[ TEACHER STRIKE ]
Kaiser High Of all the years to hold the junior prom in the school gym.
determined not to
let strike spoil prom
Parents are decorating the
gym and will chaperoneYoung students learning ABCs of 'strike'
By Christine Donnelly
Star-BulletinLike many Hawaii schools, Kaiser High School's formal dinner-dance traditionally has been held in a hotel ballroom. But this year, the junior class decided to have it on campus, mainly to make it more affordable for all students, said principal Gayle Sugita.
That decision was made long before the Hawaii State Teachers Association decided to strike. Now Sugita promises the April 14th celebration will go on as planned.
"These youngsters have worked so hard, and so have their parents, to make this happen," she said.
Parents, rather than teachers, will chaperone the event and are helping to turn the Hawaii Kai school's gym into a "castle wonderland," she said.
Parents also are cooking the dinner, said Sugita, who remains optimistic picketers will not disrupt the party.
"It's not during school hours. It's a one-time event on a Saturday night that has required an enormous amount of time and financial effort from the students. And I think our teachers have their (students') best interests" at heart, said Sugita.
Arlene Lee, strike coordinator for the HSTA, said the union has asked its members not to participate in any extracurricular activities, including proms. In general, HSTA picket lines will be up at schools from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. No pickets are planned on nights, weekends or holidays, but that could change if schools are used a lot during those times, Lee said.
"We're discouraging all school activities. But how we respond to individual events will be decided on a case-by-case basis," she said.
>> HSTA Web site
>> UHPA Web site
>> State Web site
>> Governor's strike Web site
>> DOE Web site
[ TEACHER STRIKE ]
Young students Even the littlest students at Queen Kaahumanu Elementary School on South Beretania Street have heard the word "strike" from teachers, parents and the news.
learning the ABCs
of ‘strike’
"A strike is when the teachers
don't have any support"By Leila Fujimori
Star-BulletinFew knew what it meant yesterday, but most knew its implications.
When Nha Tian was asked if she was going to school tomorrow, she shook her head no, "It's a strike."
Kevin Chun, 5, said "I dunno," and shrugged his shoulders when asked what the strike is about. He and classmate Jane Oh were getting a drink of water during the YMCA's Kaahumanu A+ afterschool program. The two kindergartners said they don't remember what their teacher told them.
Joyce Kim, 7, thought she had the answer.
"A strike is when the teachers don't have any support," Kim said. Teachers are striking "because the government only gives them 7 percent and they want 12 percent," a fact she learned from her mother. She said didn't think it had anything to do with money, but she thought it had to do with pay.
First-grader Forrest Obullard said his teacher told his class: "We might have the strike, and we might not have the strike." The 6-year-old planned on jumping rope in his front yard today if he had to remain at home. But he regretted having to miss school because he would miss math.
Some kids had an idea what their teachers would be up to today if they were to strike.
"They're gonna be around the school on the sidewalks and they're gonna raise up signs," said 7-year-old Kainoa Lee. "My teacher said it's because the governor won't give them money."
Donna Okada, strike captain at Queen Kaahumanu Elementary, said teachers instructed students yesterday to listen to the news last night to find out if there was school today.
Other teachers declined to speak to the Star-Bulletin because they were instructed to direct the media to the strike captain since they were in "strike mode" yesterday afternoon.
As for Okada's fifth-grade students, some viewed it as another vacation, but others were disappointed with the possibility of a strike.
"The desire is there to continue in their academics," Okada said, particularly mathematics. Some are finally moving ahead in their skills, but there is no way for them to do it on their own just using textbooks, she said.
Stirling Morita 4/4/01 Okada instructed her students not to come to school and hang out there if there is a strike.
She said students in the upper grades understand the difficult job teachers have, "not just with instruction, but with discipline."
Kawaiala Ku, 6, said her teacher told the class "to watch the news to see if we're gonna have school tomorrow." If not, "Maybe I'll stay with papa and gramma."
Megan Talaro, 7, said she'll go to work with her mother at Straub Hospital and spend the day in the cafeteria playing Game Boy.
But parent Doug Wheeler said he didn't want his son Jake Olry going to A+ during the strike.
"They're just going to play," Wheeler said. "He thinks it's just a great vacation."
Jake begged his father to let him go to the program and offered him the $100 fee for the week.
"It's not a lot of money, but they're just babysitting," Wheeler said. He said he'll have one of his friends help Jake with reading.
Six-year-old Tasha Ann Indalecio will do school work at A+, but she will miss school.
What would she miss most?
"Our teacher," she said.
>> HSTA Web site
>> UHPA Web site
>> State Web site
>> Governor's strike Web site
>> DOE Web site