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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
200 |
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TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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COMMENDING THE FOUNDERS OF THE MILITARY YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR DEVELOPING AN INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM BETWEEN RADFORD HIGH AND ITS COMPLEX OF SCHOOLS AND THE MILITARY COMMUNITY.
WHEREAS, Mr. Robert K. Stevens, the Principal of Radford High School, Mrs. Pua`ala McElhaney, the previous Vice-Principal of Radford High School and current Principal of Enchanted Lake Elementary School, and Lt. Colonel Robert E. Pote, former Base Commander of Fort Shafter, created the Military Youth Advisory Council in 1994; and
WHEREAS, Radford High School is made up of a population of some thirteen hundred and forty students; and
WHEREAS, some 85% of these students and their families have some connection with the federal government; and
WHEREAS, the Radford Complex is made up of some nine schools that are located in or around four military bases; and
WHEREAS, the students of military families have often been moved from one school district to another; and
WHEREAS, military dependent students often have special issues related to transitioning into Hawai'i schools and the particularities of local culture that military families might find different; and
WHEREAS, this council became a problem-solving vehicle in addressing these issues by involving key members of the school and military communities; and
WHEREAS, the Radford Complex and the base commanders of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines agreed to join the Military Youth Advisory Council (MYAC), with the main focus of transitioning new students into Radford, where a safe, conducive learning environment exists; and
WHEREAS, current members of the MYAC include representatives from the military base commands of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy, its security officers and Family Service Center Representatives, community leaders, rotary club members, parents, Radford high school students, and Radford complex principals; and
WHEREAS, the MYAC meets monthly and provides resources to the schools that include the provision of tutorial services and technical and computer skills, the construction of the Radford High School's Local Area Network, and addressing issues such as drug use, gang involvement, graffiti and other forms of negative behavior; and
WHEREAS, the MYAC spawned other initiatives and programs that helped numerous families and students while saving state funds, such as:
-The Discovery Center, which resulted from a grant written by the Air Force to provide students in the community with career/college services,
-Securing a $1.5 million federal grant to renovate and reconfigure four state-of-the art computer labs at Radford High School and Aliamanu Middle School
-Demolition and reconstruction of Radford High School's Senior Patio and the athletic concession at Velasco Stadium
-Development of The Saturday Enrichment Tutorial Services program
-Development of a Military Culture course (credited professional development course administered by the Dept of Education)
-Creating the Joint Venture Education Forum (JVEF), which now serves as the model for school districts across the nation, and
WHEREAS, the MYAC will be celebrating ten years of service to the community; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that Mr. Robert K. Stevens, Principal of Radford High School, Mrs. Pua`ala McElhaney, Principal of Enchanted Lake Elementary and former Vice-Principal of Radford High School, and Lt. Colonel Robert Pote, former Base Commander of Fort Shafter, be commended and congratulated for their exemplary dedication to improving the atmosphere of their educational complex and for their forethought in developing and executing an innovative way to solve difficult social and transitional problems facing many students and families in the Radford High School complex.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Report Title:
Military Youth Advisory Council founders; congratulations