Hawaiʻi Technology Academy brings hands-on programs to its Maui campuses

The state’s largest public charter school system, Hawai‘i Technology Academy, is bringing a different way of learning to students at its two Maui campuses. 

The charter school’s place-based program, called pbHTA, takes students out into the community where they learn through hands-on projects. It is now available to all of HTA Lahaina middle school and is coming next year as an addition to Grade 6 at the Kīhei campus.

Curiosity, creativity and exploration are natural products of learning by doing, says Elissa Minamishin, who has been teaching pbHTA at HTA’s Oʻahu middle school for four years.

“It is the most satisfying feeling to hear your students ask questions because they genuinely want to know the how and why of what they are doing,” said Minamishin. “The best part is students don’t even realize they are learning essential math, science and communication skills in the process.”

The pbHTA program was born at HTA’s Oʻahu middle school during the pandemic when educators everywhere were looking for ways to meet and learn outdoors. According to an HTA press release, pbHTA was so popular with families that it expanded to the school’s elementary campus, where there is now a waitlist of families wanting to enroll.

When HTA’s Lahaina campus opened following the wildfires, the middle school staff quickly realized that the place-based program would be a good fit for their students. 

“Our families really appreciate our real-world learning environment,” said Ray Mohrman, a middle school teacher at HTA’s Lahaina campus. “This semester our students created authentic redesign plans for Lahaina. They also made interactive exhibits at the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center and wrote and illustrated books for their elementary peers.”

The new Kīhei offering — which is in addition to its existing K-12 program — plans to take students to ‘Īao Valley, where students will design and create their own gardens.

“We are very excited to bring pbHTA to our campus,” said HTA Kīhei Campus Director Allison Trapp. “As educators, we know that students have their own preferred ways of learning. The classroom setting is perfect for some, while others thrive when they are outside, learning practical skills in a way that feels relevant to them.”