OUR SCHOOLS • KALEI'OPU'U ELEMENTARY
Village Park campus works hard to excel

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Jennalyn Palacious pointed to a drawing of a rain cloud on the chalkboard behind her.

Kalei'opu'u Elementary School sixth-grader Juliana Powell works the video camera as Jennalyn Palacious prepares to give a weather forecast in a gifted enrichment class on closed-circuit broadcasting. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"The high for the rest of the week will be in the high 80s, the low in the high 70s," said the 11-year-old aspiring broadcast journalist, with a bright smile into the camera.

Jennalyn is part of a gifted enrichment class at Kalei'opu'u Elementary School that puts together a newscast every Monday morning, shown live on the school's closed-circuit television. The class, which meets three times a week, focuses on video production, from writing scripts to using cameras to editing film.

The class helps students improve their writing skills, something the school has been focusing on the past few years, along with improving literacy, said principal Virginia Padayhag.

"I've seen a change in their writing," said gifted enrichment teacher Susan Koike, who runs the video production class. "It's something authentic, very meaningful. This is a real thing, writing for broadcast. This isn't pretend."

"It's fun to do the show live," said Jennalyn, who watches the KHON 'Morning Show' religiously. "Because if we make a mistake, you can't start over again. You just have to keep on going."

Her classmate, Juliana Powell, 11, prefers to work behind the scenes.

"It's more fun," said the sixth-grader. "If you can work with technology, you can really build your mind."

The drive to improve writing and literacy also led school officials to use most of the money received from a 21st Century Learning Center Grant for after-school tutoring, homework and corrective reading programs led by Kalei'opu'u teachers and Leeward Community College students.

"We're driven to excellence," Padayhag said. "We work really hard, especially the teachers. Average is not good enough. We're never satisfied."

Though considered one of Hawai'i's larger elementary schools, with 922 students and almost 60 teachers, Kalei'opu'u still retains the charm of a neighborhood school. Students greet the principal with a smile, remembering to walk — not run — along paved walkways.

"It's not size so much as it is getting everyone to work together and agree on things," Padayhag said.

Construction of Royal Kunia Elementary School, which has been delayed, would alleviate the large enrollment.

"It would help because we are a big school and research has shown that smaller schools tend to be more successful," Padayhag said. "I'd like to see that happen."

Demographic trends have brought down enrollment over the years, with families moving out of the Village Park and Waipahu area that the school services and into the newer subdivisions of Waikele, Kapolei and 'Ewa.

What are you most proud of: The different activities for students at the school, including intramurals and gifted enrichment, to meet the different needs and talents. Padayhag is particular proud of the student council, which raises money for Aloha United Way and runs a canned-goods drive. Students will also wave signs the week before the general election to encourage parents to vote.

Best-kept secret: Its location. Tucked away in Village Park, Kalei'opu'u isn't easy to find. "Not too many people know we're up here," Padayhag said.

Everybody at the school knows: "Me," Padayhag said with a laugh. Since she appears in the weekly newscast put on by the gifted enrichment class, she has become somewhat of a celebrity at the school. "The kindergartners think I'm a star," she said, smiling. "They don't know it's closed-circuit."

Biggest challenge: "The hardest part is working with a reduced budget and trying to improve literacy at the same time," Padayhag said.

What we need: Money. The school has had to figure out creative ways to maintain programs while adding new ones. That means writing grants, raising money at least twice a year and asking for donations from parents and businesses, along with managing its budget well.

Projects: By the end of the year, all 12 portable classroom should be equipped with computers and Internet access.

Special events: Parent-teacher conferences begin next week. The school's canned-goods drive begins Nov. 4.