Lanikai School honored for excellence
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward OÎahu Writer
KAILUA — Lanikai School has become the first education recipient of the Noelo Po'okela award in the Hawai'i State Award of Excellence Program.
Ralph Hasegawa, lead examiner of the team that judged the school, said a list of outstanding traits won Lanikai the award, which began in 1994. The traits include leadership, its 'ohana and its longevity as a charter school, all of which contribute to the quality of education students receive there.
"The top of the list is their focus in ensuring every student gets an opportunity to learn at their particular level," said Hasegawa, industrial engineering supervisor at United Parcel Service.
In receiving the Noelo Po'okela — Progressing Toward Excellence — award, the school follows in the footsteps of such organizations as Hawaiian Cement, Hawai'i Small Business Development Center Network, Navy Public Works Center, Naval Security Group Activity and KFC Airport Inc.
Other awards in the excellence program have gone to The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Hilton Waikoloa Village and TheBus-O'ahu Transit Service.
The award will be presented Jan. 8 at the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i breakfast.
Lanikai School offers classes for about 350 students from kindergarten through sixth grade as well as an off-site preschool for special education.
Along with Wai'alae Elementary, Lanikai was one of the state's first-generation charter schools. More charters have since been allowed, aiming to free schools from red tape and empower parents and communities. Charter schools are allowed to manage their own money and experiment with their curriculum with an eye toward improving education.
When applying for the award, the school had to scrutinize itself and had only hoped to receive recommendations on how to improve, principal Donna Estomago said.
"Whenever you look at what you have and what you wish you had, you really see all the gaps and you know you're far from there," Estomago said.
"But to have external evaluators come into our school and say that what you have is good and worthy ... it says at least we're on the right road to having a totally engaged community of learners."
Award applicants are evaluated against the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria, which reflect world-class standards of organization excellence. Participants in the state program are judged in seven categories of criteria: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management and business results.
The school used those standards to increase its internal and external accountability, Estomago said.
She said she hopes the school's award can be the impetus for legislators to improve the state's education system. The successes at Lanikai aren't based on mandated criteria, but on a community developing its own standards, she said.
"I believe the charter schools can be a sign of hope that when you release people from all of the regulations that there will be new ways found to create quality," Estomago said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at 234-5266 or eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com
