PUHI — Peggy Ellenburg of Island School said that the school’s fifth-grade class could not have timed their fundraiser more perfectly. Twenty-two students from Cindy Wortmann’s class hosted a pancake breakfast Saturday to help defray costs for an upcoming educational
PUHI — Peggy Ellenburg of Island School said that the school’s fifth-grade class could not have timed their fundraiser more perfectly.
Twenty-two students from Cindy Wortmann’s class hosted a pancake breakfast Saturday to help defray costs for an upcoming educational and cultural trip to the Big Island.
That event coincided with the Island School’s Family Work Day and the launch of the Kaua‘i Island FIRST Robotics program.
“James Masarro, the robotics teacher, had a sleepover last night where the students got to watch a robotics video,” Ellenburg said. “He bought 100 tickets so he could feed all of the students in the program.”
Kenny Ishii, designated in charge of cooking up the pancakes, said overall they sold about 400 tickets for the event. The meal consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit and pancakes prepared by different parents at stations set up in the Island School cafeteria.
“How about a pancake sandwich to go?” Ishii said. “We can put bacon between two pancakes.”
Once the meals were done, parents separated into groups tackling projects throughout the campus.
Ellenburg said her big project was to clean out “the closet” in the drama department, while another teacher already had a garden area lined up with no-weed liners separating planter boxes. A small tractor made filling soil into the waiting planters a lot easier, but parents still had the task of leveling out the soil and getting the boxes ready for planting.
All of these tasks were blanketed by the aroma of sizzling bacon.
Mary Lu Kelley, a program support specialist with Oceanit and an adviser for the FIRST Robotics team, said the initial meeting of the Kaua‘i Island FIRST Robotics team will reveal the new game which will be played this year.
Students participating in the sleepover were treated to watching a video from Dean Kamen’s FIRST headquarters in New Hampshire.
Robert Springer, principal of Island School, could not resist the urge to enjoy breakfast with his family prior to attending the launch of the robotics program.
Other dignitaries expected for the program launch included Kaua‘i Complex Area Superintendent William Arakaki and Kapa‘a High School principal Daniel Hamada.
Kelley said the initial meeting was an opportunity for team members and advisers to brainstorm ideas for the Kauaibots robot and develop a plan on how this year’s game will be played.
“It’s a very exciting time,” Kelley said in an e-mail.
