OUR SCHOOLS • VOYAGER CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOL
Sense of loyalty defines education in Kaka'ako

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer

Cherish Oku was outside her Manoa home playing one day when she made an interesting discovery in the bushes near a neighbor's garage: a $100 bill, frayed and apparently nibbled by insects.

Unlike a traditional elementary school, Voyager Charter Public School assigns its pupils to learning teams instead of grades. The school is run like a business, with parents as the consumers. The staff is judged partly on the basis of student and parent satisfaction. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I thought the school needed it more than I did," said Cherish, who is in the intermediate learning team at Voyager Public Charter School.

Voyager, in a converted warehouse in a Kaka'ako commercial strip, is one of two dozen charter schools across the state. They are part of the state Department of Education but are free to experiment on spending and curriculum, so each school is distinct.

Sue Deuber, Voyager's principal, said Cherish's unexpected donation shows how students have developed a sense of loyalty to the 3-year-old school, which, like other charter schools, has struggled to gain financial footing because they receive less money from the state than other public schools do.

"It's such a nice little story about values and a kid who cares about her school," Deuber said.

Unlike a traditional elementary school, Voyager breaks up students into learning teams instead of grades, where students are often grouped by ability. Older students often lead lesson plans for younger ones, and teachers often use music, art and problem-solving exercises to help students learn.

"We might have students studying two grades above grade level, while others are a grade level below," Deuber said. "The goal is to get everyone at grade level or above."

Students learn three languages — Hawaiian, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish — and teachers and parents have a strong voice in curriculum and school policy. Students go to a nearby public park for recess and physical education.

"There are some people at the DOE who think we're crazy," Deuber said.

While the school is free of most DOE regulations, Voyager students are held to the same expectations as regular public-school students when it comes to state performance standards. Last school year, Voyager reached its annual progress goals in math and reading under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Deuber said the school sought a location near downtown so it could serve parents who work in the area, although operating out of a commercial strip is not always ideal. Any parent on O'ahu can enroll children in the charter school, and parents from as far away as Wai'anae and Waimanalo have chosen Voyager as an alternative to their local public school.

"We're a very well-kept secret," she said. "People will say, 'I can't believe you're here.' "

• What are you most proud of? "We can offer a tuition-free alternative that is unique and is of high quality to any child on O'ahu,'' Deuber said.

• Best-kept secret: "Our focus is on three research-based teaching methodologies to get our kids to learn differently," the principal said.

The school is run like a business, with parents as the consumers, and the staff is judged partly on student and parent satisfaction. Teachers use music and art in lesson plans, as well as problem-solving exercises to get students to think critically. Students are asked to offer feedback on teachers and curriculum.

• Everybody at our school knows: Jasmine Foster, the front-office coordinator. "She really has a lot to juggle," Deuber said.

• Our biggest challenge: Finance. "The kind of program we're trying has not been fully funded," Deuber said. "We're looking for parents, community members and business leaders to help us."

• What we need: "People willing to support our school, not just financially, but philosophically," she said. "We need to rally."

• Special events: Voyager is planning a community fund-raiser for the spring.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.