Posted on: Thursday, December 23, 2004
OUR SCHOOLS | MYRON B. THOMPSON ACADEMY
Laptops key to learning at 'virtual' school
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer
At Myron B. Thompson Academy, students can sleep in and do their schoolwork in their pajamas.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser For the middle and high school students, the classroom is a laptop computer, which is a good thing, because the students are scattered throughout the state.
Elementary school students also learn from home, under the guidance of their homeschooling parents, who receive support from the academy.
Although Thompson Academy students have the flexibility to fit their classes in around work, activities, sports or parenting, they are required to attend on a regular basis.
"The kids have all kinds of times when they come in ... but they are told they need to come into school every day," said Diana K. Oshiro, the principal.
Teachers can tell to the second when students check into a course, what they are clicking on within the course site and how much time they spend studying. As of last year, homeschooled elementary students also can benefit from the support offered by the academy, which helps parents align their curriculum to the state standards and gives them instruction on how to teach the subjects.
The students don't work entirely from home. They report to school for classes on animation, music, performing arts and technology, or to Coconut Island or Kualoa Beach for science classes.
"Depending on the student ... they might come in twice, three times a week," Oshiro said.
• What are you most proud of? "We're most proud of our students, staff and supportive parents," Oshiro said. "They have immersed themselves in a true alternative to (traditional) schooling and continue to perform exceptionally well in curricular and co-curricular activities." • Best-kept secret: "Our best-kept secret is that we exist and that we are a public school," Oshiro said. • Everybody at our school knows: Gwen Higgins, the school's school administrative service assistant. • Our biggest challenge: "To balance increased enrollment with strong instruction and instructional support," Oshiro said. • What we need: Equal financial support for all charters. • Special events: A Mad Hatter's Tea Party for the elementary students and a General Learner Outcome Camp for the middle and high schoolers.
Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8014.
Instead of raising their hands to ask questions, they can call their teachers on the phone or dash off an e-mail.
From left, seventh-grader Kaylina Huang, eighth-grader Peter Gonsalves and high school junior Jessica Freeman attend animation classes at Myron B. Thompson Academy. Most of the school's classes are online.
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| At a glance
Where: Honolulu office, 629 Pohukaina St. The school also has campuses on Kaua'i, Maui the Big Island. Phone: (808) 586-3636 Principal: Diana K. Oshiro, for the past three years School nickname: MBTA Mano (sharks) School colors: Black and silver Testing: Here's how Thompson Academy students fared on the most recent standardized tests. Stanford Achievement Test. Listed is the combined percentage of pupils scoring average and above average, compared with the national combined average of 77 percent: Third-grade reading, 86 percent; math, 83 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 93 percent; math, 94 percent. Eighth-grade reading, 93 percent; math, 88 percent. Tenth-grade reading, 93 percent; math, 83 percent. Hawai'i Content and Performance Standards tests. Listed is the combined percentage of pupils meeting or exceeding state standards, and a comparison with the state average: Third-grade reading, 53 percent, compared with the state average of 46.7 percent; math, 19 percent, compared with 26.7 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 67 percent, compared with state average of 49.9 percent; math, 27 percent, compared with 22.5 percent. Eighth-grade reading, 50 percent, compared with the state average of 38.7 percent; math, 20 percent, compared with 20 percent. Tenth-grade reading, 80 percent, compared with state average of 40.2 percent; math, 24 percent, compared with 19.4 percent. History: Originally founded as Hawai'i E-Charter in 2001, the school renamed itself a year later in honor of the late Myron "Pinky" Thompson, longtime Polynesian Voyaging Society president and Bishop Estate trustee. The academy is the state's first "virtual" school. Enrollment: 750 students, in a school with unlimited capacity Computers: One laptop per student |
