Maunaloa Elementary hosts school's first STEM Day with STEMworks
As part of Maui Economic Development Board’s STEMworks program, which runs the STEMworks AFTERschool program at eight Maui County elementary and middle schools, Maunaloa Elementary offered a hands-on STEM Day on January 8 to kick off the spring 2026 semester. The event was the first all-day STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) event the school has hosted, giving West Molokai’s keiki hands-on experience with the latest STEM education technology and inspiring them to continue studying STEM in middle and high school.
The event featured five sessions led by STEM experts from all across the state for the 67 participating K-6 students. An inflatable, walk-in planetarium session led by STEMworks computer science specialist Anna Sikkink provided an immersive astronomy lesson. Artificial intelligence (AI) expert Gabriel Yanagihara led the students through several AI literacy activities, including how to tell the difference between AI-generated and real photos and how to create descriptive AI prompts. Joseph Abraham, a Maui-based computer science teacher and video game developer, had the students use technology to create digital graphics for video games. An education technology company, Bluum, also participated in the event, with Trent Rulloda from Honolulu leading coding activities using both virtual and physical robots designed for elementary classroom learning. To connect Hawaiian culture with STEM, Kumu Heitiare Kawehi Kammerer and Kumu Manuwai Peters led a hands-on session about wayfinding and astronomy that incorporated Hawaiian storytelling and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi while teaching students how to use a star compass and map to navigate.
After the event, one of the students shared about what they learned from the event in a reflection activity, commenting, “the planetarium helps us learn the constellations, planets, and how people used stars to guide them…If I had to make a project on space, I would make it on the planet Neptune.” Many participants also wrote that they hope to continue developing their AI skills through independent projects in the future. One student noted, “some people might not know about AI and what it does. But only they can teach themselves, no one else.”
Lalaine Pasion, the STEMworks program manager who oversees STEMworks AFTERschool activities at all participating schools across the county, shared about the goals of the event: “The first STEM Day at Maunaloa Elementary, supported by the local community, helped students see their potential in STEM and other paths that strengthen culture and community, inspiring curiosity and confidence.”
Supported by grant funding from the County of Maui and Kamehameha Schools, MEDB’s STEMworks AFTERschool program is offering four afterschool classes at Maunaloa this school year: Agriculture, Online Skills and App Development, Robotics, and STEM Exploration. The aim of the STEMworks program, which also includes STEM career awareness events, internships, camps, and teacher professional development, is to empower students to develop skills that can be used in service of their local communities.
