Category Archives: school

We Can Be Anything by Apl.de.ap

With Black Eyed Peas on hiatus, band member Apl.de.ap is spending time supporting education in the Philippines. In his song “We Can Be Anything,” the singer inspires kids to become what they dream to be. Although the song is for the Philippines, it applies to education aroudn the world.

From his own experience, apl.de.ap (a.k.a. Allan Pineda) knew that, for many Filipinos mired in poverty or other difficult circumstances, education is the only long-term ticket to a better life. Unfortunately, millions among the youth are deprived of this ticket to opportunity or drop out of school for a variety of reasons. One basic obstacle is the severe shortage of public school classrooms; the Department of Education estimates the backlog at 66,800 classrooms as of schoolyear 2010-2011, Another factor is the barren environment for learning in many parts of the country due to scarce resources with which to set up libraries and similar facilities.

Several organizations have launched programs to address these and many other problems besetting the Philippine educational system. Through his foundation, apl.de.ap wants to be able to help some of these programs.

On a personal level, he simply wants to tell young Filipinos that he was able to go so far in life because he got an education. To deliver this message, he has composed the song, “We Can Be Anything”, around which a campaign could be built. Through the WeCanBeAnything campaign, apl.de.ap lends his celebrity, music and personal network to rally massive support for key education initiatives, while reinforcing the broader message on the importance of education.

Apl.de.ap has been helping the Philippines with his celebrity status. Listen to his songs for We Be Workin’, Mama Filipina, U Can Dream, and Take U to the Phillipines.

We Can Be Anything by Apl.de.ap

Joon Pahk on Jeopardy

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Joon Pahk on Jeopardy

If you’ve watched America’s Favorite Quiz Show “Jeopardy” the past week, you would know that Joon Pahk has been on fire on the syndicated game show. His streak began October 3, 2011 and has been on reigning champ ever since. The 32-year-old is a college physics teacher at Harvard University and has created crossword puzzles for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other publications. With in a week of wins, he’s racked up over $150,000.

During the his chats with host Alex Trabek, we’ve learned that Joon Pahk has some interesting skills that prepped him for his time on Jeopardy including:

doing about 40 crossword puzzles a week
managing a baseball fantasy league of playwrights
played bridge when he was younger including reppin the US in international competition
has no car, but bikes a lot
he runs a daily quiz to guess the word he’s thinking of. (you can play here)
quit his summer job in college to play Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time full time

With his winnings, he plans to take his family to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Best of luck to Joon Pahk. Don’t forget to put your answer in the form of a question.

Joon Pahk on Jeopardy

The Learning by Ramona Diaz on PBS

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The Learning by Ramona Diaz on PBS

One hundred years ago, American teachers established the English-speaking public school system of the Philippines. Now, in a striking turnabout, American schools are recruiting Filipino teachers. “The Learning” is the story of four Filipina women who reluctantly leave their families and schools to teach in Baltimore. With their increased salaries, they hope to transform their families’ lives back in their impoverished country. The documentary film follows these four Filipino teachers as they take their place on the frontline of the No Child Left Behind Act. Across the school year’s changing seasons, the film chronicles the sacrifices they make as they try to maintain a long-distance relationship with their children and families, and begin a new one with the mostly African-American students whose schooling is now entrusted to them. Their story is intensely personal, as each woman deals with the implications of her decision to come to the U.S., and fundamentally public, as they become part of the machinery of American education reform policy. The women bring idealistic visions of the teacher’s craft and of life in America, which soon collide with Baltimore’s tough realities.

Director Ramona Diaz is also working on her next project “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” about Arnel Pineda, the new lead singer of Journey.

The Learning by Ramona Diaz on PBS

Lifestyle by The University of Hawaii at Manoa

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Lifestyle by The University of Hawaii at Manoa

Hey high school students, if you’re thinking of applying for a college this year, you might want to take a look at The University of Hawaii at Manoa. They released a video showing what life is like on campus. Looks like a bunch fun and cool people attending school there.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa is the oldest and largest campus within the UH System. Building upon its strengths, including its unparalleled natural environment and tradition of outstanding Asia Pacific scholarship, Mānoa is a premier research institution that celebrates its diversity and uniqueness as a Hawaiian place of learning. Part of an elite group of U.S. colleges or universities that hold land-, sea- and space-designations, Mānoa is dedicated to solving society’s problems and creating great social good for Hawai’i and beyond.

Lifestyle by The University of Hawaii at Manoa

Thanks channelAPA.com from Kenya

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Thanks channelAPA.com from Kenya

channelAPA.com got a special thanks from half way around the world in Kenya courtesy of The Supply Education Group. The headmaster of the school, Albert Keronye, gave us a video thank you. (It was definitely an unexpected surprise in our inbox.) Here’s the email they sent us:

On behalf of The Supply, we wanted to thank channelAPA for continuously supporting our cause and helping us bring awareness to the village of Lenana. The first step to any sort of change is awareness because it ensures that an issue is no longer invisible. That is why you have helped us in inspiring our young asian americans to start taking action and empower them in knowing that no matter how young they are, they can make a difference.

Thank you ChannelAPA and we hope to continue to inspire together.

Learn more about the school being built with the help of Kevjumba and Jubilee Project.

Thanks channelAPA.com from Kenya

More about The Supply Education Group

The Supply Education Group is a not-for-profit operating organization whose exclusive purpose is to empower and transform communities through education. We move from village to village in developing countries working with local schools and community leaders on educational projects that secure the education for all children, positively impact the communities, and generate income for schools to become self-sufficient. The hope is that this input of resources will create a long-term ripple effect, creating local leaders, driving economies, fighting corruption, and allowing communities to pull themselves out of poverty.

Currently, they are empowering Lenana village, a slum village 10 km west of Nairobi. They are in the process of working to build the first ever secondary school in this village.

UBC LipDub : Raise Your Glass & Celebrity Status

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UBC LipDub : Raise Your Glass & Celebrity Status

Last week, UCB (University of British Columbia) released a LipDub video promoting their school and raising money for Make a Wish Foundation. On Saturday March 26, 2011, over 1000 people gathered to rock out and lipsynch to Raise Your Glass (P!nk) and Celebrity Status (Marianas Trench). Lots of different elements in this video. It kicks off with a spoof of the Old Spice guy, then shows off the diversity of the school population along with various student activities. (Looks like a large Asian population over at UCB.) The school campus look pretty fun with unicorns, Power Rangers, scuba divers and more. The most impressive part of the student made video is the helicopter fly over shot. Stay til the end of the video to see some of the behind the scenes action.

UBC LipDub : Raise Your Glass & Celebrity Status