OUR SCHOOLS • KAPOLEI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Cooperation with multi-track system helps ease growing pains in Kapolei

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

When Kapolei Elementary School opened 10 years ago, no one anticipated how quickly the school would grow — or how problematic the growth would become.

Kapolei pupils, like these fourth-graders gathered in the library for a reading class, "have good values," according to principal Michael Miyamura, who attributes this to their parents and teachers. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

By the next year enrollment had doubled.

It hasn't stopped growing since.

Today the school serves more than 1,200 students on a campus built for a capacity of 900. The student body is expected to grow as more homes are built in new subdivisions.

The school has had to reject geographic exceptions — students who live outside the district. "We're just too full," said vice principal Cosmo Arakawa.

The enrollment explosion has forced the school to operate on a multi-track schedule, which started last summer. Now about 900 students are on campus at the same time, greatly reducing the amount of flow through hallways, on playgrounds and in the cafeteria.

Everyone has had to make adjustments.

Teachers come back from breaks to different classrooms. Students miss out on summer camps. And parents have to find childcare during intercessions.

Between the modified school year and multitrack schedules, there's only one week out of the year that no one is on campus.

"It has definitely been a challenge," Arakawa said.

But administrators praise teachers, parents and students for being flexible with the modified schedule.

"The children here are really nice kids," said literacy coordinator Irene Inafuku. "And our staff has a lot to do with that."

• What are you most proud of? The students, said principal Michael Miyamura. "Our kids have good values and that's attributed to the home and the teachers who reinforce that in the classroom," he said.

• Best-kept secret: Students at Kapolei Elementary not only compete in ThinkQuest Jr., a national classroom-based competition that promotes the integration of technology into learning, but they win awards, too. The school's enrichment class, headed by Mike O'Connor, has produced short movies on topics such as Pearl Harbor and Hawai'i's volcanoes that have won accolades at the national competition. O'Connor also organizes Kid Vid, a biweekly video broadcast by students shown in classrooms that provide information about what's going on at the school.

• Everybody at our school knows: Mac Maio, head custodian. He has been working at the school since it opened 10 years ago. Though shy and reserved, he always waves and smiles to the students and staff. "He treats this place like his home," said vice principal Teri Horiuchi.

• Our biggest challenge: Because only three-fourths of the staff and student body are on campus at one time, making sure everyone is well-informed can be difficult. "Our biggest challenge is keeping everyone together," Miyamura said. "It's about communication." To keep teachers informed during intercession, technology coordinator Kevin Boggs set up an e-mail program that sends out minutes of every meeting.

• What we need: More space. Miyamura has kept one spot open, near the portables, for an additional eight-classroom building. He's hopeful, but he doesn't think the state will grant his request.

• Projects: The school plans to implement PLATO Learning, a computer-based curriculum supplement, in July. Students raised about $17,000 this year at the school's annual Tech Fun Run to purchase the program.

• Special events: Kapolei Elementary hosts its first Song Fest tomorrow to celebrate the school's 10th anniversary. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the field. Families are invited.