The U.S. Department of Education (n.d.) describes the school and community prevention efforts of Waialua Elementary School in Waialua, Hawaii:
'We're a gentle town in the way people treat others. Homeless people have found that they won't be harassed at an isolated state beach near here, and we serve about 14 homeless children in our classrooms at any time. These families, as well as others, face a great deal of stress. We have a lot of instability and a high transient rate.'
An assessment four years ago indicated that few children were using drugs, explains Nakagawa. 'Yet there was a lot of drug use within the community. We asked ourselves why our students do so well and then, when they get older, choose to use drugs. My staff and I decided on a comprehensive approach. We attacked everything.'
Focus First on Academics
'We began by looking at our curriculum, revising it, and focusing on academic achievement as a source of self-worth for kids,' she says.
'We've had phenomenal changes: 100 percent of our third graders had entered kindergarten at the lowest levels on pre-tests; now they're above the national norm on standardized tests.
'We decided to pursue other areas, too, in the hope that children would discover something special about themselves. We began our Renaissance Program. Staff and volunteers offered foreign languages during recess. One immigrant child who was having difficulty with English decided to try Spanish--and she really blossomed. This child found something she could do very well, better than many other children. And that's exactly what we're trying for, the feeling of success. So we expose kids to a lot of things--ceramics, hula, electronic keyboarding, acrylic painting--whatever activities will engage them and bring out their talents.
'In this school, everybody belongs to everybody. Even the custodian will advise kids. Even the cafeteria manager watches out for the child who might be ostracized,' says Nakagawa.
We Are Ohana, a Family...
'A school also has to be conscious of the community,' she adds. 'We believe that we are part of an ohana--a family. We may not have legal jurisdiction over what occurs outside of the school grounds, but we feel a moral obligation, especially if it involves students.'
One example: 'When the sugar plantation laid off laborers for several months, it created a lot of anxiety,' recalls Nakagawa. 'As some students' grades started to plummet, we knew something had to be done and that we couldn't do it alone. So Project WIN (Waialua Initiative Network) was developed. We gathered people from Waialua Sugar Company and from different agencies, and we began brainstorming. With community and state support, we were able to get an extra person for our guidance program, to help children deal with changes and learn to think critically about problems rather than just respond emotionally.'
Any Child Can Be 'at Risk'
'Any approach to the drug problem has to be comprehensive,' says Nakagawa. 'Because if it's not, you're going to miss somebody. If you focus on the at-risk children, you'll miss the children who may not look like they're at risk,' she points out.
'So if you think that because you have drug education, you're going to prevent drug use, you're mistaken. A lot of children have drug information, but when that moment comes, that's not what makes them decide what to do. It's how they feel about themselves that influences whether they say yes or no to drugs.
'We want to help children begin to feel good about themselves,' says Nakagawa. 'It's the very essence of what we're trying to accomplish. We want every kid to feel, "I can do something, I'm not just junk." Then, if in the future things don't go well, at least that child has something worthwhile to hold on to.'
Building for the Future
'We thought, why not be proactive? Who not begin to change the family environment for the next generation? If parents have knowledge of parenting skills, and knowledge that can help them get better jobs, there'll be less stress at home, and children will be better supported. So we went to the governor and got a family literacy pilot project here, in this school, where you can get your GED. We also bring parents of preschool-age children and conduct parenting workshops', says Nakagawa.
With the help of the state department of education, the school also offers a parent-community networking program. A state-trained parent facilitator is at the school every day, recruiting parent volunteers and coordinating activities involving them. The facilitator also acts as a liaison with local businesses, agencies, and civic groups.
Out of this program, the school, parents, and community have formed a partnership in support of children. 'When we needed classrooms, business and parent support made it possible for us to transport an unused garage to the school grounds and convert it into a classroom,' says Nakagawa. A sugar plantation provided electricity, and local carpenters donated their time. And when a survey showed that students thought the school was ugly, a campus beautification project drew parents, former students, service organizations, and the Filipino Association, who all worked together, painting and planting.
'These projects have drawn people to interact with the school who would not have otherwise,' concluded one of the site visitors to Waialua Elementary in her report. 'Many parents who have done volunteer work at the school have gone on to get jobs with the skills and confidence they developed.' " (p. 13-15)
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