
2021 Complex Area Teachers of the Year:
>> Serena Cox, Waimea Canyon Middle
>> Kristen Eastvedt, Hauula Elementary
>> Kelly Elms, Liholiho Elementary
>> Elaine Higa, Hawaii District Office
>> Heidi Jenkins, Maui District Office
>> Shannon Kam, Ewa Makai Middle
>> Shannon Kealoha, Maui Waena Intermediate
>> Joanna Kobayashi, Moanalua High
>> Kimberly Koopman, Kalaheo High
>> Lori Kwee, Ala Wai Elementary
>> Annette McComber, Keaukaha Elementary
>> Jacqueline Nuha- Tabernero, Waikele Elementary
>> Keala Nunuha, Nanaikapono Elementary
>> Ashley Oyama, Konawaena Elementary
>> Andy Stever, Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science
>> Dani Tokuda, Waialua Elementary
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