About 40 students in seventh through 12th grades identified a need for playground equipment at the public housing project Weinberg Village. They used math skills including geometry to design it, and architecture, masonry and carpentry to construct it. They learned how to do 1040-EZ income tax returns and volunteered to complete them for the public during a weekend at the Windward Mall. They adopted a senior citizen center in Kailua and began growing vegetables in their hydroponic garden for them. The students also made workbooks and puzzles for elementary school kids they taught hydroponic gardening to.
Many students are takers.
Olomana students adopted a stream in Waimanalo, performed water-quality tests and helped clean it up. They formed an outdoor classroom for students with sporadic school attendance at the Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden, where they built a bamboo fence. School attendance improved greatly, Wong said. Several cities and states, such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Maryland and California, adopted service-learning policies. Hawaii plans to make community service a standard for its public school students.