Posted on: Saturday, November 5, 2005

Big winners: Kauluwela, Lunalilo, Nu'uanu schools

By Beverly Creamer

Advertiser Education Writer

Raelene Chock, Clayton Kaninau and sixth-grader Caitlyn Bonilla represented Nu'uanu Elementary at the Blue Ribbon ceremony.

* The Hawai'i Distinguished Schools Program recognizes schools that make significant progress in narrowing achievement gaps of their students or whose students achieve at the highest levels, consistently performing in the top 10 percent on state tests under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The winners were chosen from a field of 20 schools on O'ahu and the Big Island that made "adequate yearly progress."

* Over the past 17 years, 41 Hawai'i school have been nominated to the national program and 27 have been selected national Blue Ribbon Schools.

* This is the third year these awards have been linked to the federal law, which requires schools to demonstrate greater proficiency each year until 2014, when all students are expected to be proficient in both reading and math.

Three Honolulu elementary schools - Kauluwela, King William Lunalilo and Nu'uanu - have been named Blue Ribbon Schools for 2005-06 and will represent the state in the national No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

They were chosen from among 20 schools on O'ahu and the Big Island and were recognized at a luncheon that was held yesterday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa's Tapa Ballroom and sponsored by Frito-Lay of Hawai'i. Each school was awarded $3,000 by Frito-Lay.

Yesterday's program also recognized Ali'iolani, Hokulani and Kahala Elementary schools, which were recently named 2005 National Blue Ribbon Schools. They were awarded an additional $1,000 each from Frito-Lay for receiving the national award.

In accepting their honors, principals had praise for their teachers, pupils and parents.

Kauluwela Elementary, in the category for schools with at least 40 percent of its pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, was recognized for being in the top 40 percent on state assessments and for demonstrating improved student achievement.

Many pupils at Kauluwela are from immigrant families and start school knowing little English, but monthly parent literacy sessions engage the parents in helping their youngsters learn. Day and night classes offer parents the opportunity to improve their own English.

In some cases, parents and children come to school together, said Title I teacher Lorri Kondo. A reading mastery program helps children catch up to their grade level in as little as one year, although it may take longer if they start out knowing very little English.

"With our reading mastery program we've really seen great success," Kondo said. "They're coming up into grade levels much better prepared.

"Now that the kids feel so much more confident in their reading, you see a lot of them wanting to go to the library and borrow books.

"In class now there's no shame in reading. Everybody wants to participate and read out loud."

The school of 390, whose principal is Gwendolyn Lee, also offers an online technology support program for basic reading and communication skills and integrating technology into almost every area of learning. Pupils can use the schoolwide computer program to practice their reading skills every day.

Lunalilo Elementary received the honor in two categories. Like Kauluwela, 40 percent or more of its pupils are from disadvantaged backgrounds, and its pupils achieve in the top 10 percent.

With an enrollment of 600 in kindergarten through Grade 5, the school has consistently surpassed national norms in reading and math.

Its mission: "Together - school, home and community - we will provide a safe, nurturing and challenging environment for helping each child become well adjusted, healthy, responsible, a productive citizen, an achiever of standards, and a critical thinker."

The school's principal is Clyde Igarashi. One in 10 pupils comes from a bilingual family, and a large part of the school's enrollment consists of children from outside the district's geographic boundaries who must apply to gain admission.

At Nu'uanu Elementary, with an enrollment of 380 in kindergarten through Grade 6, the fifth-graders consistently perform in the top 10 percent on state tests in reading and math.

Principal Clayton Kaninau credits pupils, teachers and parents for this consistent performance in test scores. He praised the commitment of his teachers who open up school early and stay late to tutor children if needed.

He especially praised parents for the support they offer. "We couldn't do it without them. They hold up their end of the bargain at home," he said.

The organization for parents, Aikane 'o Nu'uanu, gives each teacher up to $300 every year to spend on extras needed in their classrooms.

Along with being part of their children's educations, parents volunteer to help in many ways at the school, including two Saturday mornings of cleanup each year for which as many as 50 parents show up.

"They help us clean the yard, paint cubbyholes, put up shelves, provide fans," Kaninau said. "Whatever needs to be done."