Imagine yourself in a setting full of fun activities. You can feel the vibrations of music playing in a place distant from where you're standing. You get the slightest smell coming from different directions like the savory foods coming from food vendors. And you can hear the various laughter and excitement of the other crowds swarming around you. Well, now picture this energy here on Leeward’s campus!
On November 1st, Leeward Community College transformed into a vibrant exploration hub during its annual Discovery Fair. With two floors of various booths, the event invited families to discover the diverse array of majors offered at Leeward, igniting curiosity in their minds. The Ceramics major had wheel throwing to families allowing them to make cups or build sculptures with clay. At whimsical booths like Mad Hatter and PAROL, families who had a taste for crafting had the opportunity to create unique hats made from newspapers to wear throughout the day or create their very own Filipino Christmas Star that they were able to take home with them. As Professor Yutaka Kawahito, a Ceramics Professor here at Leeward, states during his interview, many of the booths at the Discovery Fair included many hands-on activities for kids and their families to ensure their experience at the fair was a fun time.
“We tied our teachings in the ceramics program to our booth and ensured that both kids and the community had a fun interaction and got hands-on experience with clay and making pottery.”
Not only did the parents get something out of this, but the student volunteers did as well. Some booths even let their student volunteers design and come up with their activities for their booths as well.
“Our student volunteers came up with our booth and because they were science students, we decided to implement it with our early college program and brought it today for the fair,” stated Rocio-Marie Alano, who is Leilehua High School’s College Career counselor.
Ms. Alano gave the opportunity for her High School students who came up with their activity, Bubble Geometry, to participate in the Discovery Fair. With help from Deena Cabralda, Leilehua’s Early College Teacher, Ms. Alano brought their activity to the fair and gave the kids who interacted with their booth an exciting experience of blowing huge bubbles or being inside one.
“We wanted families to expect fun! We have over 40 different booths that contain activities like making pottery, having fun with physics, learning a thing or two about math, even food trucks, a DJ, and all different types of fun activities. We wanted to ensure that families did not only see this event as a learning experience but a fun time,” mentioned Kenisha Strong Ruiz, one of Leeward’s counselors who helped plan the Discovery fair.
Ms. Strong-Ruiz was correct about the eateries at the fair and the live entertainment. Families had the opportunity to grab a quick bite from food trucks and the ‘Uluwehi Cafe, satisfying their taste buds during their time at the event. Live entertainment was also provided at the event featuring fresh beats from the DJ and mesmerizing tricks done by the magician at the event.
Some food trucks and eating spots were open to the public and fairgoers. For savory foods, there were food trucks like Krazy Dogs, which served uniquely made hot dogs with savory toppings, or Olay’s Thai Lao Cuisine, which cooked meals for families looking for Thai foods.
After savory of course comes sweet. Leeward’s Culinary classes infused a sweet treat into their learning activity by giving kids the opportunity to decorate cookies that they could eventually take home or eat. There were also food trucks like HI Cravings that blended Acai bowls with various flavors, fresh fruits, crunchy tastes, and sweet toppings that combined to make a sweet treat. Even a chill refreshment like Kona Ice was there for families looking for a classic cold cup of shaved ice with various delicious flavors.
“Today's event looked very crowded so I assumed it went very well. I liked that there were a lot of booths to look at. As a teen, I also liked how there was something for everyone to do whether it be going to booths, getting food, or the live entertainment,” said Noel Landon Castillo, an attendee of the Discovery Fair and a student at UH West Oahu.
The fair did come to a close, but overall the event looked like a complete success. The Discovery Fair accomplished its main goal of providing a fun event to the community and gave kids the opportunity to learn about what Leeward has to offer. Looking at the turnout and the large crowd that filled the halls and the booths.
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