Posted on: Thursday, November 24, 2005
OUR SCHOOLS | NIMITZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Transient students a special challenge
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
|
|
|
Kindergarten through third-graders eat lunch in the cafeteria. The school folks are proud of their Thanksgiving food drive, sponsored by the Student Council, which collected canned goods for the Institute For Human Services. The institute provides help for homeless people.
DEBORAH BOOKER | The Honolulu Advertiser
|
|
 |
|
|
AT A GLANCE Where: 520 Main St. Phone: 421-4165 Principal: Kenneth Lee, 13 years School nickname: Eagles School colors: Blue and yellow History: The school was established in 1954 and is named after Fleet Adm. Chester William Nimitz. He was one of the great naval heroes and commander of the Pacific Fleet during World War II. Testing: Here's how Nimitz Elementary pupils fared on the most recent standardized tests: Stanford Achievement Test: Listed is the combined percentage of pupils scoring average and above average, compared with the national combined average of 77 percent. Third-grade reading, 91 percent; math, 96 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 87 percent; math, 90 percent. Hawai'i State Assessment: Listed is the combined percentage of pupils meeting or exceeding state standards, and a comparison with the state average. Third-grade reading, 64 percent, compared with state average of 51.8 percent; math, 26 percent, compared with 28.5 percent. Fifth-grade reading, 71 percent, compared with state average of 55.6 percent; math, 23 percent, compared with 25.5 percent.Computers: A computer lab with 30 machines, two mobile labs with 25 computers, and each classroom has four to six computers Enrollment: 565 students are enrolled. Capacity is 650 students. |
|
|
|
|
|
Neither continual change in students nor noise and pollution can daunt the spirit at Nimitz Elementary School, where the spirit of family reigns.
Like clockwork, military jets fly overhead every day at 9:30 a.m., reminding the school of its proximity to military bases and Honolulu International Airport. Fumes from jet fuel sometimes overwhelm teachers and students, but they have learned to deal with these distractions, said Principal Kenneth Lee.
While not on a military base, nearly all of the school's students are from military families. The school is just off of Nimitz Highway and has Navy housing to the east, Hickam Air Force Base right behind and Pearl Harbor close by.
"It's a challenge," said Lee, who has been principal of the school for 13 years. "The teachers are even willing to buy their own (air-conditioning) units" to keep noise and fumes down.
What's not a challenge for the school is teaching all the newcomers the spirit of aloha, Lee said. The school is considered a "hotel school," where the children of new arrivals to the Islands and military families who are transferred to Hawai'i are often first assigned temporarily.
But the school has ways to deal with that. From the students who volunteer to be Malihini Greeters to the transition coordinator who is hired to help families cope with their life in Hawai'i, Nimitz Elementary School works at making everyone feel welcome.
"The Malihini Greeters is a club like Student Council, and we have 10 to 15 students who volunteer," Lee said. "The challenge for the state is to help both new and temporary students feel welcomed and nurtured when they arrive at school. In addition, we also need to be sensitive to the emotional needs of our students who are affected by the deployment of family members to the Middle East or overseas."
What are you most proud of? "We are most proud of the 'ohana spirit among the school community — the staff, students, parents and community," Lee said. "Everyone works collaboratively to meet the challenges and needs of the student population."
Best-kept secret: "Our low staff turnover due to the high staff morale, spirit of camaraderie and a commitment to providing a quality education for our military students," Lee said.
Everybody at our school knows: "The administrators ... the principal, Kenneth Lee, and the vice principal, Marcy Kagami."
Our biggest challenge: "Our biggest challenge is our school's high transiency rate," Lee said. "Families rotate on a three-year cycle, with one-third of the student population changing through the school year."
What we need: "We need air conditioning for the entire school," Lee said. "Due to the close proximity of our school to the airport, Hickam air base and the freeway, we are constantly exposed to excessive noise, pollution, fumes and dust through the school day."
Special events: Fall Festival, Career Fair, Thanksgiving Food Drive, Christmas program, Jingle Bell Fun Run, Jump Rope for Heart, Read Across Nimitz Day, May Festival, Curriculum Fair.
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.
| | |
|
|
