KAHULUI, Maui — Pomaika'i Elementary School, the state's newest public school, is bucking the national trend toward less art education by using the arts to teach other subjects.

The school will weave art education into the core subjects of math, reading and science when it opens Tuesday.

"With all the emphasis on reading, math and science because of testing, we don't have the time to have separate art and music blocks during the week," said Rene Yamafuji who was hired as principal in February.

At her previous school, Yamafuji conducted a three-year study that found an arts-integrated program improved reading comprehension, particularly for students who struggle with traditional teaching methods.

The curriculum includes introducing creative movement and dance into physical education classes, and using art projects to explore geometric shapes in math. Students dramatize portions of reading assignments, which engages them on a greater level in discussions about character and setting, Yamafuji said.

"It helps with comprehension and is more in-depth than reading a story and answering questions," she said.

Although Yamafuji didn't have a say in how the $32 million campus was designed, she said it's a perfect fit for the arts-integrated curriculum.

One of the classroom buildings features a kiln for firing ceramics, and next door is a double classroom equipped with mirrors along one wall that will be used for creative movement, drama and dance. A mini-amphitheater was built outside the cafeteria, and there are expansive exterior walls just waiting to be adorned with student murals.

"Whoever was on the committee to design the school had an arts focus in mind. I didn't really know," Yamafuji said.

Pomaika'i — "blessing" in Hawaiian — will enroll approximately 310 children from the surrounding Maui Lani development in Kahului, the Spencer Homes subdivision in Waikapu, and Ma'alaea, drawing students from Lihikai, Wailuku and Kahului elementary schools.

Preparations for its inaugural school year are nearly done, although Yamafuji is anxiously awaiting a shipment of library books and installation of dozens of new iMac computers.

Before taking the job at Pomaika'i, Yamafuji served four years as vice principal and 10 as principal of Kula Elementary, one of Maui's top-performing schools. She said she decided to leave because "it was an opportunity to open a new school and to start all over from scratch."

Two of the teachers involved in the arts-integrated curriculum study, Rae Takemoto and Jennifer Emde, have followed Yamafuji to Pomaika'i, and the principal is looking forward to implementing the curriculum on a schoolwide basis.

"A lot of teachers are doing it but not as a whole school movement. Some schools are encouraging their teachers to do it, but it's not the focus," Yamafuji said.

Teachers who have joined the staff know what they are getting into and presumably are on board with Yamafuji's philosophy, and without a resistant, entrenched staff or longheld academic traditions to overcome, the principal is optimistic the rest of the school community will embrace the arts-integrated program.

"We're setting the foundation," she said.

Technology also will play a big role in the classroom. The new school has SMART Boards, an interactive whiteboard, along with Elmo document readers, projection systems and other advanced classroom tools. Students will be taught to use digital cameras and other high-tech gadgets to prepare reports and multimedia presentations, Yamafuji said.

In addition to its art-friendly features, the new campus design is unique in other aspects. Rooms in the three two-story classroom buildings are accessed through enclosed interior hallways, commonly seen in Mainland schools, that open into a large space covered by a skylight. Each classroom is connected to another classroom by a smaller room that can be used for individual tutoring and parent conferences.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.