Melissa Handy’s Brilliant Maker Mindset: What School Could Be in Hawai’i

On this episode of What School Could Be in Hawai’i, host Josh Reppun sits down with Melissa Handy, Education Technology Director at Le Jardin Academy, a medium sized independent school in Hawaiʻi. She is the Past President of the Hawaiʻi Society for Technology in Education (HSTE), a champion robotics coach, a makerspace expert, an International Baccalaureate Examiner, a WASC Commissioner and one of the founders of the Hawaiʻi Education Leadership Summit, which is now the Hawaiʻi Association of Independent Schools’ Leading Schools of the Future (LSOTF) conference.

Melissa prefers not to refer to herself as a teacher. Rather, she is the ultimate guide, coach, facilitator and mentor for her students. Her kids “ride bikes” and she runs behind them (as she likes to say) as they learn to navigate thinking, doing and collaborating. She has a larger-than-life personality of an artist, a wonderful laugh and a mind sharp like a knife. She knows how to solve problems like no one else I know. She has written extensively on the differences between maker spaces and maker mindsets. She is also a regular presenter at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) annual conference.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Education Technology Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!
Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

SchoolSAFE
Inside SchoolSAFE: Takeaways from Education Leaders
November 18, 2025

School Safety Today podcast, presented by Raptor Technologies. In this special episode of School Safety Today, host Dr. Amy Grosso interviews several education and safety leaders live from the Raptor 2025 SchoolSAFE Conference. Rachael Freeman (Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD), Jason Overbay (Sarasota County Schools), Marti Neahring (West Aurora School District), Dr. Penny Schultz (Chesapeake City…

Read More
Addison LaBonte
Meet Addison LaBonte: The Founder Who Turned a Personal Health Challenge Into a Clean Dessert Phenomenon
November 17, 2025

Ingredient awareness has officially gone mainstream, pushing clean, allergy-friendly desserts into the spotlight. The result is explosive growth in gluten-free and “better-for-you” treats as shoppers trade traditional options for products they feel good about. According to industry research, gluten-free food sales in the U.S. continue to climb year over year as more Americans discover sensitivities…

Read More
micro internships
The Job Dating Model: How Micro Internships Build Talent, Enable Smarter Hiring, and Boost Campus Impact
November 17, 2025

Experiential learning is surging in relevance. Employers are finding it harder than ever to evaluate early-career talent, while students are graduating into a labor market where more than half—about 52%—end up in roles that don’t require their degree. That disconnect is prompting colleges to reimagine how they equip students for meaningful career entry. Meanwhile,…

Read More
Bouvet
Chasing Radio’s Rarest Signal: Meet Donato IK2EGL and the Bold Expedition to Earth’s Most Isolated Outpost
November 15, 2025

Few destinations stir the imagination of radio amateurs quite like Bouvet Island—a windswept, ice-covered outpost in the South Atlantic Ocean and one of the most remote places on Earth. Reaching it demands months of planning, rugged endurance, and a willingness to face conditions that few humans ever experience. For the dedicated team behind this expedition,…

Read More