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Today Malika Dudley introduces us to not just one Super Kid, but a group of them. We met this class of GT, or gifted and talented 6th graders, right here on Sunrise. They're learning about multi-media technology and came to see us to learn more. But it all started when Malika visited their school and discovered a gold mine. Thirteen Super Kids, all in one place.
I lucked out on this one! I went to their school to talk about interview skills, and left with our very first Kidcaster and a classroom full of Super Kids. Let's take a look at the journey.
Jacob Nelson, an 11-year old at Waimalu Elementary was selected as our very first Kidcaster.
"This is my school, Waimalu Elementary, and at my school we have 70 degrees, partly cloudy, winds. Go Warriors!"
He certainly impressed us with his Kidcast, and his entire class came to support him.
But, it wasn't until after Sunrise on KGMB9, that we realized how super these kids really were.
As soon as we were off the air, they went to work. Kids working the camera, taking notes, interviewing and directing their own shoots for their very own newscast, Waimalu Elementary's "Warrior News." Sounds like fun, right? But it's also a lot of hard work. Each kid had to test just to get into the multi-media class, and only a select few are chosen.
Classmate, Jantzen Shinmoto explains, "It's not about you being the best. It's about you being responsible having a good imagination and being creative." Creative, but on a deadline. These 6th graders put on a weekly school-wide newscast that covers everything from what's for lunch to weekly happenings at the school.
It's educational too. I even learned a few things about Howard. Eleven-year-old Jamie Hwang reports, "Howard Dicus was a community college drop out. He had a great education and he read a lot. Just because he dropped out of college it doesn't mean he isn't educated. I mean even people who have Masters degrees ask him questions."
And, Colin Navares taught me a little something about Grace. "Finally she was asked to be the anchor on Sunrise on KGMB9, when she was asked she thought, are you sure you really want me? She was really happy and actually did a booty shake."
Tony Pablo, their GT teacher, tells us about the class. "The whole idea behind the course if for kids to learn how to use technology tools of their generation. How to show what they know in non-traditional ways. They know how to be on camera, they know how to be behind the scenes, they know how to edit. They're pretty versatile for their age. And, I think that they're experiencing things that not a lot of kids get to experience," he explains. Eleven-year-old Jamie Hwang tells us about her experience. "I mean we do everything. We have the two anchors and all the other people we switch off doing camera, director, teleprompter," she said.
They're versatile alright, but what struck me most was their maturity and professionalism. These 11-year olds take their jobs very seriously, and even think about what the future holds. Kristin Fujiyama, the anchor for Warrior News, says "Maybe we could become a digital photographer or, like you guys at KGMB, a news reporter." Jantzen also thinks he can use his skills in the future. "I can probably be like a camera man, like him right there. Or I can use a computer for research for helping out on future broadcasts," he says.
A thirst for knowledge, creativity, and a great work ethic. That's what makes these kids super. Just ask Tony, their teacher. "They're super because they want to learn. They want to work with the technology. And sometimes they come up with ideas that I wouldn't come up with. They're just a really super bunch."
I hear the kids are very excited about what they're learning right now, how to create their very own music video.
Watch Waimalu Elementary's "Warrior News" broadcast on the Sunrise crew:
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