OUR SCHOOLS • PA'IA SCHOOL
Two classrooms nurture English, Hawaiian 'ohana

By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor

PA'IA, Maui — With 1,300 students in its heyday in the 1940s, Pa'ia School was the largest on Maui. But as the Pa'ia sugar plantation dwindled, so did enrollment.

Kana Solatoio, a fourth-grader in the Hawaiian immersion program at Pa'ia School, hurls a spear at a banana stalk during makahiki games. The once-large Pa'ia School now has an enrollment of 220. Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser

The two classroom buildings, nestled among canefields, have old-fashioned hardwood hallway floors, and the sprawling grounds are shaded by giant monkeypod trees. The school is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"It's such an old school with such a long history, and when you come here it feels like you're going back in time," said acting Principal Jay Petrakis, who joined the school in October after the retirement of longtime principal Ione Isobe. "There's a lot of power and mana here."

Pa'ia School also is home to the Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian Immersion program for students in kindergarten through Grade 5. The program coexists with English-speaking classes, and students from both groups gather for lunch, recess, assemblies and a morning oli, or chant, to start the day.

"Being that it's such a small school, the English and Hawaiian immersion programs are really close together," said Hawaiian immersion teacher Kamaka'eu Williams, who teaches fourth grade and has been at the school six years. "We have that 'ohana spirit. You can really feel the warmth and aloha in the school."

Nearly 100 students are enrolled in the program, which promotes Native Hawaiian values and thinking along with academic achievement.

"For the Hawaiian students, it helps them to understand who they are. For the non-Hawaiian students, it teaches them to appreciate and respect the land that they live in," Williams said.

That experience carries over into extracurricular activities. Williams coaches basketball and volleyball teams for Hawaiian immersion students and also coaches teams for English-speaking students.

Petrakis and Williams said one challenge facing the Kula Kaiapuni program is finding appropriate curriculum and assessment materials, particularly updated math and science texts and reading material for higher grades.

The whole school struggles with poor reading scores, and it was designated for corrective action under the No Child Left Behind federal education law.

Petrakis said officials are deciding on a core reading program that can be implemented at all grade levels. The school also hopes to fill a reading specialist position soon, and teacher training is planned for later this month, he said.

• What are you most proud of? The school's beautiful campus, the feeling of 'ohana and the well-behaved students. "They're really joyful, warm and loving kids," Petrakis said.

• Best-kept secret: "We have the most beautiful school ground," said one staff member. "Many people don't drive up this way, but when they do, they always comment on how big and nice it is."

• Everybody at our school knows: Auntie Karen Gumtang, Parent Community Networking Center coordinator and clerk-typist. "She is always on the front lines with the kids, not only in the office but in the community, and she is extremely helpful to the staff. She's always there for us," Petrakis said.

• Our biggest challenge: Finding appropriate curriculum materials for the Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian immersion program; and for the school as a whole, "to make sure all the kids are successful in reading."

• What we need: A permanent, full-time reading specialist to develop a consistent program for all grade levels and to provide teacher training.

• Programs: Ka 'Upena Ho'ohui after-school tutoring and enrichment program for Hawaiian immersion students.

• Special events: Makahiki games for Hawaiian immersion students, participation in annual Na Mele O Maui student song competition.