Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 1, 1 January 2011 — Page 37 Advertisements Column 1 [ADVERTISEMENT]

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beyond the campus walls: wai'anae coast key component to kamehameha schools' outreach Adecade ago, Kamehameha Schools embarked on a new conrse under a 15-year strategic plan developed with the help ofthonsands in communities throughout Hawai'i. Thefirst two goals ofthat plan mandated that we: •Provide and facilitate a wide range of integrated, quality education programs and services to more people ofHawaiian ancestry, and • Work with families and communities in their efforts to meet the educational needs ofpeople ofHawaiian ancestry.

Since then, we have doubled the number of Hawaiian keiki and caregivers served to 45,000. We have built two new campuses and added 20 preschool classrooms, provided funding for 17 Hawaiian-focused public charter schools, and implemented literacy instruction in 200 public school classrooms in Hawaiian communities throughout the state. As we reached further into our communities, we learned an important lesson: if we are to fulfill our mission and Pauahi's vision, we need to have a deeper presence in our public schools, where 75,000 of our school-aged keiki learn. So we have mapped out a vision for involvement with our educational collaborators from Kapolei to Ka'ena Point - home to the largest number of Native Hawaiians in the world - that we hope will become a model of student, parent and community engagement in education. We call it Ka Pua. This is our internal and informal name, drawn from the pua of well-being for our people that guides decision-making at Kamehameha Schools. The name we use may change, but our envisioned destination will not. We picture a thriving community built on the integration of educational innovations being developed by school and community leaders throughout this region, where all students graduate from high school ready for college or careers. We have had a presence along the coast of West O'ahu for decades as a program provider and as a funder of charter schools and 'āina-based programs. Through Ka Pua, we hope to serve as facilitator, convener and planner to

help link and leverage all efforts to transform the education of all the keiki in this region. Though the details must be determined through conversations with our community, we have identified three critical components: • Supporting a model for eaeh puhlie school complex that provides learning opportunities for our keiki from the moment they're born into college, allowing our haumāna to move seamlessly from one enriching program to another, and also training teachers drawn from the community who will provide a bond of eommon upbringing and cultural knowledge that enhances student achievement. • Fostering a robust "Innovation Zone," that weaves the region's abundant program resources in health and nutrition, financial literacy, education and spirituality into a lei of well-being encircling a vibrant lāhui. • Building the learning center currently planned in Mākaha that houses early learning facilities, real time teacher training, state of the art technology and resource centers and other programs in one location - a complex of classroom and 'āina-based learning, and a plaee of joy and discovery. We embark on this journey with other private funders, the Department of Education and the many community organizations /&i!\ that have long provided programs that focus on the Hawaiian tradition of family and community WmiM cohesion. We weleome all who wish to join us. Kamehameha Schools®