Page 4 - MidWeek West - Oct 19, 2022

4 OCTOBER 19, 2022
‘Ewa Resident Helps To Create A Brighter Future For Area Students, Teachers
FROM PAGE 1
to be able to support them in helping their students grow,” admits Kato.
narrative about what is hap- pening in public education that is absent of a teacher’s voice,” explains Kato. “We wanted to have a venue for teachers, who are working each day to support student learning, to be able to share their stories and ideas about what is really happening in public education.”
to “enhance literacy efforts in all students” in 2019, and to distribute the funds effi- ciently, schools were asked to create a four-year literacy plan.
And her work does not stop there, as she teaches English for Hawai‘i online courses and helps teachers navigate the National Board Certification process.
When Kato heard about this opportunity, she was inspired and created a pro- posal, collaborating with 11 Campbell-Kapolei Complex Area schools that wanted to participate.
Jessica Kato
turn the dream into reality. Through the CLSD grant, the team coordinates many opportunities for Camp- bell-Kapolei Complex Area schools, such as bookmo- bile visits via Hawai‘i Lit- eracy, out-of-school tutoring and enrichment programs, family literacy events, an- nual professional learning cohorts, and foundational reading programs for area
“Not only will that certifi- cation help the teachers who earn it, but their students will benefit as well, so the more National Board Certi- fied teachers we have in the state of Hawai‘i, the stronger our education system will be,” states Kato.
With all the work she has done and continues to do, Kato is doing her part to ensure a better future for everyone — one word at a time.
“I met with principals and teacher leaders at each of the schools to fully understand each school’s unique design and their vision for literacy and then wrote the grant ap- plication and the $6 million budget,” she explains.
Jessica Kato (second from right) works with West O‘ahu teachers to support them in helping their students grow. PHOTOS COURTESY KEVIN KATO AND KRISTI ODA
elementary schools, such as Pōhākea Elementary, Bar- bers Point Elementary, Mau- ka Lani Elementary, Kaim- iloa Elementary, Iroquois Point Elementary and Maka- kilo Elementary schools.
Adding on to the already impressive list of things she does, Kato also is a collabo- rator for Educator’s Edge, a podcast that allows teachers to share ideas and stories.
“I believe that public ed- ucation is the cornerstone of a flourishing society,” she says. “By supporting stu- dents in learning to read and write and communicate, we are empowering them to lead us to a more just and equita- ble society.”
In 2020, the plan was ap- proved. She and Danielle Himalaya, complex academ- ic officer, then teamed up to
While students receive a lot of the attention, Kato believes teachers also need tools and support.
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“The most rewarding part of this work is working with the teachers at each school
“Too often, decision mak- ers and the public are given a
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