HEA Awards Seven Professional Development Scholarships
The Ronald K. Toma Scholarship for Professional Development supports tenured Hawaii State Department of Education pre-K–12 teachers and school administrators who are pursuing professional learning opportunities, other than an advanced degree and formal post-secondary courses in higher education.
Congratulations to the following educators for receiving an HEA scholarship and for your dedication to education, students, fellow educators and the community!
Shelly Andrews
Shelly Andrews, a school counselor at Kailua High School, will take part in the Breathe for Change, Social Emotional Learning facilitator and yoga teacher training to better support student success by redesigning the school’s existing program and expanding it to help 200 Kailua High School students a year. The training Shelly takes will also benefit Kailua High School teachers and staff.
Joy Paul
Joy Paul, a third grade teacher at Holualoa Elementary School on the west side of Hawaii Island, will take a series of literacy courses to implement a literacy program at her school to benefit students at all tiers of learning to read. This is critical as improving English language arts scores is part of our school’s academic improvement plan for all grade levels. The benefits of
a structured literacy study will continue for years to come.
Jody-Lynn Glickman
Jody-Lynn Glickman, a Kihei Elementary School teacher, will participate in Project-Based Learning (PBL) professional development courses to enhance her instructional expertise and ability to support her colleagues in implementing studentcentered learning experiences. The courses will equip her with a deeper understanding of how to design, facilitate, and assess project-based learning effectively, ensuring that learning is meaningful, inquirydriven, and aligned with real-world applications.
As an instructional coach, she will be able to offer professional development sessions for teachers, modeling how to transition from traditional instruction to a more engaging, student-driven approach to increase student engagement, motivation, and
achievement across all grade levels and subject areas and enhance student learning outcomes.
Daphne Miyashiro
Daphne Miyashiro, a librarian at Kalani High School and current vice president of programming for the Hawaii Association of School Librarians, will be attending the American Association of School Librarians national biennial conference to learn about new resources and trends in school library programs across the country.
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is the national professional organization focused on school librarians and the school library community, with a mission to empower leaders to transform teaching and learning.
Daphne will incorporate that knowledge into lessons to implement with all ninth graders in their transition to high school, which is one of Kalani High School’s enabling activities to ensure that all ninth graders successfully transition from middle to high school.
“With the rise of misinformation spread across social media platforms and increasing popularity of using generative Al, we need school librarians to teach students how to evaluate and critically analyze the information found online,” she wrote in her scholarship application. “Media literacy and information literacy are crucial skills students (and adults) should be learning.”
Chikyra Crabbe
Chikyra Crabbe, a teacher at Kamaile Academy Public Charter School in Waianae, wants to support the needs of students for whom English is their second language with courses designed to equip teachers. Proper training for teachers helps ensure
these students receive the high-quality education they deserve and are equipped to succeed academically.
The Hawaii Department of Education can directly impact student outcomes and close achievement gaps. Ensuring equitable education requires that all students, regardless of their language background, have access to effective instruction and the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Chassidy Kaaihue
Chikyra’s colleague, Chassidy Kaaihue, a second grade inclusion special education teacher and homegrown educator from Waianae, will be participating in the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Reading Interventionist Program, which directly supports the Kamaile Academy Public Charter School’s academic plan to enhancing literacy instruction and intervention strategies that align with evidencebased best practices.
Chassidy will eventually become a Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist, and her participation in this program will help her gain specialized knowledge in structured literacy approaches, multi-sensory instruction, and data-driven assessments. These skills are essential in addressing reading difficulties, particularly for students with dyslexia and other learning challenges, ensuring equitable access to high-quality education.
Aaron Tomasu
Aaron Tomasu, a school counselor at Waikiki Elementary School since 2010 who is active in the Hawaii School Counselor Association, plans to attend the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national conference in Long Beach, California, and learn up-to-date information and techniques used by school counselors across the nation. Break out session
topics include Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) practices, Al/technology infusion with school counseling, legal/ethical dilemmas, mental health advocacy and more Ultimately, Aaron hopes to integrate some of the ASCA standards into
Waikiki Elementary School’s current school counseling program.
