By Barry Villamil | MyPearlCity.com
Kanoelani Elementary School sixth grader Mia Chambers serves as a shining light of academic success, leadership, and commitment to one another as she prepares to leave behind her inspiring legacy and enter the next chapter of her life as a seventh grader at Kamehameha-Kapalama Middle School next Fall.
Mia has attended Kanoelani Elementary since the third grade and has overcome the adversity, along with fellow Kanoelani Elementary students, from the Covid-19 pandemic that forced at home (Zoom) learning during her first year at her new school. When in-person learning returned to the Kanoelani Elementary campus, Mia and her classmates, and Kanoelani ohana united to engage and share in the school’s CHOOSE LOVE culture and motto: LEARN MORE, CARE MORE, BE MORE – WE > ME.
While at Kanoelani, Mia has represented her class on the Student Council, and as the Student Representative on the School Community Council. Mia also served as a student Choose Love Ambassador and with other clubs and committees. Mia also enjoys being a part of the school’s Choose Love garden.
During the 2023-2024 school year, I have had a wonderful opportunity to serve on the Kanoelani Elementary School Community Council (SCC) with Mia who serves as the SCC Student Representative. I am so impressed with Mia’s maturity as a sixth grader and her constructive, insightful, and creative contributions that benefit the Kanoelani Elementary student body at each SCC board meeting.
2023-2024 SCC Board Members
- Neil Blomberg (Principal)
- Ken MacDowell (Parent Representative)
- Lisa Kurasaki (Teacher Rep/Certified)
- Sarah Fukuzono (Secretary & Classified)
- Mia Chambers (Student Representative)
- Barry Villamil (Community Representative)
I proudly serve on the SCC Board while representing the community with the Pearl City Shopping Center Merchants Association / MyPearlCity.com.
Mia played an integral role on the School Community Council as the school’s Student Representative right up to her final board meeting on April 29, 2024 that took a final look at the 2023-2024 Kanoelani Elementary Self-Assessment Survey with the meeting agenda focusing on SCC reflection and principal evaluation.
Mia is an example of student leadership at the highest level of success along with a huge heart while representing the views and vision of the Kanoelani Elementary student body.
MIA
Student Council Class Rep
“I think that it was really cool that I got to help make decisions and help make school events happen and volunteer to help it happen and represent my class and the student’s views.”
Student Representative, School Community Council
“Representing the student’s vision and what the student’s want being student rep. It’s to get the student’s voice out there. To make sure it’s not just what the grownups want, it’s what the kids want. Kids are what basically makes up the whole school. It’s making sure that it’s not just okay with the staff, it’s okay with all the students too.”
PRINCIPAL NEIL BLOMBERG
“I think as a student, Mia has a process and a thoughtfulness in what she does and the way she does everything from serving the school and being a student and just to herself. Those are the things that really stand out about her.”
Mia is so excited and grateful that her dream came true to attend Kamehameha Schools next school year. Before she moves on from Kanoelani Elementary this month, she wanted to say mahalo to those who guided her way.
Mahalo from Mia
“I want to say thank you to my mom for letting me join literally everything and always making sure that I’m okay and making sure that I can do whatever I want and all my extra-curricular. I want to say thank you to Grandpa for always picking me up after those things when I didn’t want to walk home.”
“Mr. Blomberg has just really helped me with all of the opportunities. I’m a student rep for the SCC and he’s the one who personally picked me and he’s the one who asked me to do it last year and asked me to continue to do it this year. Just the way that he helps all the students around the campus and makes sure everything is okay.
“I just want to add that this school is really great and I’m really glad and really happy to say that I got to go here, and I got to represent Kanoelani going into Kamehameha…
I would like to wish Mia all the best in the future and hope that our leadership paths will once again connect.
GO WARRIORS!
Video and Photos by Barry Villamil | MyPearlCity.com
