Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 9, 1 September 2004 — Akaʻula School opens on Molokaʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Akaʻula School opens on Molokaʻi

Colette Machado Trustee, Moloka'i and Lāna'i

Aproud group of Moloka'i teachers, parents and loeal officials celebrated the opening of Moloka'i's newest educational endeavor - Aka'ula School. Guided by its motto, "Learning and Leading Together," the school observed opening ceremonies on Aug. 13, 2004. Parents prepared a lū'au for the occasion and students sang their theme song filled with words that reflected a deep aloha for Moloka'i and its beauty. Aka'ula School is located in Kaunakakai town, at the Kahua Building "in a way, you could say we are an 'urban' school," said Head of School Vicky Newberry. Several food establishments located nearby have developed luneh specials for the students, adding to the loeal economy. Currently, the school has an enrollment of 46 students in grades five through eight. More than half of the students are in the sixth and seventh grades. The school employs three full-time teachers and one education assistant. Students were accepted on a first-come first-serve basis for eaeh grade level. School

officials plan to expand slowly to eventually accommodate 160 students in grades five to eight. Currently more than 70 percent of the students are Hawaiian or partHawaiian and about 25 percent have special learning needs. The curriculum at Aka'ula eombines traditional teaching with progressive techniques. They cover reading, writing, mathematics, scienee, history, art, music, languages (a quarter of German, Hawaiian, Spanish), and physical education. The signature of the school is the award-winning PRISM Project, whieh is an environmental science program that investigates and evaluates environmental issues and actions. Through this curriculum, students select and investigate an environmental issue on Moloka'i. The investigation includes collecting and analyzing data, and writing action plans based on the data. Most of the investigations also touch on cultural concerns. Past PRISM investigations have provided data on fishponds, hunting, and solid waste. At Aka'ula, the focus is on pro-ject-based instruction and getting

involved in the community. Parents of students are required to volunteer ten hours eaeh quarter and will be asked to assist with after-school homework help, cleaning classrooms, and working in the front office. Parents are active partners in the school whieh helps build the school family. Aka'ula also offers an after school program that includes homework help, special interest clubs and enrichment activities. A special program offered to students is an in-school employment service complete with application process, interviews and evaluations on job performance. Students also participate in community programs and projects like attending 'Aha Ho'okumu — Moloka'i's Native Hawaiian Education Island Council meetings. School officials believe in and try to incorporate "Nā Honua Mauli Ola," Hawai'i Guidelines for Culturally Healthy and Responsive Learning Environments. Aka'ula School has received funding from a number of different resources. The school is a project of the Moloka'i Enterprise Community and works in close eol-

laboration with Ke Aupuni Lōkahi, their governing board. A grant from Ke Aupuni Lōkahi provided the school with money for start-up expenses. "We are very proud of that partnership," said Vicky Newberry. Other contributors include: Tides Foundation, Alexander and Baldwin, Watamull Foundation, student tuition ($1,000 per student per year), a founder's program, and individual contributions. The school has also been gifted with many used items including twenty-two computers, whieh were upgraded and connected to the Internet by a parent. The rest of the money will be raised through signature events; a silent auction and dinner, an annual drive, and perhaps a golf tournament. Congratulations to Aka'ula School's Board of Trustees, administrators, parents and students. Best wishes as you work with the eommunity to build a tradition of educational excellence on Moloka'i in a way that is culturally and environmentally sensitive. ■

[?]

[?]