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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, March 6, 2003

OUR SCHOOLS • MAKAKILO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
'City within a school' thrives at Makakilo

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer

MAKAKILO — First-grader Cheye DeLeon walked into the Menehune Bank at Makakilo Elementary School during a recent morning recess and was greeted by teller Victoria Tuao, a fifth-grader.

Makakilo Elementary School Librarian Glenn Kawatachi reads a story to kindergartners. A new reading program implemented in 1999 has helped improve the students' Stanford Achievement Test scores.

Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Cheye handed Victoria three wrinkled dollar bills and her account booklet at the kid-sized wooden teller booth. Victoria filled out a deposit slip and other forms.

"OK, thank you," Victoria said, handing her customer a pack of bubble gum. "You can go now."

Cheye is one of more than 120 students who are saving money at their school bank, a component of what principal Gary Chun calls "a city within a school."

"It teaches life skills ... budgeting, money management, responsibility; things that you don't find in a textbook," said Evelyn Souza, coordinator of the Parent Community Network Center.

The school also has a student-run post office, and is planning to publish a student newspaper.

At the bank, fifth-grade teller Chastity George said, "Kids learn how to save money and put money in the bank."

Cheye said learning how to deposit money is "cool." She hopes to save enough to eventually buy some Barbie dolls.

The bank opened four years ago under a partnership with American Savings Bank. It is run by students and supervised by parent volunteers. Students have to apply for the teller positions, get letters of recommendation from parents and teachers and go through job interviews.

The young patrons are allowed only to make deposits at the bank. At the end of the day, a parent volunteer deposits the money at the Kapolei branch of American Savings Bank, where the students' accounts earn interest. To withdraw money from their accounts, students go to an American Saving Bank branch with their parents.

Students have a hands-on role at the post office, too.

"We have receptacles for our mailboxes, the children collect (mail) in the morning, they go to the post office, put (mail) in the slots and they make the deliveries during recess," Souza said.

School officials encourage students to correspond with one another, their teachers and the principal, Souza said, to voice opinions, offer suggestions or make complaints.

"Everyone has a voice here in Makakilo," she said.

• We are most proud of: Our tight-knit community. "I think that Makakilo has a terrific 'ohana between the parents, the teaching staff and the students," Chun said.

• Best-kept secret: "Our city within the school," Chun said.

• Everybody at our school knows: Besides Chun, everyone knows Souza, coordinator of the Parent Community Network Center. "I'm really proud of (her) because she's one of the integral parts of our school," Chun said. "She has helped us bring in a lot of different programs."

• Our biggest challenge: Improving students' Stanford Achievement Test scores. Chun said results from tests taken in 1998 weren't satisfactory. But since implementing a new reading program in 1999 and a math program last year, Chun said, the students' scores are improving.

• What we need: More qualified adult tutors and parking stalls.

• Projects: A weather station will be installed next month on the school's administration building. The station, called Weather Net, will provide weather data to a nationwide network.

"But the primary purpose is, it will add to our science and math curriculum," Chun said.

• Special events: Makakilo Elementary and the five other schools that make up the Kapolei Complex — Mauka Lani Elementary, Kapolei Elementary, Kapolei Middle, Kapolei High and Barbers Point Elementary — plan to hold a fund-raising craft fair April 19 at Kapolei High.

To get your school profiled, contact education editor Dan Woods by phone at 525-5441 or by e-mail, dwoods@honoluluadvertiser.com.

• • •

At a glance

• Where: 92-675 Anipeahi St., Kapolei

• Phone: 672-1122

• Principal: Gary Chun, who has been with the school since 1992

• School nickname: Menehunes

• School colors: Blue and yellow

• Enrollment: 535 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The school, which also houses a preschool special education class, has capacity for 650 students. A few years ago, the school had 760 students. But the problem was alleviated after the school's sixth-graders moved to Kapolei Middle School in 1999 and when students from Honokai Hale transferred to Barbers Point Elementary last year.

• Standardized tests: Here's how Makakilo Elementary students fared on the most recent standardized tests. Stanford Achievement Test: Listed is the combined percentage of students scoring average and above average, compared with the national combined average of 77 percent. Third grade, reading: 83.5 percent; math: 80.2 percent. Fifth grade, reading: 75 percent; math: 71.6 percent. Hawai'i Content and Performance Standards tests: Listed is the combined percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards, and a comparison with the state average. Third grade, reading: 35 percent; math: 13.4 percent. State third-grade average, reading: 42.3 percent; math: 20.2 percent. Fifth grade, reading: 31.4 percent; math: 7.6 percent. State fifth-grade average, reading: 43.4 percent; math: 21.8 percent.

• History: The school opened in 1968 and is the oldest of the six schools that make up the Kapolei complex.

• Special features: Twice a week since 1984, students have produced a live, closed-circuit morning television program called Makakilo Children's Television, or MCTV, that's broadcast schoolwide. The program's news format covers school activities, current events, weather and even jokes and live bingo games.

• Special programs or classes: Success For All reading program and Everyday Math, both of which are research-based, comprehensive programs.

• Computers: The school has a fully equipped computer lab in the library with 30 computers, as well as at least two computers in every classroom. Recently, the school added 11 PCs to its lab, thanks to a donation from Campbell Estate.