Academic Showcases

The What

Academic Showcases are opportunities for students to demonstrate their academic confidence and design thinking skills aligned to the Department’s Strategic Plan Goal 1: Student Success objectives. Participation in these opportunities provide student’s learning experiences that further develop/demonstrate their:

  • Academic Confidence
  • Community Engagement
  • Critical Thinking
  • Design Thinking Skills
  • Problem Solving

The format for these opportunities may be local events held during in and/or outside of school , statewide or national events that schools may consider supporting individuals and/or team representation. Examples of showcase opportunities may include but are limited to the following types of events:

  • Student Competitions are individual or team competitions where the outcome of skill-based performances typically determine the winners. The format for these competitions may consist of individual and/or student teams locally, statewide and/or nationally.
  • Subject Area Fairs are generally competitions where students present their subject area projects (e.g. Science, Math, Art, etc.) using various type of display formats (e.g. poster board, digital video presentations, etc.)
  • School Family Nights are events where student’s families are invited to participate in activities hosted at schools, typically coordinated by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), or the school staff.
  • Showcases are events where students have an opportunity to present their work and interact with the public.
  • Learning Center Products are student work outcomes from the learning centers that provide learning resources for students.

In addition, participating in these types of events provide social emotional learning opportunities in a holistic environment where students learn to share, collaborate and support team members with varied backgrounds who listen to and respect each other. Communicating (verbally and visually) processes and solutions to a broader audience are some best practices that cross all content areas. These principles can be applied in a variety of pre-K to secondary classrooms environments.

The Why

Showcasing student work is a rewarding experience to highlight the hard work of students to a wider audience. Research has shown that when students have a voice and choice in their learning, they feel they are being heard, valued and respected. This gives them a sense of purpose, feelings of self-worth and increases engagement in school. Some of the benefits of showcasing student work include:

  • Accountability - Measuring Our Impact
  • Community Learning - Teaching Our Friends and Family
  • Increased Student Effort - Making It Real, Making It Important
  • Public Dialogue – Talking About Schools
  • Celebration of Youth – Giving Them the Spotlight


The How

When implementing Academic Showcase opportunities, schools may refer to the categorized list of options below that may be conducted in partnership with public and/or private sector. In addition, schools may opt to consult with the respective content area specialist(s) for guidance on selecting/implementing the appropriate type of showcase event. Here are some suggested student opportunities that are categorized alphabetically by content area focus and are not necessarily endorsed by the Hawaii State Department of Education:

Showcases/Demonstrations/Competitions

Academic Recognition Showcases

  • District Performance Assessment Recognitions
  • Honor Rolls or improvement recognitions
  • Scholar, Citizen or Super Star of the Month
A joint South Korea-U.S. student team took first place in the 8th Annual e-ICON World Contest in 2018.
A joint South Korea-U.S. student team took first place in the 8th Annual e-ICON World Contest in 2018.