ANTONIO AREVALO / CAMPBELL HIGH SCHOOL Leeward Community College professor Jennifer Robideau, who teaches Drama 101 at Campbell, explains to seniors Jennifer Fuentes and Michelle Pedronan the themes of their play. Campbell students who met the requirements could participate in the Drama 101 and History 151 college courses in the fall semester, getting exposure to more advanced subject matter.

Campbell students can
sample college early

Advanced curriculum right
on campus also earns
college credit

On the to-do lists of some Campbell seniors:

» Test on the development of the Byzantine Empire.

» Critical analysis on the rise of Buddhism in China.

» Comedy improvisation.

Campbell High School Name The Ewa Naupaka Faculty adviser Jamie M. Dela Cruz Editor Mikiala Malama Address 91-980 North Road, Ewa Beach 96706 Phone number 689-1200 Principal Gail Awakuni Mascot Saber School colors Orange and black

The tasks listed above just don't seem like your typical high school lesson plan, do they? They might not. In fact, those are just some of the activities that Campbell seniors are doing in college classes offered at the school.

Campbell is just one of a few high schools statewide that offers college courses to its students. Facilitated by English Department head and AP English teacher Julie Do, the partnership between Leeward Community College and Campbell was formed not only to help seniors get prepared to meet college-level standards, but also for them to learn new and more advanced subject matter.

"It allows you to experience college-level work within the comfort zone of Campbell's campus," Do said. "It is a great way to test your readiness without leaving campus, and also for the same reason students do Running Start (the school's early-graduation program): It is a good start for your college course work."

Seniors who want a firsthand view of college can apply for certain classes. Admissions are on a first-come, first-served basis. Seniors who complete the majority of their graduation credits, pay their fees and meet admission requirements -- placement on the Compass test and a minimum 2.0 GPA -- can enroll.

Class size is small, around eight to 12 students, and allows the professors to easily have one-on-one discussions with the students. Campbell currently offers two college classes during the fall semester and two during the spring semester, each taught by professionals from Leeward Community College.

One of the classes offered is Drama 101 (Introduction to Drama), taught by professor Jennifer Robideau. In this class, students discuss plays and various literary works and take field trips to watch plays at LCC and other venues. Drama students are encouraged to watch plays and learn the themes expressed on a regular basis.

"I love drama because we get to do fun activities like doing 'improv' (improvisations) instead of listening to boring lectures all the time," senior Ashley Tolentino said.

In History 151 (World Civilizations), taught by professor Crozier Garcia, students learn about the origin, progress and decline of past civilizations. Students also learn about the many aspects of those civilizations' cultures and take part in critical discussions of historic events.

"This tests their maturity and their ability to handle a college-level class," Do said.

Aside from learning more advanced information typically not available to them, students also can earn early college credit through the courses -- three credits each. Though not all colleges accept the credit, they are valid at most.

Some of the courses, like History 151, are dual-credit, meaning students can earn college and high school credit at the same time. Drama 101 allows students to choose where they delegate their credit.

3 teachers leave for
active duty with Army

A fourth teacher also serves in
the isle National Guard

Special-education teacher Stephen Duncan, social studies teacher John Sullivan and science teachers Rupert Corpuz and Curtis Matsushige are more than just teachers. All four are members of the Hawaii Army National Guard who have been called to serve their country, making James Campbell High School home of the most teacher-soldiers in the state.

Duncan, Sullivan and Corpuz have all been replaced with substitutes and taken leave. The three are currently focusing on their duties in the military.

Matsushige, a conceptual physics teacher, has yet to take leave but is on the list for possible deployment.

"We'll be losing a teacher we really need," junior Elijah Poki said.

"I think this is good and bad," junior Aspen Costanios said. "It's good because he's saving our country. It's bad because he's leaving."

Matsushige said he joined the Guard because "it was interesting to me, and I wanted to serve my country."

Guard members are called to be fully prepared for state and national contingencies, including war, peacekeeping missions and nation-building operations.

A nine-week basic training course is required to become a member of the Guard, consisting of night training (tactical march), acquiring knowledge about an assortment of weapons (rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers and mines) and instilling the seven Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.

"I went to basic training in Missouri, then to a place called the Defense Information School, now located in Maryland. We (the military branches) lived separately but were schooled together," Matsushige said.

After completing this training course, each soldier is required to serve at least two days a month and 15 days a year. They are always alert at times of war and state emergencies because the possibility of being deployed is high. Like Matsushige, many other soldiers are awaiting their orders.

"The world is becoming smaller, and things that happen on the other side of the world -- it affects us," Matsushige said.

Surf team enforces
academic standards

Campbell Principal Gail Awakuni first welcomed a surf team to the school in the 2003-04 school year and has been very supportive.

Getting students to join was a fairly simple task. Student bulletins and word-of-mouth captured the interest of many people. The team became complete when biology teacher John Knutzen took on the role of adviser.

"Personally, I enjoy surfing, and I noticed that there was a lot of surfing talent at Campbell but no team," Knutzen said. "I asked some of the kids if they were interested, and there was a huge interest."

Joining the surf team and being a part of the school's surf club are two completely different things. For starters, while the club fee is $10, it costs $45 extra to be allowed to surf in competitions. Paying the extra fee allows team members to surf in the Hawaii Amateur Surfing Association, an organization that provides a safe place for high school students to compete.

At first, most parents were concerned about their children being more occupied with surfing than with learning, but the realization of how beneficial it could be for students changed their minds.

Campbell surf team member Michael Santos said, "I've realized how important school and surfing are to me."

His father, Robert, greatly supports his son when it comes to surfing and also supports the school for accepting surfing as a sport.

"Surfing is good as long as there are grade checks involved," Robert Santos said.

Grade checks are required for the surfers and are another example of how being on the surf team builds up the confidence of those who do not believe they can handle the pressures of being a high school athlete.

"Students will want to try harder to keep up their grades if surfing actually became an OIA sport," team member Ayzha Schleicher said.

A required physical examination of the team members proves that students who surf are not doing drugs.

Santos is just one example of how the Campbell surf team improves lives.

"I am extremely thankful to our principal, Dr. Awakuni, for taking the risk and allowing us to do what we love," Santos said. "It has helped me to keep my grades up and to show up to class on time and become a responsible student. My passion for surfing has motivated me to constantly stay on it when doing schoolwork. I strongly feel that surfing should still be a high school sport for many more years to come."

"What do you think is essential
for success in life?"

Taylor Janca
Freshman
"You need a good attention span. And lots of cheese and crackers."

Thomas Odoardi
Freshman
"You need focus, and for success in school, good grades."

Princess Joy Manalac
Sophomore
"College, because you'll have a better future. Having motivation is also the key."

Jesse Harrison
Sophomore
"A good education and the right amount of milk and cheese."

Shentel Queja
Junior
"The support of your family and friends. Believing in yourself even through the bad times and having faith."

Deserie Bala
Senior
"Education is essential for success because no one can take away your knowledge or learning."