January 14th, 2022

WELCOME BACK / A New YEAR OF IMPACT

Aloha a hau'oli makahiki hou,

Welcome back! Though winter break was busy for many, we hope that you were able to enjoy some peaceful time with friends and family over the holidays. We are optimistic that the new year will bring many exciting advances to our Impact programs, and we can’t wait to spotlight all of the amazing projects that our student community will engage in this year.

Addressing I-Term 2022, our school and Medical Hui have been closely monitoring the potential impact of COVID-19, and at this time, I-Term is scheduled to proceed as planned for March 7–11, the week prior to spring break. We are confident and hopeful that LJA’s strong mitigative strategies will allow for a safe I-Term for all, and current epidemiological models suggest that the current Omicron-induced case surge may reach its peak by the end of this month. Regardless, our team has been working diligently to curate an extraordinary high school course catalog for I-Term, and it will be ready and published for student registration (at ljaimpact.org) next Tuesday. Last year’s catalog is still live and may provide you with an idea of the types of courses to be offered. (Note that select I-Term course offerings may extend beyond the March 7–11 range; please keep these dates in mind if you may be planning spring break travel for your families.)

For any inquiries about I-Term or our other Impact programs, please feel free to contact our Dean of Experiential Education and Community Partnerships, Christina Hoe, at christina.hoe@lejardinacademy.org. If you have any Impact-related photos from this school year that you would like included in the yearbook, please send them to david.hays@lejardinacademy.org for consideration.

Mahalo for supporting our work — we look forward to you joining us for a year full of positive change and Impact. Please stay safe and healthy!

David Hays, Experiential Education Intern, Class of 2022

Kawainui Corner

As operations at our Kawainui worksites begin to swing back into gear for 2022, we look back at 2021 and thank our partners for their continued support of LJA and its Impact programs. We could not perform our valuable work without them, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunities they provide our students. It is through partner organizations like the Wild Communities Foundation, the Hawai'i Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and 'Ahahui Mālama I Ka Lōkahi that we are able to honor our values and engage in sustained environmental stewardship efforts.

We are especially grateful for our partnership with State Rep. Lisa Marten and her nonprofit Healthy Climate Communities (HCC). At Hāmākua Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, LJA students have now worked with HCC for nearly two years, and over the holidays HCC recognized LJA students’ efforts in their annual New Year’s release. Led by high school senior Juliana Rhee, LJA’s team at Hāmākua includes Ryan Settle (12), Sasha Zagorski (12), Duke Thomas (12), Aya Lewis (12), Logan Lefforge (12), Carson Possedi (12), Jordan Bouret (12), Breeze Pickford (12), Isaiah Krueger (11), Jordan Nakayama (11), Piper Pickford (11), and Mia Leyshon (11). These students visit the protected wetland every week to support native plant restoration efforts and maintain the fragile ecosystem.

Featured Impact Project: wild PACKS

Our greatest strength is in community, and part of what makes LJA’s Impact programs so distinctive is the way they promote interdivisional support. In pandemic-era education, transient disruptions are to be expected, and this week some of our lower school students had to pivot to a brief period of at-home learning. Our lower school faculty put out a call to action requesting help, and via our Impact programs, the high school rose to action. In impact blocks and after school, members of the Wild Kids Stewardship Council rallied their peers and team members to create “Wild Packs” full of activity materials for lower school families. Students were beyond excited to help out their community, and their quick action was very much appreciated by all.

Additionally, we encouraged lower school families — if comfortable with the idea — to provide opportunities for their child(ren) to enjoy some free outdoor time in their backyards (and/or other safe community green spaces) while waiting out this quarantine period. Congruent with our vision to be a leader in international education, LJA maintains a keen eye on advances in education research, and developing as of late is the conclusion that allowing kids unsupervised outdoor “play time” is very beneficial to their social and physical development. It is especially important that children do not spend excessive time on screens, which is known to lead to behavioral issues, impaired academic performance, and decreased physical health. This sense of freedom and play time is also cultivated through our impact blocks in the high school.

STUDENT LEAD SPOTLIGHT: marcus webster

Marcus Webster is a high school senior in LJA’s class of 2022. Marcus joined Wild Kids — LJA’s outdoor education and environmental stewardship program — shortly after coming to LJA in sixth grade, and he has been instrumental in the development of our Impact programs. A critical student lead at our Nā Pōhaku worksite and having worked there since his freshman year, Marcus has received special recognition from 'Ahahui Mālama I Ka Lōkahi, the community-based nonprofit that manages the site. He also leads our on-campus forest restoration team, an important group helping with the removal of invasive Albizia in the forest adjacent to our school.

Marcus credits LJA and Wild Kids with allowing him to connect with nature and with students in other grade levels. As an avid hiker and nature-enjoyer, Marcus has been able to transform his passion into positive change, mentoring younger students throughout the ecosystem conservation efforts he leads. “I really appreciate how I’ve been able to build long-term relationships with underclassmen through Wild Kids. As someone who was a young Wild Kid myself when I was in middle school, I know the value of having a mentor, and I’m grateful that I can now give back.”

Today, January 14th, is also Marcus’s birthday. Happy birthday, Marcus! Thank you for your dedication to our community.