[ OUR OPINION ]
Survey will help
gain consensus on
public school schedule
THE ISSUEThe Department of Education is asking parents, students and staff to state their preferences for a uniform school calendar.
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The department expects that despite the survey, there will be disagreements, but it will have a clearer idea of preferences from which to work. We encourage parents, teachers, students and staff to participate.
Four of the five options offer shorter breaks in the summer, an arrangement that works better because when they have long periods away from school, students tend to forget what they have learned and need to spend more of the new school year reviewing old material. For that reason, the fifth -- which adheres more closely to a traditional timetable that reflects a past era when children helped with seasonal harvests and other farming activities -- should be rejected.
As part of education reform, the DOE will be required to adopt a single calendar for most public schools by the 2006-07 year. Schools are currently able to choose from three year-round schedules or to remain in the traditional mode.
As a result, parents with children in different schools have had to juggle vacations and child care during breaks. The department has had to spend too much time and too many resources managing multiple calendars, differing payroll dockets, teacher assignments and transportation and school lunch needs.
A uniform, year-round calendar might face opposition from teachers who want to use a long summer break to upgrade their education qualifications, but the department could help by coordinating classes and programs with colleges and universities. In addition, studies show that frequent breaks lower absenteeism and sick leaves and boost employee morale.
Whichever schedule the DOE chooses to recommend to the Board of Education for adoption, students, their families, teachers and administrators all stand to gain, especially if it increases department efficiency.
Shoji, Wahine capture
much-deserved laurels
THE ISSUEThe coach and the women's volleyball team will defend their WAC tournament title with top honors under their belts.
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Shoji, who holds the No. 1 spot in winning percentage for women's volleyball and who has guided teams through more than 1,000 games in his 30-year career, was named coach of the year -- for the fifth time -- by the Western Athletic Conference this week.
As icing on a sweet cake, he and his team captured all of WAC's top honors for the second time in five years. The Wahine's Kanoe Kamana'o was chosen player of the year, and Tara Hittle, freshman of the year to round out the accolades.
Congratulations to all.
The distinctions are testimony to Shoji's amazing skills and a reflection of a vital spirit that has sustained him even through a time of heartache. Last month, Shoji missed his team's matches for the first time in his long career to be with his ailing father, Kobe Shoji, who died Saturday.
The Wahine lost six starting players as they began this season, and observers thought the team too green to hit the heights. That didn't stop the coach, his staff and players from pushing to achieve.
Shoji earns $120,000 a year, a modest salary in comparison with the big-time bucks other University of Hawaii coaches collect. They might consider consulting him for tips on how to win.
No matter how the WAC tournament unfolds through the weekend, the women and Shoji can stand proud. They are distinguished by their extraordinary accomplishments.
