Each week, Hawaii's teenage reporters and photographers tell us about their high school. This week's school is Nanakuli High and Intermediate School.Next week: Waipahu
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Imagine going to a school where students no longer recognize the teachers and administrators. Imagine the students having to adapt to a whole new curriculum in all subject areas.
Imagine a school where students may not be allowed to participate in OIA sports and activities. Imagine the school being run by federally appointed personnel or private industry personnel.
Imagine the Nanakuli High and Intermediate School of today no longer in existence.
Imagine no more.
Nanakuli and other schools in the state are facing this extreme scenario with the No Child Left Behind Act.
But despite the grim possibilities, Nanakuli is taking positive steps to avoid this fate.
The No Child Left Behind Act requires Title 1 schools to show progress for two or more consecutive years in various academic areas determined by a state exam given to students in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 in April. These schools are given federal funds to assist in improving the scores of the students.
If these schools do not show improvement, the school is placed under "Corrective Action" status, and sanctions and consequences will be applied to the school.
Sanctions range from instituting a new curriculum based on scientific research to extreme action such as replacing all or most of the school staff, making a contract with a private entity to operate the school or reopening the school as a public charter school.
Principal Levi Chang accepts being part of a school that is on the "Corrective Action" list and takes it as a challenge.
"I feel that if our students have the attitude that they're going to do well in this test, we will do well," Chang said.
Teachers understand that this act may affect their positions in two years.
Former Nanakuli teacher and current registrar Noreen Hayamizu said: "I'm planning to be here forever. Of course, I'll feel sad, but I'm sticking up for the school no matter what, and if the community and students stick up for the school, then the takeover won't happen. I don't believe that our students can't meet that acceptable level of the test.
"It's up to the community and the students to care," Hayamizu added. "Obviously, the teachers care. They're in school doing their job, and they can only do so much. They (the students) need to show up and take the test and do as well as they can."
Nanakuli has already implemented a new curriculum called America's Choice to help students with their literacy skills. America's Choice is a program developed by the National Center on Education and the Economy.
Nanakuli started this program last year in the intermediate grade levels. This program is designed to help students achieve higher standards through reading and writing.
Some of the components of the America's Choice program include the 25-Book Campaign, in which students are encouraged to read 25 books in a year; reading and writing workshops in the Language Arts classes; and staff development workshops for all faculty members. Since last school year, the administration and many teachers have traveled to the mainland to attend training sessions and conferences to learn more about the program and how to implement it.
Nanakuli is also the first high school in Hawaii using the America's Choice curriculum.
"I wanted a program that addresses the seventh- and eighth-graders, but also in the back of my mind have something for the ninth through 12th grades, too," Chang said.
This year the 25-Book Campaign has been implemented in grades 7 to 12. Each period, teachers, and students are required to participate in silent reading for 10 minutes.
Robin Kitsu, language arts teacher, said: "We are finding that many teachers and students are having positive reactions to the 25-Book Campaign. Many students are reading more during class as well as during nonclass periods. It's a great feeling to see students during recess sitting down and reading books."
Student reaction to Nanakuli's possible restructuring is mixed.
Senior Teonna Poloa said: "We can still do better with the help of the America's Choice program, but it depends on the students. The reason why the students don't care is because they don't know what the consequences are."
Junior Samantha Nicholas said, "Students choose not to do well on the test, they choose not to go to school, they choose not to learn, but then there are also teachers who don't teach."
To address the low performance on the state exam, the administration plans to hold meetings with the various grade levels to go over the importance of doing well on the exam. The student councils are planning activities such as a rally to encourage students to do their best on the April exam.
"We need the community and parents to communicate with their child in grades 8 and 10 on the importance of the test and to help us get the students to class on time when the test is being administered," Chang said.
Junior Jocelyn Lagura said: "The people responsible for taking us off the 'Corrective Action' list are the students, teachers, administration, parents and community, because it cannot be done by one group."
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