Meet Robyn McMullin, K-8 Curriculum Specialist, who has worked at Assets for 18 years.  

What do you value most about Assets School?   I believe that all students have their own talents and gifts which make them different from other children and which enable them to write their own stories throughout life.   Assets provides a special atmosphere for children.  Because of the small classroom size, and the excellent teacher/student ratio, we educators get to know each student individually so that we can discover their unique talents and help them develop their distinctive gifts.

What is your goal for the current school year?  This year my focus is on supporting the upcoming Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students (AEGUS) conference, which will be held at the Prince hotel on March 26-28. This year's theme "Turning the Tide of Underachievement," will feature internationally known speakers specializing in meeting the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional students. Participants will explore topics such as: Underachievement and Motivation, Gifted/LD Education, "Helping Boys Succeed in School," Research-Based Strategies, and Parent Collaboration. Assets is co-hosting this conference along with Bridges Academy of Los Angeles, CA.  For more information, including registration details, click this link.

What drew you to be an educator?  Early on I realized how fulfilling it was to help children find their unique skills and talents. I was given a full teaching scholarship by the Australian government and taught for a number of years in Sydney, Australia.  Later, I became an exchange teacher working in Ontario, Canada, and in Seattle, Washington before coming to Assets in Honolulu. I have had many opportunities to teach and learn from students from a large variety of different cultures.   

What is your book by your bedside? How do you stay current in the field?  I love hearing about people's distinctive life stories, which leads me to read biographies, memoirs and autobiographies. I have just finished reading True Compass: A Memoir by Edward M. Kennedy. I am now reading an autobiography titled, All of Me by Anne Murray the Canadian singer, and a biography of Victoria Ward of the famous Hawaiian family.  I stay current by attending meetings, conferences and workshops, locally, nationally and internationally.  I also am a member of the State Advisory Council for the Gifted and Talented (SACGT), and attend the monthly meetings.

Please join us for Illumination, Venetian Night, A Masquerade Ball, our annual fundraising event to raise money for tuition assistance on March 4th. Tables and individual tickets are on sale now! Click here to purchase tickets or a table.
 

Interested in Volunteering?  

Positions are still available for the 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift during the event. For more information, contact Kay Suzuki at kaybelltree@gmail.com.

This month, Liku McCormick, Becky Shimabukuro, Paulina Lim and Trenton Mihara with Marine Science teacher Dan VanRavenswaay will be traveling to Washington DC to participate in the Student Summit on the Ocean and Climate.  The students will be making a presentation on Water Use & Management at the Smithsonian Institute to a gathering of more than one hundred students, scientists and policy makers from across the country.   The University of Hawaii's Waikiki Aquarium is providing funding for this project and while in Washington, our Assets students will also be able to attend sessions with ocean scientists, collaborate with other summit delegations and visit famous sites of our nation's Capitol.  To learn more about the project, please visit their website: http://waikikiaquariumsummitdelegation.wikispaces.com
 

Sophomore students in Kerri Schweibert's American Literature Class are currently reading Molokai, a novel about the struggles and heartache of the residents of Kalaupapa by Alan Brennet.  What has amazed these students is how these residents still managed to live lives filled with hope and love. On February 3, this class will have the opportunity to hear the personal stories from two Hansen's disease survivors and learn how they made a life for themselves, found love and overcame their circumstances.  Literature is inherently about the human condition so these students will certainly gain tremendous insight from these visitors!

Clap those hands and ring those bells! Jen McVeay, Branch Director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, informed Genny McJunkin, K-8 Assistant Principal that Assets School ranked #10 in the  country for funds raised for the  2010 "Laps for Leukemia" program. 

Nick Castello (Class of 2007) is the starting libero for the UH Manoa, Warriors Volleyball team.  Recently featured in the Star Advertiser where head coach Dan Fisher said,  "Nick is the best defender, for sure." *photo taken from Star Advertiser.