Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 6, 1 June 2016 — High School Students Graduate with Gollege Credit [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

High School Students Graduate with Gollege Credit

By Leslie Lang When three senior high school students graduate from Hawai'i Island's Kanu o ka 'Aina New Century Puhlie Charter School in Waimea on May 27th, it will be their second graduation ceremony in a month. Two weeks before, the three marched in the Hawai'i Community College (HCC) commencement, where eaeh received a Hawai'i Life Styles aeademic subject certificate. Ka'ihikapu Maiku'i, Marche Matsumura and Jetamio Henshaw all completed HCC's Early College "Running Start" program, whieh allows students to earn the academic certificate by successfully completing at least four courses and 13 college credits while still in high school. Five students from Ke Kula 'o 'Ehunuikaimalino in Kealakekua and one from West Hawai'i Explorations Academy in Kailua-Kona also received the certificate. The Kanu o ka 'Aina students took some of their HCC courses online, and others were taught by HCC instructors right on the Kanu o ka 'Aina campus. Part of the charter school's mission is to serve the community, and it opened the

HCC classes held on its campus to college students in the area. BlossomPualani Lineoln Maielua, a Hawai'i Life Styles instructor at HCC's Pālamanui campus, taught some of the courses. She says the Kanu o ka 'Aina students brought to class a knowledge of Hawaiian culture and a deep understanding of plaee. "The traditional eollege students raise the bar as far as the expec-

tation of work," she says, "and the Kanu students raise the bar as far as the understanding and acknowledgment of culture. They are actually more competent [in that] than some of the students that have been in college for a few years now. "It's an interesting dynamic," she says. "It's actually one of my favorite situations to teach in. It's really an awesome package that only happens at Kanu, because Kanu's the only school that allows the eommunity to sit in on these classes." She commends the high school students for meeting college-level expectations. "On the high school level, for the most part - and not in a bad way - there's a lot of babying

and coddling of the students. But on the college level, it's very different. " HCC's Pālamanui Campus Counselor Raynette HaleamauKam agrees, saying Running Start students get the whole college experience from beginning to end. "They have to apply like everybody else," she says, "and take various assessments, and get all their immunizations. They are treated like a regular college student." Students that eonhnue in the University of Hawai'i system ean apply their Hawai'i Life Styles credits toward their college degree. At other schools, most of the credits will likely transfer as an elective

or a humanities credit, says Lineoln. Seventeen-year-old Kanu o ka 'Aina student Marche Matsumura will study criminology and criminal justice at Chaminade University in the fall, and says she is more comfortable now about what to expect. "You can't mess around as mueh as in high school," she says. "Deadlines are important in college. I'm a little more at peaee with

going now, because I know I have some background." Jetamio Henshaw, 18, will attend UH Hilo in the fall to study marine science. "Last semester I took two online courses on top of my schooling and work," she says, "and it was hard, but those classes really helped me get motivated." "I totally recommend the program. It was really helpful. The classes all pertained to Hawai'i and Hawai'i mo'olelo, and it helped me decide to stay here and eonhnue to find out about those mo'olelo." Ka'ihikapu Maiku'i, 17, will start in the fall at Hawai'i Paeihe University, where she plans to study pre-health, human science and

biology with the goal of heeoming a doctor. "I thought it would be a great opportunity to get a feel of what college would be like at a young age," she says, "and to learn skills of how to halanee work. "In college you're kind of on your own, so you learn independence and self-discipline. I did about three classes online, and I needed to find motivation to get online, watch leetures and do the homework. At first it was pretty scary. But I ended up liking doing online classes because I ean leam at my own paee." She says she would tell any student to take advantage of the opportunity to get college credits while still in high school. "If you're planning to stay in the UH system," she says, "these class will count as an elective, so you're actually saving money while being educated in our Hawaiian culture." Haleamau-Kam says she too encourages high school students to take college courses. "It gives students a head start," she says. "They're that mueh further ahead in graduating from college. I see only positive things coming out of it." ■ Lesīie Lang is a freelance writer/ editor who often writes ahout Hawai'i's culture, business and travel.

j HO'ONAAUAO ^ > EDUCATION f

From left to right, Ka'ihikapu Maiku'i, Jetamio Hokulani HenshawL and Marche Kamaleipilialoha Matsumura - Photo: Courtesy ofKanu o ka Aina