Buildings going up at two schools
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Wai'anae High School senior Yvonne Himan remembers taking classes that were so full students had to stand in the back and wait for someone else to get up before they could take a seat.
Advertiser library photo • Nov. 5, 2003
It happened to her when she was a freshman. "I felt like a subordinate to everyone else who had already acquired a seat," she said. "Students really feel like they need to belong somewhere."
Gov. Linda Lingle "talks story" with Leeward Coast residents at Wai'anae High School. Lingle has earmarked $4.86 million for a classroom building at the school, and another $4.765 million for a building at Waipahu High School.
Himan hopes that a new eight-classroom building planned for completion in 2006 will ensure that everyone can have a desk. A new multimedia building has already alleviated some of the strain of overcrowding due to the school's almost 1,900 students, she said.
The new building will go a long way toward "having a seat for everyone and making everyone feel a part of the class, making them feel that they belong in the class and making them feel they have a right to be interested," Himan said.
Gov. Linda Lingle has earmarked $4.86 million for a classroom building at Wai'anae and $4.765 million for another eight-classroom building at Waipahu High School, where they will not only relieve overcrowding, but allow smaller class sizes and permit additional class offerings as well.
Both schools have seen at least a couple of new buildings in the past decade, but new residential developments keep enrollment growing. The student population on both campuses overflows into portable buildings.
Enrollment at Wai'anae is expected to increase to 2,200 by the time the new building is completed, and with 100 to 150 more students expected next year alone, its new building cannot be built soon enough. Vice principal Ryan Oshita said the school will still need its portables, which number close to 30, although two will have to be torn down to make way for the new building.
While the need is immediate, state Comptroller Russ Saito explained that it takes two or three years for a school building to be erected, in part because of the bidding process, but also to make sure the building will have adequate plumbing, electricity and accessibility.
"Construction projects take longer than most people would expect because there are a lot of details to be taken care of," Saito said.
While more classrooms may be needed, Wai'anae probably will not get any more. "The problem is that we don't have enough space to build," Oshita said. Even the new building had to be designed to skirt the tsunami inundation zone and comply with city building codes.
At Waipahu High School, where student population ranges from 2,200 to 2,400 in any given year, the eight new classrooms planned for fall 2005 will not eliminate the need for two portable buildings, but it will allow the high school to offer a wider variety of classes.
One of the highlights in the new building will be a special-education classroom that might look more like a studio apartment, with a kitchen, shower, living area and computer station.
The idea is to let some of Waipahu's 310 special-education students learn how to be more independent and responsible.
"We're excited about that room," said Waipahu principal Patricia Pedersen. "It's going to be set up in sort of a home learning environment."
Other classrooms will be used for science courses, creating a space for students to meet the increased graduation requirement from two to three credits. "We definitely had to create more lab space to meet the demand," Pedersen said.
With 25 to 35 students in the larger classes, Pedersen said the new building also will allow smaller classes.
Waipahu freshman Marie Ramos likes the idea of reduced class size. "I think it's better if there's less people, because there is less noise and you can concentrate better."
Classmate Michael Castillo also sees a need for more classrooms. "In one of my classes, there's 32 people in one classroom and we need to have more room. A lot more room. A whole lot of room."
Over at Wai'anae, students agree.
"A lot of the classes I have now, it's so jam-packed with students that it's kind of hard for teachers to give individual attention," said 10th-grader Chonte Fujioka.
Fellow sophomore Grace Maganis was happy to hear about the new biology and marine science classroom and chemistry classroom. "Last year we didn't even do labs and it would be better for the students to get hands-on experience so they could understand science and other subjects."
Their vice principal, Oshita, said the school looks forward to the additional space. "If we can get it up, it's going to be a good thing for the kids and everyone involved."
Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
