Mililani Educator Represents State At Teachers Conference

Michael Cahill works with a student March 6 on up-cycling a T-shirt into a reusable bag. Photo by Jennifer Kuwahara.

This Mililani teacher is taking her skills on the road.

Michael Cahill, a seventh-grade science teacher at Mililani Middle School, is headed to Chicago this month to attend the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference on science education.

Cahill was the Hawaii Science Teachers Association (HaSTA) Ambassador Program recipient at the annual HaSTA conference last September at ‘Iolani School. Since its inception in 2012, HaSTA Ambassador Program has been sponsored by Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), which provides a stipend to a HaSTA member so he or she can have a world-class professional-development experience.

“I am very honored and excited about receiving this award,” she said. “I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to go to such a prestigious conference.”

This is Cahill’s first year teaching in a formal classroom setting, and she plans to use her experience at the conference to expand her content knowledge and teaching strategies to better engage students in her classroom.

As HaSTA president-elect Alia Thompson noted, “That is precisely the goal of the program and why Hawaiian Electric Company’s sponsorship is so appreciated. Our whole organization benefits from this partnership.”

Following the NSTA conference, Cahill will share curriculum ideas and materials with local science educators by conducting a session at the annual HaSTA fall conference.

“Hawaiian Electric has supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and initiatives for more than 30 years,” said Darcy Endo-Omoto, HECO vice president of government and community affairs. “STEM skills are foundational to success in any career, and we believe the Ambassador Program will give Hawaii science educators an edge in the classroom and lead to more engaged students.”