'AIEA — From murals to paintings to drawings — art is everywhere at Pearl Ridge Elementary School.

"We believe in not only treating the mind, but the heart and spirit," said Laureen Dunn, school principal.

It is a motto that is reflected on almost every wall across this little campus on a hill. The courtyard behind the administration building is plastered with paintings and drawings from young budding artists — everything from self-portraits to landscapes, to portraits of the principal.

There is even an afterschool club — Building Esteem for Students Through Art Club — for about 15 of the most gifted artists. "It might be students maybe who have low self-esteem or are struggling in other areas but are talented in art," said Dunn.

Last year the pupils were able to display their work at the state Capitol with help from Sen. David Ige's office. BEST Art Club coordinator and school counselor Marilyn Hamano went with the children to the Capitol during spring break to see their artwork displayed.

"They brought us downstairs to where all the children's art was exhibited, and the children felt so good. The children felt so special," Hamano said.

Local sculptor Nick Bleeker is creating a marble statue for the school as a part of the state's Art in Public Places program. The 4-foot sculpture of two hands around a pearl was in part an idea of the pupils and will be installed sometime this year, according to Dunn.

Art also is integrated into the school's curriculum. Every year each grade level concentrates on a different artist and prepares their own work for the school's Yearly Celebration of the Arts.

But a focus on the arts doesn't mean there is less focus on other areas. "We try to provide a rigorous curriculum. But also equally important to us is character development of our students," Dunn said.

Pearl Ridge's "Kid Witness News," a video production class made up of primarily gifted and talented students, has won local and national acclaim for its documentaries.

In 2002, a documentary produced by five pupils took first place in the national "Kid Witness News" competition in New York City. "Voices From the Past, Hope From the Future" tells the story of the relationship between Richard Fiske, who was a Marine bugler during World War II, and Japanese pilot Zenji Abe.

Recently, Pearl Ridge pupils have won awards from the Hawai'i Student Film Festival and other local competitions.

All work is produced entirely by the children, said Kathy Nagaji, reading and media teacher. She recalled a former pupil who was graduating from high school and came back to use the media facilities for a graduation video. "We had 10-year-olds trying to show him how to use the equipment," she said.

What are you most proud of? "Our hard-working, dedicated staff," said principal Dunn.

Best-kept secret: "Our school believes in taking care of children in a nurturing, caring environment." That's why a lot of children from outside the school's geographic boundaries want to attend Pearl Ridge Elementary, she said.

Everybody at our school knows: Andrew Lagapa, the custodian. "He bends over backwards, not only for the staff, but also for the students," Dunn said. "He's always one step ahead thinking 'teachers will need this or students will need that,' and he'll get it ready," she said.

Our biggest challenge: Money. "With Act 51, student-weighted formula, we're one of the schools that are losing money. We're going to be losing over $100,000," she said. "Already being a non-Title I school, we rely greatly on our Parent Teacher Group for support for our programs," Dunn said, adding that the school will be looking for other ways to raise money.

What we need: Computers. "Last year we upgraded our computer lab in the library — 24 eMac computers — partly with the school budget but we couldn't afford it all so the PTG helped us," Dunn said. But many of the computers in the classroom are almost five to 10 years old, she said.

Projects: The school is in the planning stages of a cafeteria expansion and making the campus more accessible for the disabled.

Special events: PTG annual fundraiser, Family Fun Night, School Community Council Holiday Craft Fair, Career Awareness Day, Honolulu Police Department Extravaganza, Celebration of the Arts.