Page 4 - MidWeek Windward - July 27, 2022

4 JULY 27, 2022
Castle High School ProtoKnights Shine In International SeaPerch Challenge
FROM PAGE 1
journey to this year’s suc- cessful competition started four years ago for approx- imately half of the seniors who were part of the Pro- toKnights’ inaugural team.
designing, building, testing, redesigning and practicing for STEM competitions, and the extra hours pay off.
“It always impresses me to see how dedicated and driven the students are,” Saito says. “There are no grades or extra credit for their work. They just want to try and solve the challenge
That core group placed second in its first year at the 2019 O‘ahu SeaPerch Re- gional Competition before it grew to 15 members and three teams the following
“One of our goals is to expand our program to provide more STEM opportunities to the students at Castle and connect to our feeder schools ...”
for the season and see how they stand up to other stu- dents from across the state and beyond.”
year. Following two years of cancellations and virtual competitions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the group could finally show- case its collective talent as a fitting capstone for the de- parting seniors.
Members of Castle High School’s ProtoKnights include (front, from left) 12th grader Ryden Matsuda, ninth grader Davelynn Medeiros, 12th grader Christian Iha, ninth grader Paige Namahoe-Maeda, (back) ninth grader Hunter Matsuyama, 12th grader Tyler Yamashige, 11th grader Michael Quinn, 11th grader Logan Suzawa, 12th grader Reilly Miyade, 12th grader Colby Cummins, 11th grader Walker Sun, and the captain, 12th grader Jack Saito. PHOTO COURTESY RYAN SAITO
Tyrell for her continued supportofourprogramfrom day one,” he adds. “Thank you to the Armed Forces Communications, and Elec- tronics Association Hawai‘i Chapter, the Bow Yee Tong Society and Makai Ocean Engineering for their sup- port that made our trip to Maryland possible. Thank you to DCCM Spurgeon and the U.S. Coast Guard for always providing this fun and challenging STEM opportunity for Hawai‘i stu- dents!”
The squad participated in the 2022 O‘ahu SeaPerch Regional Competition in March. The annual event was hosted by Damage Con- trolman Master Chief Petty Officer Jamey Spurgeon and his team from the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Having lost six seniors who were all instrumental in the success we’ve had in our program, this com- ing year will be a rebuild- ing year for our program,” Saito says. “We were able to pick up four freshmen and three juniors last school year with a lot of potential to grow. One of our goals is to expand our program to pro- vide more STEM opportuni- ties to the students at Castle and connect to our feeder schools to build a ‘STEM ecosystem’ in our complex.”
MAHALO I KAU KUMU
The ProtoKnights quali- fied two of their four teams for the 2022 International SeaPerch Challenge held June 4 at University of Maryland.
JULY 29 3P-8P // JULY 30 10A-7P
WINDWARD MALL
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:
• 8/12 Food Truck Friday @ Koko Head Elem. School
• 8/13 End of Summer Gift Fair @ Ka Makana Ali’i
IslandCraftFairs.org
The Castle teams com- peted against more than 50 groups from across the coun- try and around the world in four required events: obsta- cle course, mission course, engineering design report and team video.
Saito thanks the parents of his students for their sup- port of the program and for allowing their children to spend so much time in the shop as they pursue their passion.
GIFT FAIR
& SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE FOR TEACHERS!
For event info contact 808-689-9091 or email info@islandcraftfairs.org
Castle’s first team earned enough points to tie for first overall in the High School Stock Class Division, while the second team placed third overall.
“A special thank you to principal Dr. Bernadette
Saito explains that the