Hōkūleʻa Crewmembers Inspire a New Generation Voyagers
By Noelani Kamalu & Diane Ogata
Congratulations to the first cohort of students from Modeling Our Wa`a: a five day camp where high school students learned about the use of math and science in sailing applying those skills both on land and water
Students from public, private, charter & home schools gathered for a STEM workshop focused on integrations of math and science application to voyaging canoes & sailing. Everyday, students were split into two groups and rotated through 2-3 learning sessions, including sailing on the wa`a, Kamauheheu.
They began each day by observing the weather and checking weather forecasts on the internet. After practicing with anemometers in a controlled environment, students went outside and filled in a daily kilo log, or weather log.
Other activities included learning about wa’a parts, physical fitness, knots, charting, sounding, cooking, painting, and more! It was a very busy week.
On the last day, students showed off what they learned for their parents via an “interactive dinner.” Students lead their parents to different learning stations and taught them what they learned, and fed them the curry that they cooked for the night!
We’re very proud of our students, and hope to see them on the water soon!
The experience was a collaborative project between Honolulu Community College and the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and was staffed by the following Hōkūleʻa crew members:
Bob Perkins -Director METC/Captain
Noelani Kamalu – PVS Curriculum Development Coordinator & Education Specialist/Crew member
Diane Ogata – PVS Curriculum Development & Education Specialist/Crew Member
Nakua Lind – PVS Crew Member
Mahalo nui to everyone for your hard work and kokua!
