Amazing Kids! is proud to highlight the Amazing Kids! of the Month!

Each month, we showcase kids who are accomplishing amazing things.  We hope that by telling their special stories, we will inspire other kids to accomplish their own amazing achievements. 

These amazing kids have created their very own company, K.I.D. Co., with the help of their amazing teacher, Ms. Lendio!  Read about their inspiring company, and who knows?  Maybe you'll want to start a company of your own at your school!

In October of 1996, students at Waialua Elementary School on the island of Oahu were faced with a crisis which affected their families and their futures. The community's sugar plantation, which was the main source of financial income for a large percentage of families in the small town of Waialua, was closing down!  Budget cuts, instability in the global market, and economic hardship were the causes of the shutdown, and the people of Waialua were faced with coping with financial hardships.

Twenty students in amazing teacher Lori Lendio's fifth and sixth grade class at Waialua Elementary School were discussing the future of the community when one student asked, "What is going to happen to my family now that my dad lost his job? Will we have to move?" 

Another added, "If the plantation closes down and people move, no one will come to my mom's hair salon." From this emotional discussion, the idea to formK.I.D. Co.(Komputer Interactive Design Company) was born.

The children decided that in order to help solve the community dilemna, they had to be part of the solution. So, the students brainstormed and came to the following conclusions:

1) They wanted to bring income to the community without bringing tourists and development.

2) They wanted to assist businesses with their local and global advertising needs.

3) They wanted to help teach members of the community to use technology to strengthen their career and job skills.

Now that they had a client, the next challenge was to obtain a loan. To start a company, they would need money to purchase the necessary button supplies. They solicited the principal and were surprised to learn that they needed to prepare a business plan if they were going to be given a loan. They called the local bank and other businesses to find out how to write a business plan.

Members of K.I.D. Co. learned first-hand how to run a business. They were able to take classroom skills and apply them to real-life situations. In order to be keen business people, they needed to learn communication skills as well as sharpen their skills in the core curriculum. Marketing, advertising, and consumerism were stressed.
 
 

Amazing K.I.D. Co. employee discussing business plans with fellow employees

K.I.D. Co. has just celebrated it's 3 year anniversary.  Since 1996, students have learned to create business cards, t-shirts, logos, banners, flyers, commercials, web pages, and other advertisements.
 
 

 An example of one of 
K.I.D. Co.'s business projects

In addition to assisting members of the business community, K.I.D. Co. teaches parents and community members to use the technology to create resumes, presentations, and other technology projects which assist in learning career and job skills.

The vision of K.I.D. Co. has always been to develop a community website so that businesses in the Waialua area can advertise and benefit from the growing global market. A second major vision of K.I.D. Co. is to create teacher curriculum materials so that teachers nationwide can implement student-generated businesses in their classrooms. This school year, K.I.D. Co. will be helping the Hawaii Department of Education with their 3rd Annual Building A Community of Learners Conference, to be held in Hawaii on March 16-18, 2000. K.I.D. Co. will provide support as registrars, emcees and workshop monitors. They will play an important role at the conference, which involves approximately 1,200 people globally.

According to their amazing leader, Ms. Lendio, "The greatest testaments to K.I.D. Co. are the students. These amazing kids take ownership of the company and feel a continued sense of commitment and pride in the community. The students have learned that they empower themselves and can become lifelong learners. They realize that learning takes place beyond the classroom walls and their decisions today affect their futures. They have the exciting opportunity to create and design their futures, to shape and mold their lives!"
 
 

SAY CHEESE!
Amazing K.I.D. Co. employee demonstrates the company's digital camera

In Their Own Words:  Observations by Some Amazing K.I.D. Co. Kids!

The first President of K.I.D. Co., Joseph Weidenbach (K.I.D. Co. 1996-1998), currently a freshman in high school, emailed the advisor and wanted to form a Board of Directors. He wanted to insure he will always have a vote in K.I.D. Co.'s decisions. "Staying connected is important," he claims.

"One of the greatest benefits of being in K.I.D. Co.," says Lacey Lavarias (K.I.D. Co. 1996-1998), "is that adults treat you as an equal and you become more mature. The expectations are higher and so is the performance."

Each school year brings new challenges for K.I.D. Co. and because of the vision set forth by the students, the goal will always remain simple... 

• Hire the amazing kids at K.I.D. Co. for your next advertising or promotional design needs! 

• Find out how you can start a K.I.D. Co. at your school!

Lori Lendio
KID Co. Advisor
Waialua Elementary School
Waialua, Oahu
Hawai'i
kidco_99@yahoo.com

Hawai'i Department of Education:www.k12.hi.us

E-School: www.eschool.k12.hi.us

Computer Safari (Computer classes for kids in Hawai'i):  
      www.computersafari.com/kids_classes.htm

Links to Individual School Websites in Hawai'i: http://nssb.k12.hi.us/links.html

Calling All Amazing Kids!  We Need Your Help! If you are, or know any kids who are, doing amazing things, we want to hear about it!  Send us your stories, so we might be able to feature you too someday!   Please be patient, and we will do our best to tell your story some day -- hopefully soon!