Hawaii
Hawaii Education Association Summit to focus on tapping high schools to address teacher shortage
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii Education Association is hosting its annual summit next week in an effort to address the teacher shortage in Hawaii.
The local nonprofit is working to tap high school students to address the state’s ongoing shortage of full-time licensed teachers.
HEA’s “Building the Future of Education in Hawaii: Cultivating Tomorrow’s Teachers and Empowering Today’s Educators” Summit takes place on Jan. 8 at the YWCA Downtown Honolulu from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will focus on teacher recruitment and retention.
Hawaii ranks in the top 10 states with the lowest teacher-to-state population ratio.
Low pay compared to other professions, high workloads, and a lack of professional development and support have been cited as reasons for a nationwide shortage of teachers.
HEA Program Manager Dr. Lynn Hammonds and Dr. Carla Warren, Senior Partner of the National Center for Grow Your Own, said there aresolutions being used in other states that Hawaii can adopt, including building a pipeline for high school students and apprenticeships for young teachers to cultivate the next generation of educators.
Hammonds said HEA was the first organization for Hawaii teachers — the precursor of HSTA, HGEA, and UHPA — and now focuses on supporting teachers and aspiring teachers.
“Our summit will gather education leaders from across the state, including 11 high school teachers who work directly with students aspiring to become educators. Our event features two expert panels that will share insights and strategies to ensure these future educators receive the necessary guidance, successfully complete college preparation programs, and achieve licensure as teachers in Hawaii,” Hammonds said.
As the summit’s keynote speaker, Warren will share her experience developing West Virginia’s Teacher Leader Framework to assist county school systems and securing Department of Labor funds to develop a teacher pre-apprenticeship program, the first in the country.
Other Hawaii agencies, including the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Education, and the Hawaii Teachers Standard Board, are establishing an apprenticeship program in Hawaii with a federal grant.
“The U.S. Department of Labor has developed a new apprenticeship program that opens the door to new opportunities for individuals to become K-12 teachers. Individuals can complete a bachelor’s degree and obtain teacher licensure at no cost while continuing to work in their jobs as paraprofessionals. This has been a great way to recruit new teachers,” Warren said.
Hammonds said HEA is supporting teachers from eight local high schools in Project Equal Access and piloting Educators Rising, a nationally recognized curriculum for high school students who are aspiring educators. The high schools include Farrington, James Campbell, Kauai, Maui, Mililani, Pearl City, Waiakea, and Waipahu.
For more information on the Hawaii Education Association, visit hawaiieducationassocation.org or call (808) 949-6657.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Hawaii
What’s Cooking: Celebrating Lunar New Year with Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A family-run Chinese restaurant in Honolulu’s Chinatown is gearing up for Lunar New Year festivities.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood Restaurant owner Karen Tam and her son Kirave Liang joined HNN’s Sunrise to showcase their dim sum and Chinese specialties.
Lunar New Year specials include a special jai with 18 vegetarian ingredients and the sweet, sticky, steamed rice cake gau in brown sugar and coconut flavors, which symbolize good fortune and prosperity.
”We eat food with a lucky meaning to start the great year,” Tam said. “We have jin dui (sesame balls) every day.“
Feb. 17 marks the start of the year of the Fire Horse, when families gather to celebrate with big meals and auspicious dishes. Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood will offer set party menus and special orders for foods not commonly found in Honolulu, such as whole stuffed duck, braised abalone in oyster sauce, and basin meal.
“It’s the biggest fest of the year. We celebrate Chinese New Year by eating with family in a round table,“ Tam said.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood also has private rooms with karaoke systems and a banquet hall to accommodate small family gatherings to large parties.
Hawaii Dim Sum & Seafood is located on 111 N. King St. and is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, There is street parking and paid parking behind the restaurant on Nimitz and Maunakea.
For more information, visit hawaiidimsumseafood.com or follow on Instagram @hawaiidimsumseafood.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Hawaii
Hawaii suffers first defeat of the season against Loyola Chicago | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hawaii
2026 Sony Open field is announced. See who’s playing in Hawaii
The Sony Open in Hawaii has the honors of being the kickoff event to the 2026 PGA Tour season after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua this season.
Instead of Maui, the Tour debuts in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Jan. 15-18, at the Seth Raynor-designed Waialae Country Club, where Nick Taylor prevailed in a playoff over Nico Echavarria last year.
Among the changes this season is the field size, which was reduced from 144 to 120, and, there is no longer is a Monday qualifier offering four spots. Will that help with pace of play? Stay tuned.
The field includes the following notables in addition to Taylor and Echavarria: Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley, Michael Brennan, Corey Conners, Tony Finau, Chris Gotterup, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel, Robert MacIntyre, Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Sahith Theegala, Gary Woodland and 62-year-old Vijay Singh.
Here’s the full field for the Sony Open, which will be live on Golf Channel all four days as well as NBC with early-round coverage on Saturday and Sunday.
This year’s Sony purse is $9.1 million and the winner also will receive 500 FedEx Cup points.
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