OUR SCHOOLS • KULA ELEMENTARY
School can boast it's tops on Maui — not just in elevation
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
KULA, Maui — Kula Elementary School, about 3,000 feet on the slopes of Haleakala, boasts a stunning view of the coastlines, towns and canefields of Maui's Central Valley.
Tim Hurley • The Honolulu Advertiser
It's nearly as spectacular as the academic performance of the school's students, whose test scores are consistently among the island's top public elementary schools.
Kula Elementary School students, whose campus in on the slopes of Haleakala, enjoy a spectacular view of Lana'i, Ma'alaea Bay and the West Maui Mountains.
Over the past several years, 80 to 85 percent of Kula students have scored at or above the national norms on the Stanford Achievement Tests in reading and mathematics.
"The thing about being the best is that it's hard to show improvement," said principal Rene Yamafuji. "Kula has always been one of the best schools on the SAT.''
Yamafuji said the key is an active and supportive group of parents, a large percentage of whom volunteer on campus.
"At this school, we just don't send homework and expect the child to take care of it. The parents are expected to help. Homework becomes a family project," she said.
• What are you most proud of? An innovative arts program that involves a community with a large number of artists, Yamafuji said. It's a program developed by teachers and supported by the Paren Teacher Association with the aim of boosting academic achievement.
Kula has joined with a variety of nonprofit arts organizations to expose its students to the talents of a host of visual artists, actors, musicians and dancers.
It was one of the first schools on Maui to strike a partnership with the Maui Arts & Cultural Center to bring artists to the campus, as well as allow teachers to take art courses.
Artists are always demonstrating their work on campus, as well as helping the school in other ways. Upcountry painter Curtis Wilson Cost, for example, this year designed a school shirt for a PTA fund-raiser.
The students' art prowess will be demonstrated next Thursday when the school turns the Kula Community Center into a large art gallery. Each child will have at least one piece of work on display.
• Best-kept secret: It's the only school in the state with heaters in the classrooms, Yamafuji said. "I'm told it's a unique challenge when (state workers are) building new classrooms,'' she said.
• Everybody at our school knows: Jo-Addie Brown, an educational assistant who helps supervise the play field.
• Our biggest challenge: Trying to create a school that meets the needs of its students while working within the budget constraints of the state Department of Education.
• What we need: "For the long range, I would love a technology coordinator, but there are no funds.'' The school is saving to purchase a new reading curriculum.
• Projects: An ongoing effort to upgrade the school's computer infrastructure.
• Special events: Art Night at the Kula Community Center will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. next Thursday. Other events include May Day on May 17 and the Kula Harvest Festival in November.
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• Where: 5000 Kula Highway, Maui • Phone: 876-7610 • Web address: www.k12.hi.us/~kula • Principal: Rene Yamafuji was vice principal for four years before becoming principal five years ago. • School nickname: Cougars • School colors: Green and white • Enrollment: 450 students, and expecting more with opening of nearby subdivision. • SATs: Here's how Kula Elementary students fared on the most recent Stanford Achievement Test. Listed are the combined percentages of students scoring average and above average, compared with the national combined average of 77 percent. Third-grade reading, 92 percent; math, 90 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 88 percent; math, 87 percent. • History: The school is a consolidation of four rural schools: Makena, 'Ulupalakua, Keokea, and Kealahou. Kula Elementary opened in September 1964. • Special features: Its location, nestled on the slopes of Haleakala. There are resplendent views of the West Maui mountains, the island of Lana'i and Maui's northern and southern coastlines. • Special programs or classes: Fine arts programs offered through the Maui Academy of the Performing Arts, Maui Dance Co., Maui Arts & Cultural Center and Ebb & Flow Arts. • Computers: A lab with 29 computers, plus 100 computers in classrooms.
At a glance
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To get your school profiled, contact education editor Dan Woods by phone at 525-5441 or by e-mail, dwoods@honoluluadvertiser.com.
