{"id":23549,"date":"2026-09-14T11:47:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T21:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/?p=23549"},"modified":"2026-09-14T12:00:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T22:00:15","slug":"2026-mililani-high-school-opens-meera-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/2026-mililani-high-school-opens-meera-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Mililani High School opens nation\u2019s first MEERA high school manufacturing lab"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILILANI \u2013 Ku\u02bbi Hao, in partnership with the U.S. Department of War Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program, TECHnista, and the Hawai\u2018i State Department of Education celebrated the opening of the nation\u2019s first high school MEERA lab at Mililani High School.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first-of-its-kind facility brings hands-on, industry-relevant manufacturing education directly into the classroom, expanding opportunities for Hawai\u2018i students to build technical skills, explore advanced manufacturing and the skilled trades, and learn about career pathways available in Hawai\u2018i.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHawai\u2018i needs a strong pipeline of skilled workers to fill high-demand jobs in advanced manufacturing, ship repair and other critical industrial trades,\u201d said Pono Chong, co-director of Ku\u02bbi Hao. \u201cIBAS\u2019s investments in MEERA gives Mililani students early access to industry-relevant equipment and curriculum, while advancing Ku\u02bbi Hao\u2019s mission to connect education, defense and industry so Hawai\u2018i students can prepare for careers here at home.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developed by TECHnista, MEERA is a competency-based K\u201312 manufacturing education program designed to inspire and train the next generation of the manufacturing workforce. The turnkey program combines applied learning labs, industry-aligned curriculum and technology, and a teacher training network to support classroom implementation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLaunching MEERA High School at Mililani High School strengthens the talent pathway established through MEERA middle schools by building on both career exposure and technical competence.\u201d said James Hubbard, COO and owner of TECHnista. \u201cBy connecting students to Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s defense and advanced manufacturing workforce ecosystem, the program positions them for their next step in career and technical education (CTE), postsecondary, and workforce training opportunities while opening doors to meaningful, high-demand careers.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MEERA lab at Mililani High School is one component of IBAS\u2019s $1.75 million statewide investment in MEERA manufacturing education, which also supports programs at six Hawai\u2018i middle schools across O\u2018ahu: Aiea Intermediate, Aliamanu Middle, Dole Intermediate, Mililani Middle, Wahiaw\u0101 Middle, and Waipahu Intermediate.  MEERA programs are expected to serve more than 1,400 Hawai\u2018i students during the 2026-27 school year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the most important things we can do for our students is give them opportunities to connect what they\u2019re learning in school with the careers and possibilities ahead of them,\u201d Keith Hayashi, superintendent of the Hawai\u02bbi State Department of Education, said. \u201cThis lab gives students hands-on experience with the same kinds of technology and equipment being used in today\u2019s advanced manufacturing industry, while introducing them to high-demand careers they can pursue right here in Hawai\u02bbi. Opportunities like these help prepare our students to compete anywhere while giving them more reasons and pathways to build their futures here at home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mililani High School was selected for the first high school MEERA lab in part because of its strong pipeline to careers within Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s shipyard workforce and the school\u2019s commitment to expanding career and technical education opportunities for its students.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the nation\u2019s first MEERA high school lab, the Mililani facility gives students hands-on access to desktop CNC machines, collaborative robots, 3D printers, laser cutters and welding simulators. The lab also includes equipment for non-destructive testing, metrology and other manufacturing applications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMililani High School is proud to be the first school in the nation to have this high-tech program and the opportunity it affords our students,\u201d said Fred Murphy, principal of Mililani High school.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI speak for my classmates when I say we are literally counting down the days before we can get our hands on the robot arms, 3D printers, CNCs and welding simulators,\u201d said Kyle Le, junior at Mililani High School. \u201cBut it’s not just about being able to use all this cool tech, it’s about building a head start for our future. All these tools and machinery are the same ones that professionals are able to use in the field… Thank you for bringing this lab to our campus, for investing in us and putting the tools in our hands so that we can build our own future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening of the Mililani High School MEERA lab advances Ku\u02bbi Hao\u2019s broader efforts to build Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s industrial workforce pipeline from K\u201312 education, postsecondary training and employment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, Ku\u02bbi Hao facilitated the partnership between IBAS and Honolulu Community College to launch the Advanced Manufacturing Program Facility, which provides hands-on training for highdemand careers in advanced manufacturing and the skilled trades. Together, these initiatives are creating a more connected pathway for Hawai\u02bbi students to build their skills, continue their training and pursue careers here at home that support the state\u2019s industrial base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MILILANI \u2013 Ku\u02bbi Hao, in partnership with the U.S. Department of War Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program, TECHnista, and the Hawai\u2018i State Department of Education celebrated the opening of the nation\u2019s first high school MEERA lab at Mililani High School.   The first-of-its-kind facility brings hands-on, industry-relevant manufacturing education directly into the classroom, expanding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":23550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"856,893,1022,1619,1622,1623","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","wp_popup_display_lightbox":0,"wp_popup_suppress":"","wp_popup_trigger":"","wp_popup_trigger_amount":0,"wp_popup_disable_on_mobile":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-news","category-news"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":34,"label":"Featured \u2013 News"},{"value":21,"label":"News"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026-09-11-Mililani-High-Meera-Lab-Blessing-P3351045-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Stanley Lee","author_link":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/author\/stanley-leek12-hi-us\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":34,"name":"Featured \u2013 News","slug":"featured-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":34,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":34,"category_count":1,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Featured \u2013 News","category_nicename":"featured-news","category_parent":0},{"term_id":21,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":21,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":366,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":21,"category_count":366,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-21 15:36:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"post_status","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hawaiipublicschools.org\/ceb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}