The Planets Align at the Spalding Clubhouse!

On June 5th 2012, for ONE DAY ONLY, our Clubhouse opened up the facilities of the Charles C. Spalding Astronomical Observatory!

In actuality it was this Summer’s Club Tech program, in which participants learned about and observed a once in a lifetime celestial event – the Transit of Venus. This occurs when the orbit of the planet Venus travels directly between our planet and the Sun – and it won’t occur again for over a century!

Jalen attempts to swallow our sister planet!

The entire Game Room witnessed the event via live video stream from the NASA website - projected from a BGCH laptop to a big screen.

Daniel building his pinhole camera

Daniel V. shared that he “learned how to make pinhole cameras, and I learned that Venus won’t pass the sun for another 105 years.”

Here is the video that taught us how to build our cameras:

How to Make a Solar Eclipse Viewer

With pinhole cameras the kids were able to view the event with their own eyes without damaging them by looking directly at the sun. We are incredibly lucky in Oahu, as this was one of the best places in the world to watch this happen.

Although sometimes it was tough to see because of the passing clouds, Youjin and Daniel were certain they could make out the tiny planet against the sun’s glowing projection within the pinhole camera box.

These kids are either witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event,
or they're really hungry for  Veggie Chips - YOU DECIDE!

Photo NASA/SDO

For centuries astronomers have studied this event to unlock new secrets about our universe, Youjin K.  - our own budding astronomer - observed that “a tiny dot projected on a white piece of paper, might be an inspiration to future generations of young scientists!” 

And Rei O. agreed - “this makes me want to learn more about astronomy!” 

All Star Team plays in California

The Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii clubhouses got together and formed an All Star Basketball Team.  This consisted of club members from all the clubhouses on Oahu as well as Kauai.  The Oahu All Star members practiced hard together for one month and then were joined by the All Stars from Kauai who held their own practice sessions.  When together they formed an All Star team that was ready to play.  They flew up to California to participate in the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica Biddy Tournament.  Although they lost 2 of 3 games the youth took away a lot of fun times and memories to last a lifetime.  They may not have won it all this year, but they will be ready to play next year, so everyone watch out!

Here is a week summary from one of the All Star Team Members:

"I had real fun at California.  On the first day we went to Magic Mountain which is Six Flags really.  At first I did not want to go on any roller coasters rides.  I told Mr. Jeric and Tim that I did not want to go on any roller coaster rides but Mr. Jeric made me go on almost all of them except one.  Now I think roller coasters are fun.  I thought that California was hot but it was cold too and I thought I was going to freeze to death once.  When we went to Disneyland I had fun even though the lines we super long.  My favorite ride at Disneyland was Space Mountain but I really liked Splash Down too.  I bought a Mickey Mouse Apprentice Hat.  When we had our first game I saw that the other team were all tall and they looked good.  When we played them they were so good that they creamed us so badly.  Now I learned that I should practice hard and practice more basketball so I can become better.  When I grow up I really want to become a NBA player."
-Akira K.

Mind Your Manners, Girl Power!

Girl Power was recently given the opportunity to attend an Etiquette Class at Lisa Rose Doll & Tea House.  The girls got to dress up for the part in pretty dresses and heels.  Then they got some make up, their nails painted, and their hair done.  After that, they sat at the table and were treated to snacks and lemonade.  They learned basic table manners and discussed what is appropriate to do and what is not appropriate while at the dinner table.  It was a learning experience for the girls that attended and for the staff as well because Miss Dani Miss Natalie had so much fun and secretly wished they could play dress up too!

"At the tea party I had lots of fun dressing up and learning manners.  That day I felt awesome and beautiful.  I learned not to speak loudly and to politely speak while at the table."
-Alicia A.

"I felt so happy that I went because there was so many dresses that I did not know which one to pick."
-Kapua B.

"My favorite field trip ever!  I felt so pretty and like a princess.  I learned not to put elbows on the table.  Dressing up was fun and I would love to go back."
-Anastasia V.

Girl Power & Man Hour Team Up

Girl Power and Man Hour joined forces earlier this month for an exciting service learning project.  It started Thursday night with a lock in.  During the lock in, the girls and boys played some ice breaker games followed by a few leadership games.  A hit game was guesstures, where the youth challenged the staff to a game of charades.  The staff ended up winning, but everyone had a blast.  After a short ice cream party it was lights out since we had a busy day ahead of us.


The plan was to get up, cook breakfast, and head out to Hanauma Bay for a short discussion about the bay followed by a clean up of the surrounding plant area and then we would finish the day with swimming!  However, the weather did not feel like cooperating with us that day so we had a little change of plans.  We still went to Hanauma Bay but the weather prevented us from going outside to pull out evasive species.  Instead, thanks to Aunty Annie at Hanauma Bay, we got to play some fun games and watch interesting videos that taught us about pollution and ocean safety.  Recycling was a big thing we learned about and how not recycling affects the ocean animals.  Since swimming was out of the question, we drove to a near by lookout to watch the waves break on the rocks.

Essay of the Year!

This past Saturday the Spalding Clubhouse Youth of the Year participant Ben Fernandez proudly represented the Club at the Youth of the Year competition.  The YOY competition is the culmination of a two month-long academy where one teen from each of the eight Clubs refines their interviewing, writing and public speaking skills.  Ben spoke confidently in front of the three judges, other candidates and participants, and the rest of the audience as he shared his story about his experience at the Club and the challenges the Club has helped him to overcome.  Unit Director Natalie and LIT Advisor Bri had tears in their eyes as they listened to him share his story with poise and engaging energy.

 

After delivering his speech, he had an opportunity to socialize with the other LIT candidates and participants and eat lunch and with the guests at the competition.  After lunch, the judges were excited to announce the winners of a variety of awards.  The first award announced was the Essay of the Year, and we were thrilled to hear Ben's name called.  He then cheered on the other teens as they were selected for Speech of the Year, Most Inspiring Candidate and the Youth of the Year.  We went out to Menchie's to celebrate his awesome accomplishment with some frozen yogurt and to finally relax after two months of hard work.  

Please enjoy reading his inspiring essay below:

The Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii Charles C. Spalding Clubhouse is a place where I can learn to be someone that I want to be. It is a place that I can call home and somewhere where I can teach others from my experiences. At the club you can be a family, it is a place that keeps me out of trouble and that makes me a better person than I was before. It is also a place that shapes me into becoming a successful person.   

I first became a member at the Charles C. Spalding Boys & Girls Club seven years ago. I have participated in many programs, but the program that has truly changed me as an individual is the Leaders in Training Program (LIT). The LIT program allows me to participate in community service events around the island such as beach cleanups and feeding the homeless. This program also allows me to be a leader within my club by giving me tasks that entail more responsibility than that of a regular member. At the club I have assisted with basketball tournaments that have taken place and many other special events. In all my years as a member of the club, the LIT program has been integral in making me into a better person.   

Through the LIT program I have become a person that always wants to help people and my community in every way that I can because it makes me feel good as a person. I have come to realize that it is not about what you get for doing something good; what really matters is what the people you help get from your service. I really enjoy helping out the younger members that attend my clubhouse. Many of them look to me as a role model and I work hard to teach them life lessons that the club has taught me. I am always pushing these members to do the best they can and give all they got so they can have a great future.

Thanks Ben for reminding us exactly what we work for every day we're at the Club!

Kahuku Farms

The youth had a day off from school thanks to Presidentʻs Day on February 20.  The staff thought it would be a great idea to plan a special field trip for the youth to participate in.  The first lucky 40 youth to get forms in were treated to a tour of a local farm on the North side of the island.  At Kahuku Farms, the youth learned about basic crops that are grown in Hawaii, the importance of eating local produce, and even got to plant their own lettuce seed in hopes of it growing in a few months.  The youth were very excited to get a momento for them to take home and had a blast on the wagon ride that some did not want to get off and wanted to go again.  After the farm tour, the youth got to visit Miss Daniʻs favorite beach on the island, Aliʻi Beach and swam their hearts out.  It was a great day at the club for sure.  

                                 

"Thanks to Kahuku Farms for letting us tour the farm even though it was super muddy!  I loved the fresh fruit because it was really sweet.  The wagon ride was so fun and I loved having the opportunity to see the different crops growing throughout your farm."

-Miss Dani

"The fruit we tried was good.  The wagon ride was cool."

-Semion P.

"When we rode the wagon it was fun.  I liked the beach."

-Kapua B.

Sandy Beach Clean-Up

On Presidents Day the Leaders in Training Program spent their day off from school cleaning the shoreline and park at Sandy Beach. For many of the teens it was their first time traveling to the east side and they were all shocked at how big the waves were when we arrived. When we got to the beach we met up with a representative of the Parks and Recreation where he handed out supplies for the teens to use to clean the area. 

To make the day fun the teens split up into pairs and competed to see who could get the most trash. Once given our boundaries the teens were off racing down the beach and climbing through bushes to find the most rubbish. Walley stated, “I liked working as a team to clean the beach and help our environment.” The LITs were able to clean the whole area within an hour and some of them even got so see an endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal sunbathing on the shore. We made sure all the trash was put in the trash cans and then the teens were eager to get in the water. 

Unfortunately the waves at Sandy Beach were too big for them to swim in so we traveled further down the east coast to the beach at Sherwoods. At Sherwoods we set up a picnic spot and the LITs jumped into the water with their boogie boards. The waves were still pretty big at the beach but the teens loved catching waves and wiping out and also working hard to get past the shorebreak. “I really liked catching the waves it was so much fun and I was really good at it” said Berttaney. By the end of the day the teens were super tired and some fell asleep on the ride back to the club. It was a very rewarding day and the LITs were all able to connect and bond with each other.