"The kids who live in town still come up that trail. When I was going to school, I lived in Hanapepe Heights on the other side of the valley. We normally took a bus, but if we stayed late, we'd go down that trail and wait at the library for our parents to pick us up, or, if we felt energetic, we'd walk all the way home," she said.

Former 'Ele'ele School Principal Danny Hamada said the trail is well-maintained by the community, which has a long history of supporting the school.

"Whenever you had an activity, the parents and the community came out to help," Hamada said.

One of the things Miyazaki likes about 'Ele'ele School is that, despite the modern age, computers, new buildings and the rest, it still has a warm, family feeling about it.

"There are only three buildings that were here when I went to school, but they are well-maintained. It's nice to see the history is still there," she said.

The cliffside campus overlooks the valley. You can see the Hanapepe River and the Port Allen harbor, and out to the old airport and the Hawaiian salt-making ponds beyond. The salt ponds form a key part of the school's teaching. They are used to teach science, technology and Hawaiian language and culture. The school library's exterior wall carries an artistic representation of the old earth-lined ponds, rendered in copper.

What are you most proud of? "The way our students and faculty and maybe the whole community, the way they work together. We've had comments that our atmosphere generates a positive, comfortable, really nice feeling about the campus," Miyazaki said.

Best-kept secret: "That feeling of 'ohana. We stress student pride. We tell students there's a certain expectation of behavior."

Everybody at our school knows: Kupuna Janet Kahalekomo, who tells stories, explains the environment and discusses Hawaiian cultural issues with students.

Our biggest challenge: "Our biggest challenge is to continue to make gains so we can meet yearly progress for No Child Left Behind. We have been able to meet benchmarks and expectations, but the goals are higher now."

What we need: Better playground equipment.

Special events: Dr. Seuss' birthday is celebrated with the National Education Association's "Read Across America" event March 2. On May Day, students share with parents the music and other skills they've learned.