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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, January 17, 2002

OUR SCHOOLS • HO'ALA SCHOOL
Humanistic school bakes its way to new home

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer

WAHIAWA — The small private school that has been on the move for 16 years finally will have a permanent campus as early as this summer.

Jesse Johnston, left, and Aryn Parr try out some hula hoops during a recreational break at Ho'ala School. The older grades soon will have their own school building after 16 years at various sites around Wahiawa.

Jeff Widener ª The Honolulu Advertiser

Ho'ala School, which has been at several sites in Wahiawa since its founding in 1986, will have its own middle/high school campus at 311 Lehua St. The school bought the 2.2-acre site last year for $450,000.

Ho'ala middle school teacher and school co-founder Jef Fern remembers when the school first held classes at the Wahiawa YMCA.

"All the school equipment, books, were on rollers because sometimes we had to put things away for the weekend for other scheduled social events there," said Fern, who has been teaching at Ho'ala since the beginning. "We also had to put all of the equipment away for the summer because they had their own summer fun programs."

Today, the school's K-8 grades attend classes at Wahiawa Hongwanji Mission, while its high school students are taught at the Wahiawa YMCA.

Ho'ala, which means "Awakening of the Self," was founded in 1986 by Sister Joan Madden. Its educational philosophy is based on the work of Alfred Adler, which maintains that people need to have a strong sense of significance and belonging.

The school tries to provide an environment in which students flourish by developing habits of personal dignity, cooperation for the good of the whole, and effective action.

The soon-to-open school building probably could be dubbed "The Campus That Cookies Built," based on revenue from the school's annual cookie sales of products baked and packaged by the school community itself.

"When you think about it, it's pretty amazing how much of this was paid for," said Principal Nancy Barry, hired six months ago when Madden retired.

"Filling Joan's shoes is a challenge and an honor," said Barry, who hopes the new site becomes the permanent campus for all grades within five years.

The school is looking to grants to complete its dream. Total cost for construction and land acquisition is $1.1 million.

"This is the school that Joan built," Barry said of Madden. "She set the whole foundation of the school, literally and figuratively. Now it's our job to finish it."

• What are you most proud of? "The commitment from the parents in helping make this school work," Fern said. "They have tirelessly volunteered for everything from everyday school programs to helping build the new campus.

• Best-kept secret: The school, even with its emphasis on character education, was given a full six-year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 1999.

• Everybody at our school knows: "... everyone else at school, because of our small size," Fern said.

• Our biggest challenge: More classroom space, which should be helped by the new campus.

• Projects: The school is holding a series of weekly parenting classes every Thursday from Jan. 24 to Feb. 21.

Students assemble bimonthly for mixed grade "nurturing" projects on world issues (such as discussing world peace at Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, or considering personal and world resolutions and goals at New Year's.)

• Special events: The school's annual cookie bake fund-raiser. Students, parents and teachers baked 5,200 dozen cookies in a single day during last year's event, in November, raising about $22,000.

• • •

At a glance • Ho'ala School
 •  Where: 1067 California Avenue (grades K-8) and 1106 Kilani Ave. (grades 9-12). The school uses Wahiawa District Park, between the two locations, for recreational activities.
 •  Phone: 621-1898
 •  Web address: www.hoala.org
 •  Principal: Nancy Barry, first year at school
 •  School nickname: Hurricanes
 •  School colors: Maroon and white
 •  Enrollment: 125 students, or 30 at the high school campus and 95 at the elementary/middle school campus.
 •  School history: Founded in 1986
 •  Special programs or classes: The high school's marine biology class provides scuba certification. The school also provides an afterschool program called Ho'ala Plus.
 •  Computers: 20, including one in each classroom and a school computer lab.

To get your school profiled, contact editor Dan Woods by phone at 525-8090 or by e-mail, dwoods@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.