By KYVELI DIENER Hawaii Tribune-Herald
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Pascale Pinner, a 37-year veteran teacher at Hilo Intermediate School, has been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

She is the first female educator in Hawaii and the first public school teacher from Hawaii Island to receive this honor.

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“I’ve seen a lot over 37 years. The school’s been around for 100, and I’ve been here for more than a third of that,” she said.

Pinner was informed of her induction in late April, when she was called to participate in a supposed Merrie Monarch presentation only to be surprised with the announcement and an outpouring of love and lei.

“It was a stunning moment,” Pinner said of when Joel Truesdell — a retired Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii chemistry teacher from Keaau, who won the same honor last year and then nominated Pinner to be this year’s inductee — showed up with one puakenikeni lei, one lei po‘o and one maile lei.

Lisa Graff from the National Teachers Hall of Fame then presented her with a plaque in front of all her students.

“It’s a huge honor, and I really put it back to my keiki, my students, because that is the reason that I’m here,” Pinner said. “It’s why I do what I do. I love what I do.”

The Hawaii State Teachers Association said only 170 teachers, including Pinner, have been inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1989 and is located in Emporia, Kansas.

With her victory, Pinner received $20,000 for herself and $20,000 for Hilo Intermediate from the graphic design platform Canva, becoming the first Hall of Fame inductee to receive a monetary prize that former inductees have championed, according to the HSTA.

Pinner’s entire career as a teacher has been at Hilo Intermediate, working with seventh- and eighth-graders in her first three years in the fields of science, math, writing and social studies before landing in her role as an eighth-grade science teacher, where she’s happily been for 34 years with no intention of retiring anytime soon.

“The reason why I’ve always stuck with this age group is the awe and wonder is right there, front and center on their face. As is the, ‘Oh, my god, you’re boring the hell out of me,’” Pinner said with the easy laughter that pours from her like a waterfall.

Pinner said the fields of natural science, space science, oceanography and physical science are effective at maintaining kids’ interest because of their tactile nature. To maximize on that connection in the foundational sciences of her class, she began utilizing a learning technique in late 2017 she calls PEEPS — Personal Explorations of Everyday Phenomena — which “cement specific scientific concepts” through hands-on activities.

“You can see evidence of what’s happening,” Pinner said. “That’s made a difference for our kids because our test scores are above the state average.”

Pinner then introduced a new effort in 2018 called the Envelopes of Science Awesomeness Program, bringing her hands-on activities to Big Island elementary schools. The HSTA said that program has already impacted over 2,300 students and has received annual funding from the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum since 2020.

Pinner, who also helps students of hers who have gone on to Hilo High with their science fair projects, and has helped get young women interested in physics through years of helping to run summer physics camps for girls, recently received a $100,000 grant from the Thirty Meter Telescope to support Next Generation Science Standards teacher workshops.

Pinner, who has doctorate in educational teacher leadership, said the eighth grade is “the last stop before high school,” where students may be less wowed by the rock collection and light spectrum displays her students love.

She said she isn’t worried about the dedication to social media prevalent among youth today, because she thinks it will only bolster the impact her students will go on to make in their adult lives.

“They’re still concerned about who they are, where they are, and what they can do for their community and environment,” Pinner said. “I feel like (social media) is the weapon they’re really going to be able to use to help their community in the future. They will be able to utilize it very effectively to make change happen.”

Email Kyveli Diener at kdiener@hawaiitribune-herald.com.