OUR SCHOOLS • WASHINGTON MIDDLE
O'ahu's first intermediate school plans to party

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

If all of the alumni from President George Washington Middle School show up for its 75th anniversary celebration next month, it will be one of the biggest parties ever in Honolulu.

Washington Middle School eighth graders participate in a game of flag football during P.E. class. The school will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a lu'au and party May 10 in the school courtyard. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye is a famous former Washington Eagle not expected to entertain, but personality Carole Kai, and musicians Gabe Baltazar and Jake Shimabukuro are possible headliners.

Other well-known alumni include state Rep. Terry Nui Yoshinaga, former state Sen. Duke Kawasaki and one of the most popular personalities on the planet — professional wrestler "The Rock," or Dwayne Johnson as he was known in eighth grade, whose movie "The Scorpion King" opened last week.

The same year Washington Middle opened, Aloha Tower and The Royal Hawaiian hotel were built. By 1936, the school had more than 2,000 students, many of whom went on to serve in World War II. A plaque naming the graduates killed in that war hangs on the administration building.

Under Principal Marsha Alegre's direction, the school has implemented an educational program developed by the Carnegie Foundation. At Washington Middle, each student is placed in:

• Interdisciplinary teams. Students are formed into teams with an 'ohana identity to become a school within a school. The teams meet twice a week and discuss the curriculum, reinforce classroom skills, discuss homework and help students who are having personal or school difficulties.

• Advisory. Each student is assigned a personal adviser who follows his or her progress closely. Students meet with their adviser every morning for a short homeroom class before beginning their school day.

• Exploratory classes. To make learning challenging and explore educational possibilities using mini-courses ranging from karate to handicrafts to 'ukulele. The mini-courses are held for four days, two periods per day.

"The purpose of a middle school is to address the needs of early adolescence," Alegre said. "At this age, the kids are willing to try almost anything, so we try to give them as many opportunities as we can."

• What are you most proud of? Our National Service Learning Leader School award for community service projects completed by the students.

• Best-kept secret: "How good our kids are. They are very talented," Alegre said. "We have singers, musicians, artists, but they are also well-behaved kids."

• Everybody at our school knows: Carl Akiu, the 6-foot-9-inch, 300-plus pounds security guard.

• Our biggest challenge: "Meeting the needs of our diverse population," Alegre said. "Ten percent are immigrants. We try to build a culture that values reading and to bring the children up to grade level."

• What we need: An auditorium for events rather than using the cafeteria or the lawn, and a telephone system into the classrooms.

• Projects: Annual service learning day which sends the eighth-grade class to several community service projects which they select, plan and do. Projects include entertaining at hospitals and retirement homes, serving food to the homeless and conducting neighborhood cleanups and repairs.

• Special events: Washington Middle's 75th anniversary celebration from 4 to 8 p.m. May 10, in the school's center courtyard. In addition to historical displays there will be a lu'au and entertainment by students and special guests. For lu'au tickets, call 973-0188 or 973-0183.

To get your school profiled, contact education editor Dan Woods by phone at 525-5441 or by e-mail, dwoods@honoluluadvertiser.com.