Kihei Charter is in the race

Some Hawaii schools are serious about joining the federal "Race to the Top" campaign - challenging traditional methods and increasing educational opportunities for students.

Kihei Charter School is showing the innovation and creativity that Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the federal government wants to promote and reward through "Race to the Top."

In times where most of our public schools are enduring Furlough Fridays, Kihei Charter School set a goal of 200 student academic days next fall. Through alternating days when their teachers are on furlough, classroom-based grants and some community partnerships, Kihei Charter is expanding students' chances to learn.

In a Maui News story Monday, Kihei Charter Executive Director Mark Christiano said all students on the middle and high school campus will be offered a program with as many as 200 academic days. That will be accomplished through creative scheduling, field work and internships.

Those academic days were defined in the story as times in which teacher and student are engaged in learning but not necessarily in a classroom setting.

"There's more to learning than sitting in a classroom," Christiano said.

It's obvious the charter school has caught the imagination of the public on Maui. Christiano said enrollment in K-12 has climbed to 490 this year. The story said Kihei Charter offers a virtual academy for grades K-8; a middle school campus on Lipoa Street in Kihei for 6th to 8th grade; and a high school off Ohukai Road for grades 9 to 12.

The executive director said the virtual academy has plenty of room for more students. The middle school is filled to capacity and will have room for only 30 new 6th-graders. The high school hopes to add 60 more students.

Information sessions about the school will be conducted at 6:30 p.m. on March 3, 9 and 11. The sessions for grades K-8 will be held at the middle school on Lipoa; sessions for grades 9-12 will be take place at the high school off Ohukai Road.

Call 875-0700 for more information about opportunities at Kihei Charter School.

* Editorials reflect the opinion of the publisher.