Our Schools
Students get hands dirty working in garden of knowledge
| • | Wheeler Elementary at a glance |
By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Education Writer
Working in the school nature garden beats sitting in the classroom, according to Wheeler Elementary fifth-grader Gregg Ward.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
"It's fun. I like getting dirty," he said, showing his dirt-encrusted hands after he and his classmates had weeded their small garden and picked the latest crop of green beans and Chinese peas.
Meghan Baker, a fifth-grader at Wheeler Elementary, weeds a plot with her classmates in a nature gardening class. Students grow vegetables without the use of pesticides or other chemicals.
Eggplants, cucumbers, onions and peas — they grow it all at Wheeler Elementary. The students get dirt on their hands and sweat on their brows, but the lessons go deeper than getting their hands in the soil.
Among other things, the students conduct scientific experiments, keep data, crunch the numbers, and learn about economics. Their teachers also cook up the fresh produce for the students to sample. For many, it's been their first taste of soybeans.
"It's a good, positive experience for them," said teacher Joy Matsukawa. "All children learn at different rates; this is just a different learning style and they really flourish out here."
The plot of soil is cared for by a garden club and four fifth-grade classes who emphatically enjoy the time outdoors.
Fifth-grader Richard Marsh explained how they garden without pesticides or chemicals, instead using flowers such as marigolds to keep the pests away.
"I'd have to say I like weeding," Marsh said. "It's helping the flowers. And it helps us know our plants are going to live."
The school recently won a $38,000 grant from Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education to expand the garden. Soon the students will have two greenhouses for flowers and seedlings and a Hawaiian garden with dryland taro and edible ginger.
About 90 percent of Wheeler students are from military families, and principal Joe Lee is keen to help them feel at home in Hawai'i. The school is developing its roots in Hawaiian culture and the present military community.
The garden is just one of many hands-on projects to build school pride.
"If we have positive things for them, it will be easier for them to acclimate," Lee said.
• What are you most proud of? "Our dedicated and selfless teachers."
• Best-kept secret: An outdoor stage enhanced by a Wheeler Warrior bronze sculpture by artist Phyllis Murakami-Siu.
• Our biggest challenge: Meeting the diverse needs of our students and dealing with the high mobility rate of students because of military relocation.
• What we need: After-school activities, from tutorials to mentoring.
• Projects: Recently the school has brought in more than $100,000 in grant money to help support programs such as the outreach program where students read and play music for geriatric patients at Wahiawa General Hospital and a project with artist Shigeru Miyamoto to create a ceramic mural at the school.
• Special events: The entire school community is planning a field day for June 5 to encourage community involvement and student community service learning. Students will market the schools' garden produce and there will be athletics and a two-day ho'ike to foster understanding of the Hawaiian culture through interactive activities such as poi pounding and the preparation of an imu (underground oven), which will culminate in a lu'au.
Wheeler Elementary at a glance
• Where: 1 Wheeler Army Airfield, Wahiawa, 622-6400.
• Web address: www.wheeler.k12.hi.us
• Principal: Joe Lee, who was born and raised in Wai'anae, has been at Wheeler's helm since 1998.
• School nickname: Wheeler Warriors.
• Colors: Black and gold.
• Enrollment: In 1994, the school had 1,100 students. A redrawing of district lines dropped that to 624 today.
• SATs: Here's how Wheeler students fared on the most recent Stanford Achievement Test. Listed is the combined percentage of students scoring average and above average, compared with the national combined average of 77 percent. Third grade, reading: 87 percent; math: 89 percent. Fifth grade, reading: 77 percent; math: 93 percent.
• History: Wheeler Elementary was established as a public school in 1960. Previously, the site was used by Leilehua High School.
• Special programs or classes: Wheeler's Parent Teacher Association organizes regular student read-to-me activities and parent coffee hours. It also provides facilities for the Head Start program and Kamaaina Kids A+ program.
• Computers: Wheeler has a computer in every classroom, plus two labs with a total of 45 computers.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of computers in Wheeler Elementary's computer labs.
