HAWAII'S SCHOOLS
COURTESY OF CAMPBELL HIGH SCHOOL
Senior Samantha Walker reads a copy of Careers and Colleges magazine for guidance while she waits to talk to the college counselor in Campbell's Career and College Center.
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Students winning more scholarships
The prestigious Gates Millennium is among the scholarships won by Campbell seniors
By Jennifer Sweeney and Krystyn Perez
Campbell High School
Going to college is stressed by teachers and other adults starting in elementary school. Many times, going to college is what kids want to do after high school, but it isn't free and finding money for it can be difficult.
Campbell High School
Name
Ewa Naupaka
Faculty adviser
Jennifer Denton
Editor
Jessica Layne
Address
91-980 North Road
Ewa Beach 96706
Phone number
689-1200
Principal
Dr. Gail Awakuni
Colors
Black and orange
Nickname
Sabers
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Through speaking with counselors, students learn about ways to receive free money through scholarships and grants.
"You have to work hard and make yourself stand out from other students; have a quality that not many other students have," senior Ruby Acosta said.
In recent years, Campbell High School students have seen an increase in scholarships received. The school has been one of the top public schools in scholarship earnings for the state.
"Last year, in pure scholarship and institution grant money, the senior class accumulated $5.64 million," said Eleyne Fia, the college and career counselor. This is the largest amount yet awarded to students at Campbell.
The scholarships included the Gates Millennium and the Questbridge scholarship, which are awarded to a few select students in the United States. The Gates Millennium was awarded to only one female and one male student in the state. This scholarship began in 2000. There have been 12 scholarships awarded to students in the state, and Campbell has earned five of those.
Fia said scholarship earnings started increasing during the 1999-2000 school year, when students earned $647,688. Graduation rates have also increased significantly since the early '90s; in the 2005-2006 school year, the graduation rate was 97 percent.
When a small amount of students started winning competitive scholarships, it showed the other students that they could win them too, and students started applying for more scholarships.
"The teachers push and promote scholarships and success to their students," Fia said.
Many teachers will remind students when certain scholarships are due. They'll also have college counselors come into their classes to talk about preparation for college and what they need to do to apply for scholarships. The teachers also are willing to write recommendations for their students, sometimes even on short notice.
The other Campbell college and career counselor is Maggie Soares. Senior Samantha Walker said, "Mrs. Fia and Mrs. Soares play a big role in the scholarship process because they help seniors get involved and encourage students to turn in everything on time."
Fia said: "Mrs. Soares goes beyond her job. ... She puts together applications and makes copies of everything that gets sent out just in case a document doesn't get received."
Fia and Soares both make a point of tracking students down to make sure they have done what is needed for their application.
"(Fia) pushes students to complete applications and her letters of recommendation are outstanding," Soares said.
Principal Gail Awakuni has also worked hard at improving scholarships and graduation rates. She has worked around the clock since she came to Campbell in 2000. During assemblies, she talks about success and encourages students to be the best they can be.
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Special academic programs provide boost to college entry
By Tiffany Lastimosa and Shannel Pabalan
Campbell High School
At James Campbell High School, students take advantage of the different programs offered to help them excel in school. Campbell offers Small Learning Communities, Advancement Via Individual Determination, an Advanced Placement program and College Classes at Campbell. A pyramid of intervention is also available to help struggling students.
SLCs are academies that are divided into sections. Students can choose from one of four different groups: arts and communication; business and health; industrial and engineering technology; and public human services and natural resources.
The AVID program was started 26 years ago in California by Mary Catherine Swanson. Campbell was the first school in Hawaii to use this program, in 2002. This program was designed to teach students how to succeed in a four-year college or university. Any student can apply for this program. AVID was designed to help students who meet the following criteria: grade-point average between 2.0 and 3.4; first in their family to go to college, participant in the free and reduced lunch program, good attendance, and citizenship.
Students must be willing to work hard. They are required to take one AP class, complete 20 hours of community service, join extracurricular activities and maintain a 3.0 GPA. The program has helped students become more organized and prepared to succeed in a harder curriculum in both high school and college. It also helps students decide what college or university they want to attend and how to finance their education.
Another program that has grown is the College Board's AP program. Since Dr. Gail Awakuni became principal at Campbell in 2000, Campbell has seen a 240 percent increase in the number of AP exams administered. Campbell has administered 448 exams so far; of these, 134 tests were eligible for college credit or placement, with a score of 3 or higher. The AP program at Campbell is an open-enrollment program, meaning students who have the desire to take AP classes can enroll.
From 2000 through 2006, Campbell has graduated nine AP Scholars, students who achieved a grade of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams. Campbell has also had two AP Scholars with Honor, students who had an average score of 3.25 or more on four or more AP exams. The class of 2006 had three AP Scholars and one AP Scholar with Honor.
Next year, Campbell will offer eight AP courses: calculus, language and composition, literature and composition, physics, biology, U.S. history, psychology and art history.
In the College Classes at Campbell program, Leeward Community College instructors teach college-level courses to juniors and seniors after school. So far, 55 students have enrolled in these classes, earning a total of 165 college-level credits.
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YOU ASKED
"How do the various programs at Campbell High School benefit you?"
Serena Fraro
Freshman
"The Honors classes at Campbell are challenging and it really helps you focus on your work and helps you figure out what you want to do in life."
Paul Varquez
Freshman
"The programs at Campbell gives me education, it expands my vocabulary and benefits me academically."
Annalisa Ordonio
Junior
"I'm in AVID and it benefits me from getting a head start of planning my future and helps me more about colleges and universities. It also boosts my GPA up and helps me get in honor classes."
Janelle Samante
Junior
"Our block schedule is great. We get to pick our own classes and we earn eight credits while other schools earn four. The classes are long, but it's worth it because you learn a whole lot in your four classes."
Deacia Valentine
Junior
"I like having block schedule because we only have four periods a day. We also get to pick our core classes."
Crystal Woodward
Senior
"They steered me in the right direction for school and made me excited to learn."
Ruby Acosta
Senior
"I've learned discipline in JROTC and time management for all my classes."
Llana Ganal
Senior
"Honors and AP classes really prepare us for university colleges. Not only do they give us a chance to advance into higher classes, but they also develop our note-taking, study and test-taking habits."