New school, but old friends
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
Cars whiz past just feet away but the laughter and shouts of children dashing around the playground at tiny Epiphany Elementary School — now known as Mid-Pacific Institute Elementary — block out the sounds of noisy traffic.
Photos by Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Tucked into a back street of homey Kaimuki, this private school has been part of one of Hawai'i's most comfortable old neighborhoods for nearly seven decades. But come August, the school that joined Mid-Pac a year ago is moving to its new campus, and leaving a legacy behind.
Students at Mid-Pacific Institute Elementary School, the former Epiphany School, play during lunchtime under the roar of freeway traffic.
Longtime residents have bittersweet memories of all that the school has meant. Noise, sometimes, as the bells ring and classes let out for the day. And parking problems, sure. But also a nostalgic charm that includes the old pastel-painted cottages that the school hasn't used for a year, and a warmth that feels like family.
"I like this school. I wish they would stay forever," said famed Hawai'i sculptor Satoru Abe. He lives and works across the street and has invited school classes to visit and see new art works. "As a neighbor, a church, cemetery and private school are the best," Abe said. "We're going to miss them."
Epiphany teachers have turned down jobs at bigger, wealthier schools and children have picked Epiphany's atmosphere — there's no grass in the playground shaded by a giant banyan — over more impressive schools. It's to Epiphany's credit.
"There's a comfortable feeling and a closeness with our faculty and the neighbors," teacher Gail Fukumoto said. She has taught here 38 years and is so beloved that her former third-grade students come by years later with invitations to their weddings. "Mr. Krauss, who lives on the corner and used to be director of the Royal Hawaiian Band, used to be our neighborhood watchdog. If he saw lights on or anything amiss, he'd walk over and check on us. We appreciated so much attention to our safety."
With Lloyd Krauss now in his later years, the job of friendly neighborhood watchdog has been taken over by other neighbors, the Kochis, who also live across the street and have had three children attend Epiphany.
"It's nice to see the kids out there all the time," Donna Kochi said. "They've always been nice. We try to help them out with whatever they need. We've known them for a long time."
Though the Kochis' youngest child will miss the easy 30-second walk across the street to school, the family is pleased by the new link with Mid-Pacific. "It keeps the continuum of the education process. They stay in the same environment," Kochi said.
Strategic alliance
Epiphany's alliance with Mid-Pacific is a strategic move for both schools. Adding the elementary years to Mid-Pac's high and middle school provides a seamless flow of children into the upper divisions. And with the addition of a preschool to the Mid-Pac campus next year, the new campus will provide a 13-year "home" for families tired of the application process and searching for new schools.
"It's good for everybody, the family and the school," Fukumoto said. "Once the child is accepted the child has a quality education all the way through. And small schools have difficulty maintaining enrollment. Most people prefer their children in a school through high school. Now our future is guaranteed."
Following the lead of art teacher Jill Brooks, students at Mid-Pacific, for now still at its Kaimuki campus, signal for quiet before heading back to class after recess.
Before that happens, the school will have its traditional end-of-year celebration in the historic brownstone Episcopal church that owns the land and built the first school in 1937 as a mission outreach project. The Rev. Canon Franklin S.H. Chun said the church is already negotiating with another school to fill the buildings squeezed into a narrow corridor between Harding Avenue and the freeway, but a contract has not yet been finalized.
"It's been a school for so long and education is primary in our minds," Chun said.
With the sixth-graders already attending class on the Mid-Pacific campus in Manoa, this year's graduation of the fifth grade has been renamed a "leave-taking." As she participates, 10-year-old Kaitlin Bailie says she might cry, thinking of the favorite things she leaves behind, including the little red schoolhouse for the kindergarten.
"It's been here a long time and holds a lot of memories," she said.
Sharing memories
The school has spent two years preparing students for the change, including asking children for favorite memories of the "Heart of Epiphany" as part of the yearbook last year.
Tire swing, art classes, recess, help from friends, the basketball court with its cement wall of cheerful flowers painted by the children, even the grass outside where Michelle Hee used to wait for her mom, are among the treasured places.
Mid-Pacific Institute Elementary School principal Edna Hussey greets students hello every morning and goodbye every afternoon. She, along with the rest of the teachers at the former Epiphany School in Kaimuki, will move to the campus in Manoa this August.
"When you're mad the grassy area helps you become calm," wrote Hee. "It holds a lot of memories."
The tone is set by principal Edna Hussey, who is outside hugging children hello every morning and goodbye every afternoon. She joined the fifth-graders for their field trip to Moloka'i over the weekend, and was back early Monday for the new week. She and all the teachers will move to the new campus.
"Edna is like our mother hen," said teacher Cindy Flores, who teaches a combined class of third- and fourth-graders. "She came to my house-warming. She's like our mom."
Problem solvers
The teachers carry out a philosophy that includes multigrade classes, a Peace House where students, some as young as kindergarten, hash out their personal issues, and Christian training.
"The Christian education program teaches them how to handle their emotions," said physical education teacher Pam Jenkins. "It gives them the opportunity to express themselves in a safe environment and ways to deal with others. And we have fifth-graders who are peer mediators."
Down at the far end of the playground is a special swing for children who just want a little alone time when they're feeling down, right next to the Peace House, where children can march in to resolve any problems with one another.
Second-grader Cameron Hirose, 8, says he's often gone there to talk over an issue with a friend.
And does it take long?
"If it's a big fight, probably five minutes," Hirose said. "A small fight, probably three."
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.
