Thanks to all who returned the GAW Report Forms.

(Data From the GAW Report Forms, as of December 20, 2000)

Postcard Contest Participants: 2,016 entries
T-Shirt Day Participants: 1,222
GIS Day (McCoy Pavillion) Participants: 400
Special Stewardship Projects (For example, planting): 327
Other Activities Participants: 9,900
Number of Teachers Attending Workshops: 170
Number of Students Affected by Teachers Attending Workshops: 4,502
Number of Teachers Participating in GAW Events: 388

Lecture Topics:
Geology of Hawaii
Hawaiian Rainforest
Manoa Valley History and How Aliens Can Change the Way a Forest Looks
Renewable and Sustainable Resources
Recycling
Hawaiian Monk Seals and Green Sea Turtles
Geography of Food Production
Invasive Plants
Solar Car
Water Conservation
Fuel Conservation
Ocean Litter
Miconia
Energy Conservation
Forest Conservation
Palila Bird and Its Habitat
Cycles in Nature and Taking Care of the Environment

Speakers used as a catalyst for writing, research, discussion and projects that will be evolving with conservation and other environmentally related units throughout the year.

Other GAW Activities:
*Classes made shopping bags for local stores to share with the community the idea of conservation and its importance to the world. Research used as information to make conservation posters to share with family and friends regarding the problem of alien species coming to the islands.
*Collected pennies, nickles and dimes and worked through the Nature Conservancy in Hawaii to buy several acres of Hawaiian rainforest land on the Kamakou Preserve on Molokai to help it be preserved.
*One 5th grade class is growing wiliwili, `a`ali`i, and koa for transplanting onto the Hono`uliuli Preserve in Waianae. They are also working with the Nature Conservancy.
*Researched endangered Hawaiian animals, made posters, and shared with classes and families.
*Coral reef research: 1) to understand the need to preserve the coral reef; 2) understand the relationship between coral reef and sea creatures/organism, including symbiosis; and 3) to understand man's effect on the coral reef -- need to preserve and conserve
*Videos: In the Clear Blue Sea (ocean conservation)
The Lorax
I Need the Earth, the Earth Needs Me
Malama I Ka Wai
Water
*Trivia Contests
*Discussions on ocean life; rainforest of the world; Northwestern Islands and natural preservation areas, endangered species and habitats; conservation; water pollution
*Morning bulletin with reminders of GAW in form of conservation factoid.
*Morning broadcast blurps on conservation
*Read books about conservation
*Website search on related topics and linked sites to class webpage
*Will be planing native trees and removing young ilima ginger that are damaging and choking the native koa trees. Will also pick banana poka vines and make baskets (2/14-16/01)
*Unit on Ala Wai watershed (school located in this watershed). They investigated the Hawaiian stories of the watershed area, then linked them to present understandings of the area. We visited the Manoa Falls area and the Lyon Arboretum during the summer and "tracked" the stream down to the school area. Adaptations of stories of the watershed were written. The students created a watershed/conservation posters and put them up in and around the class.
*Musical mapping game with artifacts from around the world
*Listened to music from around the world
*Recycling paper, newspaper, cans
*Created and placed conservation posters up on the walls, cafeteria - monk seals; Here Today, Here Tomorrow;
*Illustrated a "wilderness place" then superimposed what happened to it now. Explanations were written to explain the changes
*Passports made and stamped for activities done during the week
*Singing
*Venn diagram on causes of crisis in "Time for Kids- Rescuing Coral Reefs"
*Essay on sustainable use, preservation, restoration
*Field trip to Halawa Xeriscape Garden; Waihe`e Water Tunnel -- reinforced unit on native Hawaiian plants and the importance of wai in the past till now and concerns for the future.

Evaluation: ( Effectiveness of GAW activities) Rating Scale: 5="strongly agree" and 1="strongly disagree"
1. Schoolwide GAW activities were successful. Average: 3.5
2. GAW activities in my classroom were successful. Average: 4.0
3. Students learned about conservation. Average: 4.0
4. Students are taking action for conservation. Average: 3.4
5. Parents were receptive to GAW. Average: 3.6

How has participating in GAW impacted your students?
*Our school thanks the National Geographic Society and the Hawaii Geographic Alliance for supporting geography education in the schools. Because of their effort to focus on geography with financial and curriculum support, we now have the tools to make this important learning a reality in the schools. GAW is a neat time to refocus each year on geography and it gives us a chance to do something concerted with our curriculum. We value the importance of geography in our lives and apply the concepts throughout our daily teaching during the year. Successful understnading of geography is ingrained in our vision and mission statements: "______, our launching pad to the global community." "______ is a learning community that nurtures responsible world citizens."
*It has developed an awareness of and a caring of our natural environment. They developed a genuine concern about peoples behaviors (and activities) and the effectsto our water and coral reefs.
*GAW has opened the students' eyes to the importance of conservation. It has made them more sensitive to their environment.
*Students are aware of the importance of conservation including environment on land and in the oceans.
*GAW built awareness of not only species endangered worldwide but especially those in Hawaii.
*It increased an awareness of resources and populatin demands on them.
*It has made them more aware that they need to protect the environment.
*It slightly made them aware of the vocabulary (conservation, preservation, etc.)
*They have learned to use the net to find answers to questions!
*Students are aware of how precious our natural resources are (especially our native Hawaiian plants and fresh water) and are consciously looking at how they can be active participants in preservation for the future.
*My students learned about polllution and are teaching others about it via the internet (web publishing).
*I believe GAW always opens eyes to other places in the world. I especially like sharing music from different cultures (the students have to research and find music as well) because it heightens their awareness to the theme of movement and how styles of music have moved across the globe. (During GAW we had an activity each day which didn't always have to do with conservation, but did have relevance to geography.)
*Calling attention to our habitats and environment. Defining geographic concepts.
*Promotes stronger awareness
*Students are more aware of the meaning and importance of conservation.
*Besides gaining an awareness, students were able to make connections with their study of the wetlands to conservation. Some students want to "make a difference" and are taking actions to help.
*HIPPO became the common language, as did the conservation triangle idea.
*They realized that they can be personally responsible for conservation.