Letters for Sept. 10, 2015

Letters for Sept. 10, 2015

iLEAD would benefit Kauai

This letter is in response to “iLEAD Denied a Second Time” published Sept. 4 in The Garden Island.”

“You can’t jump a chasm in two bounds.” — Chinese saying

Educational reform takes time; time grounded in hard work, perseverance, and love. Although our iLEAD Kauai denial was not ideal, it is understandable as we are proposing a school system that challenges the status quo. Any large paradigm shift takes time.

The article incorrectly identified our group as “A California-based charter school.” Although the iLEAD model was founded in California, our application was submitted by a local group of Kauai teachers, administrators and parents who have been working diligently to bring this model to our island. Deena Fontana Moraes and Dr. Kani Blackwell, both Kauai educators, cooperatively led the effort in the last year.

In addition to the fact that iLEAD does not have a single school in the San Diego area, the academic record of the iLEAD schools is more comprehensible when framed in context. iLEAD achievement scores may not be considered “high-flying,” but student growth rates are well over the average. A simple explanation follows that iLEAD schools attract students who are underserved in the traditional system. As a result, these students may initially underperform their peers on standardized tests. However, the same students exceed growth measures over time as they find their way at iLEAD. This growth results in as average 98.75 percent graduation rate and 70 percent acceptance rate to four-year universities.

Although our group is still defining the direction that we will take in the future, we consider our efforts already victorious. We have brought our community together around a collective dream; a dream to materialize a school where Kauai learners are “free to think and inspired to lead.” Indeed, “This fight is worthwhile.”

Deena Fontana Moraes

iLEADership administration resident

Don’t forget to have water on hand

Conserving water on the island have been a topic of discussion for some time now. When the water company designates a specific time to shut down water, many people are terrified they will go thirsty for three hours without water. This puts a lot of extra strain to always remember to store water in advance or buy more bottled water. Keeping tabs of water supply is not what most people do.

To help out the situation, a cooler is kept nearby so when the time comes, filling the cooler with water ahead of time will be a easy thing. Letting people know on TV is the best way of doing this island message.

Though this is an added concern, keeping tabs of water supply helps a person become aware of scarce resources on the island and help them prepare for a natural disaster.

Dean Sabado

Honolulu

Time to change eating habits

Linda Bothe (letter to the editor, Sept. 8, TGI) is absolutely right about what we can do with respect to “taking care of ourselves” in specific reference to dealing with becoming victims of cancer: Eat wisely!

Wouldn’t it help tremendously if there were promotions to cut back on too much sugar and starch in our diets; to have fastfood outlets emphasize “healthy choices” with menus that include items that are both tasty and healthy; to have the “food industry” shift gears to promote their products to be “healthy choices”? Or, is this just “wishful thinking” because $$$$$ is the reason why we’ve become gluttons to eat heartily without regard to negative health consequences?

The bottom line is: It’s up to us to become a part of the solution. We either have to make an effort to change our eating habits or become victims of our own folly. The choice, really, is ours to make!

Jose Bulatao Jr.

Kekaha