On Thursday, November 2, 2006 AAUW Kona Branch presented its annual Girls Exploring Math and Science (GEMS) program. Two hundred thirty (230) fifth grade girls from public, private, charter, and home schools converged on the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort for a day of discovery featuring hands-on workshops and exhibits.

After months of planning, your GEMS Committee members and other volunteers began the day of the event well before the crack of dawn.

Logistics Coordinator Cindy Armer had her team of set-up volunteers hard at work pitching tents, moving equipment, and otherwise preparing the resort for the arrival of the girls.

Registration Coordinator Laurel Gregory geared up to welcome each student to the program with a personalized schedule and a snazzy lime-green GEMS T-shirt. (Mahalo to Jean Schaeffer, Janice Patterson, and Angy Chesler for creating this eye-catching design.)

Volunteer Check-in Coordinator Dorinda Barney prepared to greet and direct the volunteers, presenters, and exhibitors; and Traffic Coordinator Ken Pool worked with hotel personnel to make the arrival of all those students run smoothly.

Kahea Green of the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort was a joy to work with, as she and her staff generously assisted us with our preparations. All was in readiness as the first students joined us soon after 7:00 am.

The girls started off the day with a themed breakfast, "Hit a Home Run for Nutrition," provided by Jean Hull of the American Culinary Federation and her team of chefs. The breakfast consisted of four "bases," each featuring a different food group. Girls picked up some food from each one, then arrived at the "pitcher's mound" to claim their prize – a page of information on healthy eating and a jump rope. It’s amazing how girls everywhere all seem to be experts in jump rope games! It was delightful to see them playing together on the lawn.

We also had six splendid exhibits for the girls to interact with during the breakfast and lunch times, four of which were new to GEMS this year. In addition to the excellent exhibits by local professional women, we were thrilled to present two exhibits by middle- and high-school students. Seeing such outstanding student work allowed the fifth graders to visualize some of the steps along the path to success in math and science. Please see the program for the full list of exhibits. (Mahalo to Jane Dulaney and Laurel Gregory for designing our program.)

Our featured speaker was County Councilwoman and long-time AAUW member Virginia Isbell. She welcomed the students by blowing the pu with one long blast in each of the four cardinal directions. She gave a brief talk and honored each presenter and exhibitor with a lei. Then the girls were off to their first workshop.

The students had 16 workshops to choose from this year, and each girl could attend a total of three. In addition to many returning favorites like e-Jewelry: True Electric Fashion and Let’s Create GEMSVILLE, we welcomed three new workshops this year: Weighty Matters: One Size Does Not Fit All, In the Wake of Our Ancestors, and Do You Want to Dig It? The latter was the focus of a front-page article about GEMS in the West Hawaii Today. (“Girls Exploring Math and Science: A passion of discovery and a love of digging,” by Kim Eaton, Friday, November 3, 2006. http://westhawaiitoday.com/). Please see the full list of workshops on the attached program. In addition to the student workshops, Nancy Tashima of the Onizuka Space Center offered a parent/teacher workshop entitled Science is Fun!

The workshops all ran smoothly and the kids seemed to be truly inspired by the workshop presenters. I've heard from a few parents who say their girls were really moved by the experience. In their own words, girls explained what coming to GEMS taught them:

• "That science and math is fun after you figure it out."
• "Math is more interesting than I thought."
• "How many different careers there are!"
• "I learned you can learn and have fun."
• "I learned that science is so much more fun than anything!"

From the feedback we’ve received from students and their parents, we feel encouraged that their experience at GEMS will give them the confidence they need to keep going with math and science as they enter middle school next year.

It has to be noted that we are full of gratitude for the overwhelming community support GEMS receives. It would not be possible to produce such a program without the participation of so many. Mahalo to those of you who volunteered, donated funds, or loaned equipment – and especially to those of you who did all of the above! This year our largest financial contributors were the Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women and Keauhou Canoe Club; the canoe club also distinguished itself by providing the largest number of volunteers on the day of the event. Remember that all the exhibitors and workshop presenters volunteer their time and the materials they use in their workshops as well. Please support the people and organizations that supported GEMS, and let them know how meaningful their contributions are.

To see more about GEMS, keep your eyes open for a TV presentation about it on Channel 54. Producer Jon Sabati volunteered to film our program this year and create a short piece to air on his program, Holoholo Hawaii. The date it will be aired is yet to be determined, and Jon tells us he will announce it in the newspaper ahead of time.

All in all GEMS 2006 was a resounding success, thanks to our fantastic AAUW team and the generous supporters in our community. Mahalo to you all!

Dec. 2006
Kiera Horgan
GEMS Chair