Student Engagement Through a Different Lens | Candy Suiso | TEDxFargo

Summary

The script tells the inspiring story of a community in Waianae, Hawaii, facing challenges such as poverty, high unemployment, and low academic scores. Despite these odds, a dedicated teacher transforms a struggling high school by introducing a video production program, which not only boosts engagement and graduation rates but also empowers students with real-life skills. The program's success, marked by increased enrollment, awards, and a comprehensive educational pipeline, demonstrates the power of perseverance, teamwork, and community support in creating opportunities for a brighter future.

Takeaways

• 🏖️ Waianae community in Hawaii has a beautiful coastline but faces significant social and economic challenges.
• 📚 Waianae High School, despite its challenges, is home to the Searider Productions program.
• 🎥 A teacher initiated a video production program to engage students and make learning relevant.
• 🚀 The program started with limited resources but grew to become highly successful.
• 🏆 The media program has won numerous awards and increased the high school graduation rate.
• 🔄 The program was reevaluated and revamped to ensure students were prepared for life beyond high school.
• 🤝 Community partnerships and a comprehensive pipeline were developed to support student success.
• 📈 The program now includes journalism, video, photography, graphic arts, and animation.
• 👩‍🏫 The success of the program is attributed to teamwork, passion, and the willingness to learn from failures.
• 🙏 Gratitude is emphasized for the support and belief in the program's potential.
• 🌟 The goal is to create a new cycle of expectation for students to achieve greatness.

Q & A

What is the Waianae community known for?

The Waianae community is known for its 16-mile stretch of beautiful coastline on Oahu, Hawaii, and its population that is more than half Native Hawaiian ancestry.

What challenges does the Waianae community face?

The community faces challenges such as high unemployment, a large homeless population, and low academic scores, with nine schools in the district all ranked at the bottom of social and economic measures.

How did the speaker's experience at Waianae High School influence their decision to return?

The speaker was pushed away by the negative aspects of the community when they graduated, but the saying 'you can take the girl out of Waianae but you can't take Waianae out of the girl' compelled them to return and teach.

What was the initial reaction to the video production program idea?

The initial reaction was skepticism, with people doubting the idea due to the students being teenagers from Waianae High School, their perceived lack of intelligence, and the expectation that they would not take the program seriously.

How did the video production program start?

The program started in 1993 with 85 students, two classrooms, two teachers, one edit bay, and six cameras, despite the lack of funding and air-conditioning.

What was the turning point that led to the program's success?

The turning point was the realization that the program's initial success was empty, as students were graduating without much direction. This led to the decision to rebuild the program with a more comprehensive pipeline of learning.

What does the comprehensive pipeline of learning involve?

It involves preparing students with both skill-based and life skills learning, engaging them in real-life projects, and creating a seamless educational path from elementary to higher education and the workforce.

How has the program grown since its inception?

The program has grown to include 250 students, six teachers, and six classrooms, offering multimedia disciplines such as journalism, video, photography, graphic arts, and animation.

What is the speaker's perspective on the importance of teamwork and humility?

The speaker emphasizes that success is not achieved alone and that teamwork and cooperation are crucial. They also stress the importance of being humble and thankful, especially for those who believed in the program's potential.

What is the speaker's vision for the future of the program and the students?

The speaker envisions the program continuing to graduate students who will become professionals in various industries, creating a new cycle of expectation and achievement in the community.

Outlines

00:00

🌴 Waianae Community and Its Challenges

The first paragraph introduces the Waianae community on Oahu, Hawaii, with its beautiful coastline and Native Hawaiian heritage. Despite the picturesque scenery, the community faces significant challenges, including high unemployment, a large homeless population, and low academic scores. The Waianae High School, home to the Sea Riders, is struggling with student engagement and poor social and economic rankings. The speaker, a former student, felt compelled to return to teach and improve the situation.

05:01

📚 Transforming Education at Waianae High School

The second paragraph describes the speaker's innovative approach to education at Waianae High School. Initially, the school faced skepticism about engaging students through a video production program. Despite limited resources, the program launched in 1993 and grew to become a comprehensive media program. The focus shifted from just skill-based learning to life skills, involving the entire community in a seamless pipeline from elementary to higher education and the workforce. The program's success is measured not only by awards and recognition but also by the teamwork, humility, and gratitude instilled in the students, who are expected to make a significant impact in their community.

Keywords

💡Waianae community

Refers to the community located in Waianae, a coastal region on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The video highlights the community's beauty and cultural heritage, as well as its challenges such as poverty and low academic scores. The term is central to the video's theme of overcoming adversity and improving educational outcomes for the local youth.

💡Native Hawaiian ancestry

This term refers to the indigenous people of Hawaii, who make up more than half of the Waianae community's population. The video emphasizes the cultural significance of this demographic, which is often overlooked in discussions about the community's challenges.

💡Poverty cycle

The concept of a poverty cycle refers to the perpetuation of poverty across generations due to limited access to resources and opportunities. In the video, this cycle is evident in the lack of proper tools for success, leading to students falling behind in various aspects of their lives.

💡Video production program

This refers to the educational initiative started by the speaker at Waianae High School, where students engage in creating videos as a means of learning. The program is a key element in the video's narrative, showcasing how innovative teaching methods can engage students and improve their academic performance.

💡Searider Productions

Searider Productions is the name of the video production program launched at Waianae High School. It represents the school's effort to provide students with a creative outlet and real-life skills, which is a central theme of the video.

💡Academic scores

Refers to the performance of students in their studies, typically measured through grades and standardized tests. The video discusses the low academic scores in the Waianae district as part of the community's broader challenges.

💡Community partners

Community partners are organizations or entities that collaborate with educational institutions to support students' learning and development. In the video, these partners are crucial in creating a comprehensive pipeline for student success.

💡Life skills

Life skills are abilities that help individuals function effectively in their daily lives, including communication, problem-solving, and self-management. The video emphasizes the importance of teaching life skills alongside academic knowledge.

💡Pipeline

In the context of the video, a pipeline refers to a structured system that guides students from one stage of education to the next, ensuring a smooth transition and continuity in learning. This concept is central to the video's message about creating a supportive educational ecosystem.

💡Teamwork and cooperation

These terms refer to the collaborative effort of individuals working together to achieve a common goal. In the video, teamwork and cooperation are highlighted as essential for the success of the educational program and the community's overall progress.

💡Mahalo

Mahalo is a Hawaiian word meaning 'thank you.' In the video, it is used to express gratitude, which is a recurring theme of appreciation for the support and belief in the community's potential.

Highlights

Waianae community on Oahu, Hawaii, is home to nearly 45,000 residents, with over half being of Native Hawaiian ancestry.

Waianae is described as the best kept secret on Oahu with beautiful beaches and a vibrant community.

The community faces challenges such as high unemployment, low academic scores, and a large homeless population.

Waianae High School's Searider Productions program was initiated to provide a unique learning environment.

The teacher, a Waianae High School graduate, returned to teach despite the lack of resources and negative expectations.

In 1988, the school had the lowest graduation rate in the state, leading to the creation of a video production program.

The video production program was initially met with skepticism due to the students' background and perceived lack of potential.

The program started with limited resources but a strong belief in the students' potential for success.

After 10 years, the program saw increased funding, equipment, and recognition, along with a rise in graduation rates.

The program's success led to a reevaluation and a decision to revamp the curriculum for a more comprehensive approach.

A pipeline was created to prepare students with both skill-based and life skills learning, from elementary to higher education and the workforce.

The community, including local schools and partners, collaborated to support the students' journey.

The program now serves 250 students with a diverse range of multimedia disciplines.

The program has won hundreds of awards over the past 25 years, showcasing the students' achievements.

The emphasis is on teamwork, humility, and gratitude for the support and opportunities provided to the students.

The story of Waianae High School is ongoing, with a focus on graduating students who will make a positive impact in their community.

The program's success is attributed to the students who carry the lessons and values learned, creating a new cycle of expectation and achievement.

Transcripts

[Music]

look at this place our Waianae community

a 16 mile stretch of beautiful coastline

on the island of Oahu in the state of

Hawaii a home to nearly 45,000 residents

of which more than half are of Native

Hawaiian ancestry thus unlike most of

our people shines all year round I like

to say were the best kept secret on Oahu

home to some of the most beautiful

people and untouched unpopulated beaches

home to Waianae high school home of the

sea riders and our searider productions

program a fitting environment for

learning but below the surface is an

extremely depressed community with few

job opportunities home to the largest

homeless population in the state high

unemployment and consistently low

academic scores there are nine schools

in our district all notorious for being

ranked on the bottom of every social

economic measure the cycle of poverty is

evident when you look beyond the pretty

scenery students who live in poverty

come to school every day without the

proper tools for success as a result

they fall behind all their classmates

physically socially academically and

emotionally a small rural town in the

middle of nowhere with people that are

expected to do nothing many of those

negative things is what pushed me away

when I graduated from Waianae high

school but they say you can take the

girl out of Waianae but you can't take

the Waianae out of the girl

I felt compelled to return to my alma

mater to teach as a teacher and by the

way the only open line was Spanish and I

was not fluent at all in Spanish our

school struggles and keeping students

engaged and in 1988 our graduation rate

was

the lowest in the state so on a whim

I've transformed I gave my students a

video camera and transformed our

classroom into video production program

I saw how the video was a great tool to

make learning fun and to make learning

relevant I thought that's it lights

camera engagement I needed a thought

okay that's it a video production

program let's do this but I also

remember people saying candy it's not

gonna work number one they're teenagers

number two they're Waianae high school

teenagers number three they're too

stupid and number four they're gonna rip

you off in fact some people even laughed

at the idea it was a struggle just to

keep the program off the ground and

finally in 1993 we launched with 85

students two classrooms two teachers one

edit Bay and six cameras we would pack

40 sometimes 50 students into our non

air-conditioner room and that was just

the first year we discovered that you

have to work hard for everything in life

and it won't always be easy sometimes

you're gonna fall you're gonna fall hard

but pick yourself up and start all over

again

there are guidelines on how to create a

successful media program I visited four

of the media programs across the

straight across the state many from

affluent communities you needed funding

which got to equipment which might get

you better looking projects which might

get you some Awards and that was how it

was done but we were determined to be

successful to build a program that was

second to none we didn't have funding

but what we did have was passionate

willing students that embrace the idea

that it was okay to fail and that you

will just have to pick yourself up and

start all over again and for 10 years we

did just that and that's when the Fundy

the equipment and the better looking

projects and awards started to

roll in enrollment increased along with

our high school graduation rate rate so

many would have considered us a very

successful media program but were we

really preparing our students we needed

to do more so in the middle of all the

success we decided to rip it apart and

start all over again from scratch we

realized our success was empty because

students were graduating but really

without much direction so we contacted

our local feeder schools our community

partners and organizations to help

construct the more comprehensive

pipeline of preparing students to go

from skill base learning to life skills

based learning a place where students

could engage in real-life projects that

made learning fun and relevant a

seamless pipeline of creative media

along our Liebherr coast from elementary

to middle to high school to higher

education and finally on to the

workforce our entire community working

together it's been hard work but I think

we've accomplished that goal enrollment

in our program is now 250 students we

have six teachers and six classrooms

that integrate multimedia disciplines of

journalism video photography graphic

arts and animation and I'm really proud

to say three of those gentlemen up there

on that screen are graduates of our

program more than equipment for everyone

and over the last 25 years hundreds of

local national and international awards

and recognitions what we've realized is

no one does anything alone it takes

teamwork and cooperation to make

something work whether you're the writer

the producer the editor whatever your

role is it takes teamwork and most

importantly be humble and be thankful

for what you have

remember our beginning years especially

when we didn't have

much but we made it work and be thankful

especially for everyone who believed we

could do this it's not about the

cutting-edge equipment or new classrooms

the awards recognitions and especially

the difficult environment they come from

it's our students that will carry these

lessons with them

it's our students who will provide the

example of how it's our students who

will find connections through our values

there is no ending to this story but

this is what will happen next we will

continue to graduate more students every

year they will become professionals in

all industries and it's our students who

will create a new cycle in our small

rural town in the middle of nowhere

people producing people producing people

that are expected to do something great

and they will Mahalo and thank you Fargo

[Applause]

[Music]

you

[Music]