Posted on: Thursday, May 10, 2007
Bringing fine arts to the forefront
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser West O'ahu Writer
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Students at Barbers Point Elementary get some fresh air and exercise on the basketball court. To show how things have changed, the school once consisted entirely of students from military families, but about 72 percent of the student population today is non-military.
GREGORY YAMAMOTO | The Honolulu Advertiser
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BARBERS POINT BACKGROUND
Where: Kalaeloa, 3001 Boxer Road Phone: (808) 673-7400 Web address: www.k12.hi.us/~barbers Principal: Claudia Nakachi, 10 years School nickname: Jets School colors: Red, white and blue History: Barbers Point Elementary School became a state Department of Education campus in 1954. Previously, Barbers Point School was a K-8 campus run by the U.S. Department of Defense primarily for the children of military personnel stationed at Barbers Point Naval Air Station. Testing: Here's how Barbers Point Elementary students fared on the most recent standardized tests. Stanford Achievement Test. Listed is the combined percentage of students scoring average and above average, compared with the national combined average of 77 percent: Third-grade reading, 80 percent; math, 78 percent. Fourth-grade reading, 77 percent; math, 78 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 82 percent; math, 80 percent. Hawai'i State Assessment. Listed is the combined percentage of pupils meeting or exceeding state standards, and a comparison with the state average in parentheses: Third-grade reading, 45 percent, (state average: 50.2 percent); math, 16 percent, (30 percent). Fourth-grade reading, 56 percent, (58.1 percent); math, 23 percent, (32.5 percent). Fifth-grade reading, 32 percent, (43.5 percent); math, 18 percent, (24 percent). Special features: Hawaiian Garden, NASA Challenger Center, wall murals. Computers: 1 computer per 8 students Enrollment: 520
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The arts have long been important at Barbers Point Elementary School.
And during its annual Art Week, students from kindergarten through fifth grade gain a stronger appreciation of music, drama and the visual and performance arts.
Last week, "ambassador" artists sponsored by the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Museum in a Box program gave students lessons. Also, third- and fifth-graders took trips to the academy, where they saw art pieces up close, said principal Claudia Nakachi.
Then students took what they learned during the week and put it to practical use. "That's when the students get to do the work," she said.
"Historically, this school has had a focus on the fine arts," Nakachi said, noting that her now-retired predecessor, Bill Cupit, stressed the importance of art in education. "He believed that children create and express themselves not only through reading and writing, but through the arts."
At one time, the school even had an art gallery but officials had to give it up because of space and resource considerations.
The Leeward school — now marking its 52nd academic year — also is involved with the Leeward Young Artists and Artists in the Schools programs.
Five decades ago, Barbers Point Elementary primarily served the families of military personnel stationed at Barbers Point Naval Air Station. The air station's closure in 1999 and shifting demographics have changed the school's enrollment profile.
What are you most proud of?: "Teachers and staff continually work together to direct the needs of our changing clientele," Nakachi said. Once a school that consisted entirely of students from military families, nearly 72 percent of the student population today consists of non-military kids. The school also has seen a continuing shift in its population, adding to its base of Kalaeloa families with students from Honokai Hale, Ko Olina, upper Makakilo.
Another point of pride: Barbers Point Elementary has a high retention rate for teachers, which is somewhat unusual for the Leeward area. The average teacher has been at Barbers Point for 12 years.
Best-kept secret? It was the first public elementary school in Hawai'i to receive accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
In an effort to dispel a widely held notion by military families that Hawai'i public schools are substandard, Cupit, the former school principal, sought and received the accreditation in 1986. The school has kept its accreditation through three reaccreditation periods.
Everybody at our school knows: Mr. Russell Hamada, physical education teacher at the school since 1986. "The kids just love him," Nakachi said. "Kids tend to be kinesthetic learners and he has a strong program."
Hamada also is the school's basketball and track coach as well as its technology coordinator. Fourth-grader Brandi Liu said she likes the Frisbee and soccer skills she's picked up in P.E. class.
Our biggest challenge: "Building a sense of community," said Gail Sakata, the school's curriculum coordinator. "Schools tend to have neighborhoods around them. We take from Ko Olina, we take from Honokai Hale, Kahe Point, upper Makakilo ... so, if you look at it, we really have a diverse range of kids. We also have the kids from the former military housing, and from the transitional housing for the homeless."
What we need: "More parent and community involvement," Nakachi said. "And again, it's because of where we're located." School reading coach Kathy Ingalls added that parents have been discouraged from coming to curriculum nights and participating in other events because of the far distances they need to travel and the heavy traffic they need to fight through to get to the campus.
Projects: Students collected more than $600 in pennies to help leukemia patients, requiring an armored car to pick up the school's contribution to Pennies for Patients. Other projects include Lokahi Canned Food Drive, Toys for Tots, Valentines for Veterans, and Jump Rope for Heart.
Special events: Presidents Day Parade, Art Week, May Day, Math Day and Fun Run.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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