Kids, parents find
new Kapolei school
‘awesome’

Kapolei Middle School opens
to rave reviews

By Dawn D. Sagario
Star-Bulletin

There's no place like home ... er, make that Kapolei Middle School.

Some 970 sixth-graders went yesterday to the opening of the school, where peach-colored buildings have teal-colored rooftops and matching columns. The look is "homey" -- which is exactly the effect Principal Annette Nishikawa and planners wanted.

Home is what the school is about, what its philosophy is. The school wants to provide individualized attention to students' needs as they make the transition into high school, Nishikawa said.

Students and parents noted the friendly staff and the extra efforts.

When classes at the middle school started yesterday, one-third of the student chairs had yet to arrive, and boxes containing things like new computers still had to be unpacked. But despite the delays, the teachers and staff at Kapolei Middle School were ready.

Parent Janin Johnson likes details such as individual shower stalls in the locker rooms instead of open, community showers.

"The school is very impressive and very well planned," she said. "It's just awesome. The staff is so friendly and helpful."

At first, Bruce and Tereen Harada were worried about sending their sixth-grade daughter to school with the older intermediate students. But Tereen said that it was the staff's attitude and willingness to help both parents and students that allayed her fears.

"I'm excited," she said. "The staff seems to be very sensitive to the parents, and the needs of the kids, too."

"The best thing about the buildings is the courtyards," said 11-year-old Everret Martin of Makakilo. "They're cool because if you don't like to be disturbed, you can just sit down and read a book."

Sixth-grader Leina Goya likes the school's color scheme. "The buildings have nice colors and they're big," she said, adding that every room at Kapolei Middle has air conditioning.

Eleven-year-old Kyle Cummings said, "It's more technical than other schools: It has air conditioning and computers, so if you need to look for something, you can look on the computer."

For Nishikawa the opening is like the birth of a new child.

"Today is the day that you bring it (the child) home from the hospital," a teary-eyed Nishikawa said. The tag still hangs on Nishikawa's chair as she sits in her office; plastic lining hangs out of a file cabinet; decorations sitting in boxes and paperwork wait to be put away.

"Today, when I can actually sit back and see this thing come to life, it's like, 'Whew!'" she said while slumping into her chair and blowing out a big gust of air.