LIHUE — “Do you need a company banner?” Robert Green, a digital design teacher at Kauai High School wanted to know. “You can order one from us at Da Shop. A lot of the graduation poster that started going up at the stoplight were made by Da Shop.”
Da Shop is an Eduprise student store operated by Digital Design students, most of whom are seniors.
“This was a long time coming,” said Leah Aiwohi, the Kauai High STEMworks instructor. “These students were freshmen when talk started about Da Store. Now, they’ll be graduating on May 23.”
“Da Shop is our Career and Technical Education (CTE) department’s very first Eduprise entity, and the first on Kauai, I believe,” Aiwohi said. “Digital Design teacher Robert Green has been making sure to establish our Eduprise business following all guidelines set by our state CTE office. His Digital Design students have created, designed, and will be managing Da Shop as part of their work-based learning experience.”
Shoppers to Da Store’s “grand opening” on May 1 — many having had problems trying to find downstairs of B Building on the Red Raider campus — waited for the doors to open. And once inside, many discovered items that had to leave with them, including student-created items such as shirts, banners, decals, stickers, earrings, hair clips and more.
All of the items, including specials like “Old School Shirts,” are displayed on a huge white board.
“Our vision for Da Shop is to be a creative lab where students engage in hands-on learning and prepare for future careers,” stated a flier of the venture’s mission being distributed by one of the student helpers. “Our mission is to operate a student-led business where students not only develop industry standard design skills, but also professional behaviors such as team work, time management and client interaction.”
Unfortunately, there is not a website where potential shoppers can view items available. However, a greeting care distributed by the students lists (808) 977-9737 as the phone number to call for information on printing services for custom shirts, banners, decals, stickers and more. An email address, DaShop@kauaihs.k12.hi.us is yet another venue to get information on what Da Shop has available.
“Da Shop is the real world extension of our Digital Design pathway,” Green said. “Students learn industry standard design skills in class, then apply them through Work-Based Learning by running this student-led business and taking on real clients, real deadlines and real responsibilities.”
