New private school going up in Kapolei

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

KAPOLEI — There are a few things Kapolei still doesn't have.

A cemetery, a community center, a nightclub.

But one thing it will have starting in September is a nonsectarian private school.

After a yearlong delay, Island Pacific Academy will open on Sept. 13 at 909 Haumea St. next to the Kapolei Regional Library as the only private school without religious affiliation in a 20-mile radius.

Already the school has met about a third of its 300-student enrollment.

"There's a very large population on the west side without an independent school," said founding headmaster Daniel White. "There was that huge need."

Most of the enrolled students are from Kapolei and 'Ewa.

Mimi Larkins didn't want to commute from Kapolei to town, so she couldn't wait to sign up her daughter, Camille, for third grade at Island Pacific only a few minutes away.

"There are no independent schools on the Leeward side," said the 37-year-old mother of two. "We checked out the schools in town ... but the commute is so dreary. We just couldn't do it."

Though Larkins has no complaints about Kapolei Elementary School, where Camille attends second grade, she liked Island Pacific Academy's rich curriculum, which included music and art.

"It will give Camille a chance to really grow," Larkins said.

The limited space for its campus, which will include a high school by 2006, forced planners to be creative. Instead of building a library, the school will rely on the neighboring Kapolei Regional Library for its students to use; instead of a cafeteria, the school will cater lunches.

Because the grassy areas on the campus are limited, the school plans to use the Central O'ahu Regional Park for physical education classes.

"We are part of the community," White said, "and we're taking advantage of the community's resources."

Kapolei is the fastest growing community in the state. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Kapolei — which includes Makakilo, Kalaeloa and Honokai Hale — is home to more than 25,000 residents.

Growth has been so strong in the Kapolei and 'Ewa areas that the Leeward District overall is the only one expected to have rising enrollment through 2010, according to state Department of Education statistics. Kapolei Middle School, for example, expects a record enrollment next year of 1,600 students.

"There's definitely a need for it," said Maeda Timson, chairwoman of the Makakilo/ Kapolei/ Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board and longtime Makakilo resident. "It gives people a choice as far as education. I think what it does for (Kapolei) is it makes it more of a city. Now you have a variety of choices and they are, evidently, people who can afford that."

About one in six Hawai'i students in kindergarten through Grade 12 is enrolled in private school, according to census data.

Island Pacific is a college preparatory school, with academic focus on writing, critical thinking and technology. Tuition starts at $6,000 a year for pre-kindergarten; it's $7,400 for kindergarten through Grade 5 and $8,400 for Grades 6 and 7. Those figures fall just under the median tuition of schools in the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools, of which Island Pacific Academy will be part.

When the high school opens in 2006, it will offer Advanced Placement and the rigorous International Baccalaureate Program, currently only offered by Mid-Pacific Institute. Full enrollment will be around 750 students.

The curriculum will include art, music and foreign language, giving students an opportunity to learn in different ways and explore different interests, White said.

"People talk about the core subjects, but they leave fine arts out," said White, who has spent 17 years as a head of school, including three at Seabury Hall on Maui, and more than 20 years working in independent schools. "If you talk about the core, art should be there."

The school was scheduled to open in September 2003. But financial problems forced a delay in construction. That, White said, turned out to be a positive thing. The delay allowed for changes to the building design, which saved the school about $1 million.

"We found a much more efficient use of space," White said. "And we got everything we wanted."

The delay didn't hurt enrollment, either. Most of the families who had signed up for last year are still on board this year.

And in the meantime, the Legislature approved a $20 million special purpose revenue bond for the entire project, including the high school.

With only four months left until the school opens, White admits he can feel the anticipation surging.

"What we're taking on is this huge thing," White said. "We're involved in every aspect of this school. It's humbling ... I'm just in awe of what's happening."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.