USDA BLOG: Farm to School Success in Hawaii
Blog post dated 11/ 13/ 17
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/13/farm-school-success-hawaii
It takes the right amount of water and sunlight for seeds to grow into a thriving garden. So too, it takes the right mix of factors to integrate local foods into communities. Some of these factors include committed stakeholders, planning, collaboration, and financial resources.
Hawaii offers two successful examples of how federal funds can seed local agencies in the cultivation of their community food system goals. Kona Pacific Public Charter School & Friends of Kona Pacific Public Charter School (Kona Pacific) and The Kohala Center, Inc. (TKC) collaborate to advance their shared goals of improving student and community health, the regional agricultural economy, ecological understanding and a connection to native Hawaiian culture.
In 2011, Kona Pacific was awarded a $3 million direct loan through the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Program. The project financed the purchase and expansion of a 38-acre parcel of land with an organic farm and a small elementary school campus. The space emphasizes Kona Pacific’s educational focus on agriculture. An on-site garden serves as a platform for multidisciplinary lessons and a place where students grow crops using traditional cultivation techniques.
TKC, a partner of Kona Pacific, is a community-based institute for research, conservation and education. In 2014, TKC was funded through an Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grant to help schools and farmers maximize the use of the USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, available to high-need elementary schools as a source and market for local foods.
TKC further accelerated buying local foods through a 2015 USDA Farm to School Grant, a competitive grant administered by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to entities across the country to advance farm to school initiatives, and a 2015 USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grant. TKC used the grants to develop reports on sourcing local food for child nutrition programs in Hawaii, build school and farmer connections, launch planning for the Hawaii Island Charter School Food Hui with Kona Pacific, create a garden-based curriculum, participate in the Hawaii Lieutenant Governor’s Farm to School Advisory Group and strengthen the capacity and impact of the Hawaii Farm to School Hui, a network of farm to school stakeholders on each Hawaiian island advancing local food systems.
In 2016, Kona Pacific worked with the Hui to increase charter school participation in federal nutrition assistance programs through the National Institute of Food and Agricultures’ Community Food Project. Kona Pacific was also awarded a USDA Farm to School Grant to assess their 10 farm to school initiatives and develop an integrated farm to school action plan, which included financial sustainability.
As demonstrated by Kona Pacific and TKC, local food initiatives grow and flourish over time. Communities can strategically use federal resources to foster local food systems, economic opportunities and self-sufficiency. Each of these USDA programs was leveraged at a different time and with a different purpose, however, each investment supported the long-term goal of developing a locally controlled food system that supports both Hawaiian producers and citizens.
The 2018 Farm to School Grant Request for Application (RFA) is open through December 8, 2017. Since the grant program’s inception in 2013, USDA has invested more than $25 million in farm to school grants among 365 projects reaching more than 13 million students across all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To learn more about this funding opportunity, visit www.usda.gov/farmtoschool.
News from the US DEPT. OF EDUCATION
Prepared Remarks from Secretary DeVos to the National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony
Press release issued 11/ 7/ 17
https://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/prepared-remarks-secretary-devos-national-blue-ribbon-schools-awards-ceremony
Speech excerpt: " Since the program's inception 35 years ago in 1982, only 8,500 schools have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools. You are truly in rare company.
National Blue Ribbon Schools put students at the center of everything. You recognize that a world-class education is the surest way for students to achieve their individual goals and dreams.
America's students are more diverse than ever, and we all know that no child is the same as another. National Blue Ribbon Schools recognize that different students in different places have different needs. We recognize a wide array of schools for this award precisely because of this reality. The unique needs of each and every student aren't met by a one-size-fits all approach.
This is why I continue to urge everyone involved in education to "rethink school" – to thoughtfully question and challenge everything through one clarifying lens: how does this improve individual student achievement?
Each of your schools is admired because you have a deep and positive impact on students. Principals, teachers and support staff at National Blue Ribbon Schools work hard to ensure that students get what they need to learn. Late nights, early mornings, long weekends or through the summer – whether you're conducting home visits, hosting new learning opportunities or reaching out to community partners – in every situation you're present for your students."
Readout of Secretary DeVos' Visit to Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
Press release issued 11/ 8/ 17
https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/readout-secretary-devos-visit-puerto-rico-and-us-virgin-islands
Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands — Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos traveled to both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to observe the recovery and rebuilding efforts firsthand and to discuss with local leaders how the Department of Education can best assist in those efforts.
"My heart goes out to those in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands who have had their lives upended by the recent hurricanes," said Secretary DeVos. "There is certainly a long road to recovery ahead, but seeing the rebuilding efforts in person today was truly inspiring. The dedication shown by educators, administrators and local leaders to getting students back in the classroom, and their lives back to normal, was evident at each stop. The U.S. Department of Education will continue to assist them in every way we can."
While in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Secretary DeVos toured a public elementary school and met with local officials including Governor Ricardo Rosselló, Secretary of Education Julia Keleher and K-12 and higher education leaders to discuss the state of the recovery efforts.
After leaving Puerto Rico, Secretary DeVos traveled to St. Thomas to meet with Governor Kenneth Mapp and representatives from both the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) and the St. Thomas School District. She also toured a public high school with St. Thomas/St. John School District Deputy Superintendent Racquel Berry-Benjamin and participated in a small group discussion with Charlotte Amalie High School's principal, teachers and students.
The final stop took place at The University of the Virgin Islands with university President Dr. David Hall. Secretary DeVos participated in a roundtable session with Dr. Hall, university leadership and students to discuss their needs and the challenges that lay ahead of them in the recovery process.
US EDUCATION BLOG POST: FLOTUS, Secretary Visit Highlights Anti-Bullying Efforts, by, Melody Arabo
Blog posted on 11/ 8/ 17
https://blog.ed.gov/2017/11/flotus-secretary-visit-highlights-schools-anti-bullying-efforts/
As a School Ambassador Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education, I had the opportunity to help plan and coordinate a visit for First Lady Melania Trump and Secretary Betsy DeVos to Orchard Lake Middle School in West Bloomfield, MI. The school was selected because they had pledged their commitment to anti-bullying initiatives promoting inclusion and acceptance. Orchard Lake Middle School prides itself on diversity and anti-bullying programs, so the principal and staff knew that they would be a good fit for FLOTUS’s bullying prevention platform.
Breaking Bully Stereotypes
I have spent the last decade focusing on breaking bully stereotypes and shifting the conversation around such a critical topic, so I jumped at the chance to be part of this work at a national level. Most of the bullying I faced as a student occurred in middle school, so I was shocked to see it happen with my third graders. The most surprising part, however, was when I realized which students were doing the bullying. Some of my sweetest, smartest, and most seemingly innocent kids were often the ones doing the most harm. I see the same trends and patterns with every class.
One thing these kids all have in common is that they do not see themselves as bullies since they do not resemble the exaggerated characters in TV and movies. No one is a bully all the time, and this misconception makes it hard for kids to accept their actions as bullying behavior. This problem can be perpetuated in any school lunchroom when kids are left feeling isolated and excluded, while the classmates doing the excluding don’t understand the harm they cause. Effective anti-bullying initiatives can really help change those dynamics, and having the First Lady and Secretary share that message really helps kids pay attention.
Students Realize the Magnitude of the Event
I was able to be at the school for most of the day, hours before the special guests arrived. I could feel the energy in the building as students buzzed with anticipation. It was fascinating to watch all that happened behind the scenes and the planning and manpower it took to execute a one-hour visit. But the students reminded me why this event was so important. While the adults were scurrying around making sure things were running smoothly, the middle schoolers were enjoying the moment, recognizing the magnitude of what was happening. They knew their school was being highlighted and it meant they were doing something right, and that is an empowering feeling.
Sharing a message with kids about the importance of compassion and kindness is something that everyone should stand behind, and that day, everyone did. It is a big deal to have the First Lady and Education Secretary of the United States at their school, and this is something that these kids will remember for the rest of their lives. I am quite sure they will also remember that no one should eat alone either.
Melody Arabo is a 2017-18 Washington School Ambassador Fellow.
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NEWS FROM NASA: NASA Space Station Cargo Launches Aboard Orbital ATK Mission
Press release issued 11/ 12/ 17
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-space-station-cargo-launches-aboard-orbital-atk-mission
The International Space Station will receive about 7,400 pounds of cargo, including new science and technology investigations, following the successful launch of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Sunday.
Orbital ATK’s eighth contracted cargo delivery flight to the station launched at 7:19 a.m. EST on an Antares rocket from Pad 0A at Wallops, and is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station Tuesday, Nov. 14.
This is the fifth flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft, and the second using Orbital ATK’s upgraded Antares rocket. The spacecraft for this mission is named in honor of Gene Cernan, the last human to step foot on the Moon. Cernan, who passed away in January at age 82, set records for both lunar surface extravehicular activities and the longest time in lunar orbit.
Expedition 53 astronauts Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) and Randy Bresnik of NASA will use the space station’s robotic arm to grapple Cygnus, about 4:50 a.m. Tuesday. Cygnus will remain at the space station until Dec. 4, when the spacecraft will depart the station and deploy several CubeSats before its fiery re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere as it disposes of several tons of trash.
The resupply mission will support dozens of new and existing investigations as Expeditions 53 and 54 contribute to about 250 science and research studies.
Highlights from the new experiments will include studies on antibiotic resistance, high-speed data transmission, plant growth and improved power and communication technologies.
The E. coli AntiMicrobial Satellite (EcAMSat) mission will investigate the effect of microgravity on the antibiotic resistance of E. coli, a bacterial pathogen responsible for urinary tract infection in humans and animals. Antibiotic resistance could pose a danger to astronauts, especially since microgravity has been shown to weaken human immune response. The experiment will expose two strains of E. coli to three different doses of antibiotics; one of these strains is deficient in the gene responsible for the increased antibiotic resistance in microgravity. Results from this investigation could help determine appropriate antibiotic dosages to protect astronaut health during long-duration missions and help us understand how antibiotic effectiveness may be increased in microgravity, as well as on Earth.
The Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration (OCSD) project will study high-speed optical transmission of data and small spacecraft proximity operations. It will test functionality of laser-based communications using CubeSats that provide a compact version of the technology.
Results from OCSD could lead to significantly enhanced communication speeds between space and Earth and a better understanding of laser communication between small satellites in low-Earth orbit.
The Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Microgravity via Rhizobium-Legume Symbiosis (Biological Nitrogen Fixation) investigation examines how low-gravity conditions affect the nitrogen fixation process of Microclover, a resilient and drought tolerant legume. The nitrogen fixation process, a process by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into a usable form for living organisms, is a crucial element of any ecosystem necessary for most types of plant growth. This investigation could provide information on the space viability of the legume’s ability to use and recycle nutrients and give researchers a better understanding of this plant’s potential uses on Earth.
As space exploration increases, so will the need for improved power and communication technologies. The Integrated Solar Array and Reflectarray Antenna (ISARA), a hybrid solar power panel and communication solar antenna that can send and receive messages, tests the use of this technology in CubeSat-based environmental monitoring. ISARA may provide a solution for sending and receiving information to and from faraway destinations, both on Earth and in space.
For more than 17 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A global endeavor, more than 200 people from 18 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 2,100 research investigations from researchers in more than 95 countries.
WORLD AND NATIONAL HEADLINES FROM REUTERS...
Tanks seen heading toward Zimbabwe capital: witnesses
HARARE (Reuters) - Four tanks were seen heading toward the Zimbabwe capital Harare on Tuesday, witnesses said, a day after the head of the armed forces said he was prepared to “step in” to end a purge of supporters of the vice president who was sacked last week.
North Korea nuclear arsenal too developed to destroy quickly, says Moon
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday it would not be easy for reclusive North Korea to destroy its nuclear arsenal quickly, even if wanted to, given its weapons programs were so developed.
Sandy Hook victims' families to argue case in Connecticut Supreme Court
HARTFORD, Conn. (Reuters) - Connecticut’s highest court is set to hear arguments on Tuesday in a closely watched case brought by the families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting against the maker of the assault rifle used by the killer.
Attorney General Sessions says now recalls meeting flagged in Russia probe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday he now recalls a meeting in March 2016 that has come under scrutiny as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s election campaign colluded with Russia.
Daily Bible Verse: [ Christ’s Suffering and Ours ] For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
1 Peter 3:18 NKJV
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