The state Board of Education and Department of Education will honor its District Teachers of the Year and announce its State Teacher of the Year for 2008 at the BOE meeting set for 3:30 this afternoon at Kailua Intermediate School.

The state's top teacher will be selected from among the current District Teachers of the Year: Cori Lei Chong, Honolulu District, Ka'ewai Elementary; David Arakaki, Central District, Moanalua Middle; Shari Takahashi, Leeward District, Nanaikapono Elementary; Suzanne Cummings, Windward District, Kailua High; Pascale Pinner, Hawai'i District, Hilo Intermediate; Leighton Nakamoto, Maui District, Kalama Intermediate; and Kevin Matsunaga, Kaua'i District, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle.

The Polynesian Cultural Center, the State Teacher of the Year program's corporate sponsor for 22 years, will award $500 to each top district teacher.

The teacher of the year will also get an additional $1,000 from the Polynesian Cultural Center and a free one-year lease of a 2007 Mazda CX-7 from the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association.

INDIGENOUS NATION MEETING SUNDAY

Chaminade University next week will host the 2007 World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium Conference.

The three-day conference, which starts Sunday, will include reports from indigenous peoples from Alaska, Aotearoa, North America, Australia, Saamiland, Somalia, Taiwan and Hawai'i and a special welcome introducing the presidents of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

The World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium was officially formed in August 2002 in Kananaskis, Canada.

For registration information, contact Claire Pruet at cpruet@chaminade.edu or (808) 735-4744.