{"id":78618,"date":"2018-04-27T14:21:16","date_gmt":"2018-04-28T00:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=78618"},"modified":"2019-03-21T15:43:35","modified_gmt":"2019-03-22T01:43:35","slug":"55-by-25-waipahu-pledge-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2018\/04\/27\/55-by-25-waipahu-pledge-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Waipahu Intermediate students make the pledge for college"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Waipahu Intermediate School student signing Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> P–20\u2019s 55 by \u201925 pledge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Students at Waipahu Intermediate School<\/a> made a commitment to their future at Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> P–20 Partnerships for Education\u2019s<\/a> 55 by \u201925 pledge day. The event, spearheaded by students, included college booths, games and other activities designed to motivate classmates to sign pledge sheets and banners to commit to attending college.<\/p>\n

The pledge days are part of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> P–20\u2019s 55 by \u201925 campaign<\/a> which aims to have 55 percent of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s working age adults hold a two- or four-year college degree by the year 2025. The initiative hopes to build college aspirations starting as early as middle school by mobilizing students to create a college-going culture on their campuses.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s great when we help our middle school students to think about college,” says Stephen Schatz<\/strong>, executive director, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> P–20. “To reach our state\u2019s 55 by \u201925 goal, we need our students to see that college leads to a brighter future, including higher pay, more job opportunities and more independence.” <\/p>\n

As part of this effort, middle school students are developing innovative ways to spread the message about the importance of college and encouraging their classmates to make the pledge.<\/p>\n

At Waipahu Intermediate, students created college boards to showcase to their classmates, organized a college fair featuring University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> campuses and planned college themed games including a college spelling bee. Teachers also posted their college name plates in their classrooms and shared their experiences with students.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to go to college because it is the first step to achieving all your goals in life and pursuing your career.
—Waipahu Intermediate 8th grader Maureen Albano<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“The 55 by \u201925 campaign at Waipahu Intermediate School is a way for our students to get excited about college,” says Randell Dunn, principal at Waipahu Intermediate. “Currently we are getting more and more students signing up for early college before they enter high school. This is a way for our students to prepare themselves for their future. It fits with our vision that “We Inspire Success\u2026Everytime\u2026Everywhere\u2026Everyone.”<\/p>\n

Students are getting the message.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s important to go to college because it is the first step to achieving all your goals in life and pursuing your career,” said Waipahu Intermediate 8th grader Maureen Albano, who was also one of the student organizers. <\/p>\n

In addition to Waipahu Intermediate, five additional schools held 55 by \u201825 pledge events on their campuses this year including ʻEwa<\/span> Makai Middle, Kal\u0101kaua Middle, Kealakehe Intermediate, Waimea Canyon Middle and Waiʻanae<\/span> Intermediate. More than 3,500 students have been involved in 55 by \u201925 campus events this year.<\/p>\n

The 55 by \u201925 campaign\u2019s middle school pledge program is a grassroots effort that began in 2016. To date, 15 middle schools statewide have participated in this student-led initiative.<\/p>\n

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Waipahu Intermediate School\u2019s pledge day event included college booths, games and other activities designed to motivate classmates to commit to attending college.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> P–20\u2019s 55 by \u201925 pledge day initiative hopes to build college aspirations starting as early as middle school by mobilizing students to create a college-going culture on their campuses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[511,306,947],"class_list":["post-78618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-55-by-25","tag-hawaii-p-20","tag-uh-system","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t