Kalaheo High School GEER Final Report

We are in the first year of our pocket academy structure so we wanted a project that would highlight our new Academy of Media & Design.  In brainstorming with the teachers and students we decided on producing three highlight reels for small businessses in our community that were impacted by COVID.  The highlight reels involved research, writing, interivew skills, camera work, and editing which are all important components in our academy.  In turn the reels were a small way to give back to the businesses in our community.  The businesses we approached felt that through COVID they learned the importance of having an onine presence and the highlight reels can support that presence through website use, social media posts, etc.

1. Students gained an awareness of how COVD affected small businesses in their community.
2. Businesses were appreciative to work with students and have their story told.
3. Students worked as a team to acheive a common goal. 

1. It was a challenge to remember what our capacity is to do quality work in a timely manner.  This challenge made it difficult to narrow down our list of possible businesses we could work with.
2. At the start of the project students had to really get back into the swing of collaborating with others on a project following a year of working mostly virtually and/or individually.  

The biggest take away was raising our studentsʻ awareness of what is happening around them in the community and what they can do to help.  During a time like COVID when everyone was physically separated from one another and encouraged to work alone, students needed a ʻrestartʻ coming back to this new normal.  It is important for our students to gain back that sense of belonging and want to do what they can to support others, to know their community is their kuleana.