Kalihi Kids to Represent Hawaii in MA

The cat is out of the bag! STRAWCATS ARE GOING TO MASSACHUSETTS!

Hi, my name is Malia Kaku. I work at a Middle School in Kalihi as an RTI Math teacher. After school, I coach a FIRST LEGO League: Challenge Team named the Strawcats.

On Saturday, December 3, 2022, Team 2089 - Strawcats competed at the FIRST LEGO League: Challenge Competition. They placed 3rd overall out of 49 teams and have been chosen to represent Hawaii at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Invitational in Worcester, Massachusetts this summer.

This year’s FIRST LEGO League: Challenge is SUPERPOWERED. The team worked hard all school year to create an innovative solution to a problem involving energy. They also built an autonomous robot to complete missions on a game board. Our team consists of an eighth grader, three seventh graders, and two sixth graders.

None of our team has ever been to Massachusetts. In fact, one of our club members has never been off the island! We are excited to give our club members an experience of a lifetime. There will be so many amazing things for us to see and do when we get there. But first, we need your help getting there. Between ground transportation, lodging, meals (and snacks... middle schoolers need so many snacks), activities, and events, we are anticipating around $7,000.

We would also love to be able to share the aloha spirit and some goodies from Hawaii with teams from around the world. Thank you so much for your consideration and support!