Posted on: Thursday, October 10, 2002
OUR SCHOOLS • KAILUA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
Top academic program doesn't rule out fun
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
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| Maria Capllonch and classmate Lindsey Nakashima talk story in front of Kailua Intermediate School.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser |
KAILUA — At Kailua Intermediate School, 98 percent of the students wear a uniform T-shirt, even though the dress code allows them to opt out.
Having a dress code that includes several styles of T-shirt worn with trousers, shorts or skirt reduces competition among students over how they dress, said principal Lorraine Henderson.
Teachers notice a difference in behavior and study habits, said Henderson, who also dresses to code.
It's one of the many things the school is proud of, along with good SAT scores, winning the Outstanding Student Council Award two years in a row for middle schools, being named a National Blue Ribbon School from 1994 to 1996, and gaining recognition in the area of technology. The school is totally wired for computers.
Kailua Intermediate's academics have earned the school a reputation for quality that attracts some of the brightest students.
"We have a lot of kids whose parents could easily afford to send them to private school, who have the qualifications, but their parents choose to keep them in public intermediate school because of our 'gifted' program," said Lorna Reyes, an English teacher in the 'gifted and talented' program who has been at Kailua for 32 years.
WHERE: 145 S. Kainalu Drive Kailua has the oldest such program in Hawai'i, Reyes said, and models its regular program after it. Students are taught by a team of instructors who integrate lessons. A math lesson might be related to science, English and social studies lessons.
"The curriculum throughout the school is rigorous, but the 'gifted and talented' program is even more rigorous," Henderson said.
School doesn't mean all work. The student council plans monthly activities and contests to build school spirit, inspire students to lead healthy lives and promote service, said Megan Penzenstadler, council secretary.
This year, homeroom students decorated doors for a 9/11 tribute and ran a book drive that won them spirit points toward a homeroom pizza party. Teachers are involved, and have good relationships with their students, according to council members.
"The teachers make (activities) fun," said Pomai Weall, planning committee chairman. "They set a good example to not get embarrassed and go out there and have fun."
• What are you most proud of? School SAT tests scores at national level or above.
• Best-kept secret: Kailua received a six-year accreditation in the last round. Only 2 percent of schools accomplish that, Henderson said.
• Everybody at our school knows: Mariann Wheeler, who runs the Behavior Support Program. The program helped cut suspensions from 171 to 85 within one school year.
• Our biggest challenge: Providing resources and support for all students.
• What we need: Money to reduce class sizes for regular students.
• Projects: In December, the school will undergo a $2.1 million renovation of classrooms.
• Special events: Nov. 13 or Dad's Day, and Honor Veterans Day.
To get your school profiled, reach education editor Dan Woods at 525-5441 or dwoods@honoluluadvertiser.com. Correction: Kailua Intermediate School was originally built as a high school. It became an intermediate school in 1962. A previous version of this story had a wrong date because of a source error.
At a glance
PHONE: 263-1500
PRINCIPAL: Lorraine Henderson, at Kailua for 11 years
SCHOOL NICKNAME: Junior Surfriders
SCHOOL COLORS: Blue and gold
HISTORY: Kailua Intermediate sits on about 14 acres in this beach community. Originally built as a high school in 1954, it was converted in 1962 to an intermediate school serving nine feeder elementary schools. It has seven buildings and 61 classrooms.
SATs: Here's how Kailua Intermediate 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 average of 77 percent. Eighth grade reading, 84 percent; math, 87 percent.
COMPUTERS: 100
ENROLLMENT: 917 seventh- and eighth-graders; the school's capacity is 1,200
