OUR SCHOOLS • 'AIEA ELEMENTARY
Campus near stadium is 'Where dreams begin'

By James Gonser
Advertiser Staff Writer

'Aiea Elementary School students have always been a bunch of dreamers, according to principal Arthur Kaneshiro, and that's the way he likes it.

Quinton Matsukado, left, and Anthony Clements work together during reading class at 'Aiea Elementary School. The school, founded 100 years ago, serves 425 pupils. While improvement in test scores is a priority, Principal Arthur Kaneshiro believes that the arts are "part of the education for the whole child." Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

"The school started out as a plantation school," Kaneshiro said. "They left the plantations because they had dreams and we began to realize the children here need dreams also. They need to dream and further their own lives. We always say we can teach them to read, write and do math, but if we don't give them dreams, we're not doing everything we can."

When 'Aiea was an agricultural area, the elementary school served the children of the sugar mill workers. As Honolulu grew, homes were torn down to make way for the H-1 and Moanalua freeways. But the school remained and now the hum of traffic is prevalent on the campus, which overlooks Aloha Stadium and Pearl Harbor.

Many of the 425 students live at the Pu'uwai Momi and Halawa View public housing complexes and nearby Navy housing. The school offers kindergarten through sixth grade, and about 60 percent of the students are of Filipino, Hawaiian or Samoan ancestry.

English is a second language for 12 percent to 15 percent of the students, and 85 percent qualify for free or reduced lunches.

'Aiea Elementary was named one of 25 schools where an intervention team has been assigned to help school administrators meet statewide learning standards.

Kaneshiro said improvement in test scores is a priority for the school, but reading and math are not the only lessons that a well-rounded student needs.

"I refuse to give up on the arts," he said. "It's got to be there because it is part of the education for the whole child."

The school is still feeling the effect of the December 2002 murder of sixth-grader Kahealani Indreginal. A memorial bookshelf in the library is dedicated to Kahealani, who was an avid reader.

"The tragedy became a community thing," Kaneshiro said.

Sixth-grader Dae Soung Lee is president of the student council. "Every day when I wake up, I think what should I do today. I think of the positives and how can I do better," Lee said. His dream is to become a teacher or professor to help others learn.

• What are you most proud of? "We are really proud of our library and our librarian, Jo Ann Ishida," said Ruby Cantillo, clerk for the student services coordinator and parent of a fourth-grade daughter. "She has even gotten volunteers to come and paint to make it more lively."

• Best-kept secret: The teachers, who "establish high expectations," said principal Kaneshiro. Cantillo said teachers often arrive at 6 a.m. and many give up their Saturdays to volunteer at the school. "One teacher devoted her whole summer to create a curriculum for the second and third grade," she said.

• Everybody at our school knows: Hawaiiana kupuna Maile Montervon, who has taught at the school for 20 years.

• Our biggest challenge: Parent participation, said Jenny Hogan, the Parent Community Networking Center coordinator.

• What we need: Air conditioning for the entire school. "What we are lacking right now is the electrical system to power it," Kaneshiro said.

• Projects, special events: The Music Festival on May 2, when every grade level will perform for the parents. Also, Jump Rope for Heart at 12:30 p.m. March 18.

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

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.