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Coincidentally, aseries of events in the 06/07 school year began to lead us towazds an <br /> understanding of how we might incorporate project based learning into our curriculum. <br /> The previous yeaz, Principal John Thatcher decided that Connections Public Charter <br /> School should begin to develop an emphasis on the teaching of marine sciences as a <br /> halhnazk of our program. Our location across the street from Hilo Bay and associated <br /> ease of access made this a natural connection for hands on opportunities for student <br /> involvement in research and learning. In August of this school year, we were contacted <br /> by the Kohala Center in regazd to a grant they had received from the National Oceanic <br /> and Atmospheric Administration designed to encourage teachers of all disciplines to <br /> incorporate marine sciences into their curriculums. Mini-grants of up to $1000 were to be <br /> made available for teachers to purchase the equipment necessary to accomplish this goal. <br /> As a result, five Connections teachers applied for and received grant monies. These <br /> grants were awazded for science, social studies, and art. Social Studies teacher Eric <br /> Bollen and Art teacher Crrace Chao decided to incorporate their grants into what became <br /> "The Ka'u Project". They focused on the fact that the eastern coastline was a natural trap <br /> for ocean-borne rubbish and saw opportunities to incorporate this into their respective <br /> teaching lines. Mr. Bollen realized that this situation was very much tied into the social <br /> behaviors of the groups responsible for this deplorable mess, and at the same time gave <br /> him the opportunity to explore the history and sociology of the region from an historical <br /> <br /> perspective. Ms. Chao envisioned the project as art...that the marine debris could be used <br /> in the context of artwork, including the creatures of the ocean that had to live within this <br /> polluted environment. Both also realized that the science of waves, oceanic circulation <br /> and local geology needed to be incorporated into the project to give it wholeness. As a <br /> <br />