Jarrett Juicing Up Its Kulia All-Stars Budget

The Kulia All-Stars Program at Jarrett Middle School recently won a $500 grant for its service learning project, 'Juice (Packet) Couture,' which involved fashioning useful accessories from the juice packets they collect daily on campus. The happy entrepreneurs are (front, from left) Shaneen Gilbert-Santiago, Precious Aholelei, Alisha Magnuson, (back) Kanani Lorrin, Kyle Elanzo, Kituri Namto, Chevy Ishida, Charisse Ishida, Skye Kitaoka and Mei Qi He. Photo from Tanya Yamada.

The Kulia All-Stars at Jarrett Middle School competed for and won a $500 national grant for its service learning project, Juice (Packet) Couture, that focused many ways to recycle juice packets and boxes.

The students collected discarded containers daily at snack break, but that was just the beginning. They applied principles of entrepreneurship, marketing – as in “JK Designs” – and public speaking to create a viable sales product. That earned them the grant from the After-School All-Stars Youth Grants Program. From the discards, they created and sold wallets, bags and accessories, with some of the profits heading to Boston Marathon bombing victims.

As one of eight Oahu Title I middle schools in All-Stars Hawaii (keeping students safe and thriving from 3 to 6 p.m.), Jarrett will stage a May 15 showcase of its many activities, including an Iron Chef-type competition.