Hoala School nationally recognized for two service programs

WAHIAWA—Hoala School has been nationally recognized for two of their programs by the Character Education Partnership (CEP) in Washington, DC. Hoala, which was also recognized by the CEP in 2003, recieved the Promising Practices Award for Camp Kokua, Learning by Serving, and the Hoala School Parent Teacher Study Group (PTSG).

The Central Oahu school, which serves students in grades K-12, is one of 196 schools awarded out of the 320 public and private schools from the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Singapore that applied for the Promising Practices award. “These educators have found creative ways to improve school climate and, as a result, their students are learning more, doing the right thing, and giving back to others,” said Lara Maupin, associate director of National Schools of Character.

Camp Kokua is a two-week summer program for children ages eight through 18 that emphasizes community service. It was founded in 2002 by former program director Kim Hines with support from the University of Hawaii-Manoa Service Learning Program.

“We intend to inspire our young people to become involved in the good work of their communities and to meet the good people who make it all happen.  It is important for children to begin seeing themselves as capable, contributing members of a democratic society from a very early age,” Hines said.

In the PTSG, parents meet with teachers for a series of “study groups” twice a year. Facilitated by Jef Fern, Assistant Head of School and co-founder of Hoala School, the purpose of the study group is to explore with parents and teachers the context of teaching and parenting as practiced in the Hoala Philosophy for Education. Participants discuss and consider methods of structuring their homes and classrooms to support mutual respect, cooperation, and effective action.

The (CEP), who states their mission as “Leading the nation in helping schools develop people of good character for a just and compassionate society,” gives the annual award for unique and specific exemplary practices that encourage the ethical, social, and academic growth of K-12 students through character education.

Unique and effective school improvement efforts were some of the qualities that inspired the CEP to select Hoala for the award. According to the CEP, traits of winning schools include new and effective ways to help students solve conflicts, decrease bullying, and take action in their schools and communities as well as programs to increase parent and community involvement.

This year, Camp Kokua will run from July 19 to July 30. Community service projects include a four-day trip to Hawaii Island where they will remove invasive plant species in the vegetation program with the Division for Natural Resources Management at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, load backpacks with school supplies for homeless children ages four to seven-years-old at Camp Kalopa, and work with the Big Island Special Olympics program.
 
At home on Oahu, the students will make a portable fence to secure an open area for children at Hoala School, perform a service project with Organ Donors Hawaii, work with the Blue Planet Foundation, make a Peace Garden at a foster child intake facility, and participate in craft projects with adults with disabilities at Lanakila Teaching/Learning Center.

Some of the topics covered in the PTSG include: how adults can support children in shifting inappropriate attention-getting behaviors, how to set up logical consequences, how to use natural consequences effectively, how to set up effective family/class meetings, how to promote clear and effective communication, and more.

Classes are held one night a week for 4 weeks twice a year.

Community service programs are embedded within the Hoala’s curriculum in ways that are age appropriate to each grade. The school has partnered with various nonprofit and governmental agencies throughout Oahu and the outer islands to help the students contribute to the community in a variety of creative ways in hopes of providing the students with a greater awareness of the needs of their community

Based in Washington, D.C., CEP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to helping schools develop students of good character.