KAILUA — Kainalu Elementary is considered a high-poverty school, but the staff thinks of themselves as rich with volunteer support, community involvement and creative ideas that all help to educate their children.

Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24 and Kalaheo High School students are among the many volunteers who spend time at the school each week, helping in the classroom, with literacy programs, building sidewalks and in fundraisers, said Sheri Sunabe, school principal.

Community and business groups give money, advice and ideas to improve operations, allowing the staff to be more creative in the classroom and in after-school programs that offer such things as Lego robotics, comic-book writing and brain-child math, Sunabe said.

"We found that when a child really enjoys something, they see the need to come to school," she said. "When you've got their interest, then you've got them."

The school not only nurtures students, it brings parents to the school in the evenings to offer such things as parenting classes, family fun activities and events for the entire community, Sunabe said. She said the school wants to build stronger relationships with parents to improve their participation in their children's education.

And although Kainalu strives to teach children so they can meet education standards, the school prides itself in molding a well-rounded student who is able to step outside the box and dream, she said.

"That is what Kainalu is trying to do — show them the possibilities," Sunabe said. "If they can dream, then I think we have succeeded because we'll help give them that self-discipline to go."