OUR SCHOOLS | KALAKAUA MIDDLE SCHOOL
Students bolstered by sense of belonging

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer

At Kalakaua Middle School, it's normal for more than 140 students to report to school on Saturdays.

Kalakaua Middle School principal Randal Tanaka displays a school T-shirt, which features the campus' official colors. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

For many students, the Saturdays are a requirement. For example, students can come in to pick up rubbish instead of being suspended, or reluctant readers might be asked to come in for extra practice.

Others come in voluntarily. "They just want to read," said curriculum coordinator Dale Kimura.

The school serves a challenging population of low-income and immigrant students, but longtime teachers focus on how friendly and respectful they are.

"Our kids are special because when you show signs of caring for them, they're the most grateful kids I've ever seen," said math teacher Craig Seese.

The school goes out of its way to make students feel like they belong. Principal Randal Tanaka proudly points out examples of students' work posted in the library and lists of student achievements in the cafeteria. "It's very, very important to display student work," he said.

The school is kept in great shape by the custodial staff, which, among other things, paints over graffiti as soon as it appears, said Tanaka.

Authorized painting includes the school's logo — big purple Ks adorn a building out front and the stage in the cafeteria. They match the school's uniforms, planners and other logo items students can earn based on the number of books they read.

To get students up to speed in reading and math, the school has adopted the America's Choice reform model and doubled up math and English classes.

Teams of teachers also follow an interdisciplinary model that links all the courses and incorporates writing across the curriculum.

For example, one team learned about fishing as a life skill and an alternative to drugs. For P.E. they went fishing at Nu'uanu Reservoir, brought the fish back and cooked them. They did data analysis on the experience in math, dissected the fish in science and then wrote about the activity.

• What are you most proud of? "The bottom line is our students. They are the heart and soul of our school," said counselor Randy Ng.

• Best-kept secret: "The feeling of 'ohana, the feeling of family between the students and staff," Seese said.

• Everybody at our school knows: "Mr. Ng and the whole counseling team. This guy's gotta be the best guy over here," Tanaka said. "He does home visitations and comes in on Saturday to run his own detention program."

• Our biggest challenge: Meeting adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. "You have to remember we start behind the wheel. We have a lot of students in disaggregated groups — (English as a Second Language Learners), special education, disadvantaged," Seese said.

• What we need: "Our biggest need is to have our students come to us prepared with basic skills," Seese said. Teachers have to concentrate too much on remedial work instead of being able to push their students further along, he said.

• Special events: The annual science fair, service projects such as making Christmas cards for the terminally ill or putting on a Christmas program at a nursing home, band performances at Kuakini Medical Center. The school also hosts special activities such as a watermelon seed-spitting contest, mummy wraps and a wellness fair.

Reach Treena Shapiro at 525-8014 or tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com