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November 5, 2004 Hawaii State Department of Education and Frito-Lay of Hawaii Honors 32 Schools Nominated for 2005 Blue Ribbon Schools ProgramThe Hawaii Department of Education, partnered with Aloha Airlines and Frito-Lay, recently honored public schools with outstanding achievement at a luncheon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu. Innovations was one of 32 schools in the state nominated for the national Blue Ribbon Schools Award. Complex areas nominated schools that had met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind law and that are either academically superior in their state or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. "The schools have been nominated by their complex areas because they have been making strides in providing quality education for their students," said mistress of ceremonies Linda Coble. Of the 32 Hawaii Distinguished Schools, three were selected to represent Hawaii in the national 2005 No Child Left Behind -- Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The three schools were Ali'iolani Elementary, Hokulani Elementary, and Kahala Elementary. In attendance at the luncheon were representatives from each of the 128 schools that made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Each school received a Distinguished Achievement Award plaque. Of Hawaii's 284 public schools, 45% made AYP for the 2003-2004 school year. Two charter schools were among the 32 Hawaii Distinguished Schools nominees - Volcano School of Arts and Science PCS and Innovations PCS. Both are located on the Big Island. Innovations opened in 2001 offering parents in West Hawaii an alternate choice of free, non-traditional public education in a small school environment. The school services 120 students in Grades 1-6. IPCS is best known for its multi-age groupings, inquiry and project-based focus, abundant technology, student centered learning, parent participation, and its caring and experienced staff. Three years later, the program at Innovations has proven to be a success based on parent and student satisfaction ratings and the students' outstanding performance on the Hawaii State Assessment. The IPCS program is grounded in the belief that learning involves the whole child - body, mind, and spirit. Students are placed in multiage classes where they learn how to learn - how to question, research, analyze, and how to work individually as well as in teams. Parents are welcome at the school anytime and actively participate in the school's many activities. Field trips are a common occurrence taking students beyond the classroom walls and out into the community where they learn and practice real world skills. It is this learning environment that has helped students do well on state wide testing earning them the Distinguished Achievement Award two years in a row and this year, the Hawaii Distinguished Schools nomination. As a charter school, Innovations is facing its biggest challenge to date - finding a new site for the school. Innovations is currently using classrooms on the Kahakai campus. The charter school is being asked to move because enrollments at Kahakai are growing. Staff and parents have been agressively looking for a site and the situation is getting critical. If a site is not found soon, it may be faced with closure at the end of this school year. Innovations has shown that it is an asset to the community. It is hoped that a suitable available building or land will be found so the school can continue to service West Hawaii families. Anyone that would like to help the school with its site search is encouraged to call the school at 327-6205 or Innovation's Director, Barbara Woerner, at 331-0434. |
Updated November 2004
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