Two O'ahu schools National Blue Ribbon winners

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer

Noelani Elementary School in Manoa and Holy Family Catholic Academy in the airport area have been selected as National Blue Ribbon Schools for excellence in education.

They were among 264 schools nationwide to earn the honor, according to an announcement yesterday from U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige.

The 18-year-old Blue Ribbon program spotlights schools from around the country that have excelled in school leadership, teaching, curriculum, student achievement and parental involvement.

"These schools represent pockets of excellence in education that can be found in communities all across the country," Paige said.

At Holy Family Academy, the Blue Ribbon award is a result of a strong team effort and a philosophy in which no child is set up to fail, despite the tough curriculum, principal Tony Boquer said.

The school exceeded the judges' expectations, which may have been key to its winning the award, Boquer said.

"They told us, 'You understated what you are actually doing. You all are very humble people. You say this, but you go deeper than what you say.'"

The award comes on the heels of two other recognitions for the 45-year-old school: One of its teachers, Angela Perez Baraquio, won the Miss America title last year, and the school earned its accreditation from the Western Association for Schools and Colleges last month .

Holy Family will celebrate the Blue Ribbon award by giving its students a day off tomorrow.

At Noelani, Clayton Fujie, who was recently named the Department of Education's principal of the year, said there is excitement on his campus because everyone worked hard to earn the award.

Applying for it helped the school focus on another goal: to create the school's improvement plan, Fujie said.

The resulting plan has given teachers new incentives to take risks and create new learning methods, he said.

Teachers are writing grants; bringing in experts to teach such things as art; and producing plays in which the students write, act, build sets and create the wardrobe.

The teachers have been creative in terms of how they meet the needs of the diverse population, he said, adding that two years ago a homeless transition shelter opened in the community, requiring adjustments on campus.

"When you look at what our kids are going through and learning, they're learning a lot of real-life situation kind of things," Fujie said. "It's really exciting."

Fujie said the school also has strong peer mentorship where experienced teachers help newer ones; a staff willing to pitch in whenever work needs to get done; and strong parent participation.

Selection of Blue Ribbon Schools is based on an evaluation of written materials from the nominated schools and the observations of experienced principals and administrators who visit the schools, education officials said.

Reviewers make recommendations to the secretary of education for final selection.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.