C.Appendix 3: Immersion Student Programs Report

C.Appendix 3: Immersion Student Programs Report

Introductory Comments:

Students joining Kamehameha with a background in the Hawaiian language immersion experience bring precious gifts to our community. We have not done a good job in receiving these students, providing them optimal opportunities to continue their growth in Hawaiian, and finding ways for them to share with us the gifts they bring. We want to do much better. Doing so will make available to us another vital source, he wai ola, to support the growth of Hawaiian language in our community.

Current Relationship between KS and the Immersion Program schools:

Through its Ho‘olako Like program, KS is supporting 12 start-up charter schools. These schools are Hawaiian-focused, emphasizing Hawaiian culture, language, values, practices and traditions. Five of them are Hawaiian immersion schools that conduct lessons solely in Hawaiian. The charter schools enroll nearly 1000 students, 93 percent of them of Hawaiian ancestry. KS contributes a minimum of $1 for every $4 that the state allocates to each charter school. In addition to per-pupil funds, KS also provides assistance with curriculum, program evaluation, professional staff development, accreditation and consultation on other funding resources.

Voices (more to be added as they come in):

“Over the years, I have spoken to a number of former immersion students as a part of our department's faculty/student portfolio interviews. In these conversations, one of the major themes is that the transition from immersion to KS is a difficult one, particular in the first few years of schooling here. A number of students felt isolated because very few of their teachers and classmates spoke in Hawaiian and perceived the world through a Hawaiian set of values. Another key issue raised was the predominant devaluation of the Hawaiian language in comparison to English. Though I don't sense that this was purposefully done by students or teachers, just the fact that these immersion students could not freely converse in Hawaiian is probably a major reason for this perception. (Walter Kahumoku 4-28-05)

“We should focus more on the importance of being able to speak rather than knowing all of the specific patterns.” (Pililuaikekai‘ohilo Keala ’05)

“As for my needs, I would have liked to see more lessons that incorporated more cultural activities. Not focus so much on mechanics. More cultural lessons.” (Uakea Weisbarth-Tafaoimalo ’05)

“I truly feel that even students in Hawaiian 5 can’t converse or include themselves in simple conversation. Maybe if the teachers (or whoever) could focus more on being able to engage in easy kükäkükä between friends…” (Luana-Keonaona Napoleon ’05)

“There should be the option to do interview in Hawaiian. It shows that KS cares and it honors young Hawaiians from the immersion program.” (Kalei Ka‘awaloa, ’05)

“Bring more küpuna into the mix where individuals can spend time with them to personally experience the küpuna and learn more about their language and childhood.” (Bronson Lopez ’05)

“It would be better if the Hawaiian curriculum wasn’t too heavily stressed on sentence patterns because we already know how to speak the language and the proper writing of the language was not taught to us in immersion. I also think that it would have been better if there was some kind of class offered past Hawaiian 5. Independent study would have been a good class that I wanted to take, but there were no available teachers to teach it and advise me. Some other immersion students may want to do the same path that I wanted to undertake but was unable to do so.” (Lea Ka‘awaloa ’05)

“We are very thankful to have received support from Kamehameha Schools. It affords us some flexibility. As a KS graduate, I think Pauahi would have wanted Kamehameha to reach beyond its own campuses.” (Kauanoe Kamanä KS ’69)

Major Recommendations:

We recommend that the proposed “Overseer” of Hawaiian Language Competencies Implementation be responsible for the care, nurturing and oversight of immersion students in our community. To the extent that is desirable and legal, this person will assist Admissions to assure the appropriate processing of these students as they seek admission to our campuses. The Overseer will then provide appropriate transitioning into our programs and, together with counselors and the Hawaiian language teachers, plan for each student’s continued language growth while at Kamehameha. The Overseer will also help to create academic and non-academic experiences to support these students in their progress and provide opportunities for the KS community to receive the gifts they bring to us.

We recommend that all immersion students enrolled for the 2005-06 school year be invited to a weekend retreat at KS lands in Punalu‘u, O‘ahu in early September, ‘05. Cultural/social activities will encourage a sense of personal connectedness. Discussions will be held to chart out our plans for the future with regards to Hawaiian language contexts to support these students. It is recommended that a similar retreat become a regular part of our support program for immersion students. A follow up gathering should take place later in the year.

We recommend that KS convene a representative conference in the coming year to address issues pertaining to the relationship between KS and the community immersion programs. This group should include administrators, teachers, students and parents.

We recommend the gradual implementation of the following initiatives:

Action Plans

• A flagging mechanism will be added for identifying immersion students who are admitted to KS and enter our programs.

• Special consideration will continue to be given candidates with verifiable Hawaiian language skills, either as documented from an immersion experience or from other exposure. Hawaiian language skills will be to their advantage in the competitive admission’s process. As part of the information dissemination from KS, families will be informed that we recognize, value and reward this ability in our applicants.

• Candidates for admission to KS will, to the extent feasible and legal, be allowed to have parts of their admissions interview conducted in Hawaiian, if they so choose.

• A student applying to Kamehameha from an immersion school should not be disadvantaged because of a deficiency in English. A program will be developed to assist otherwise promising and competent individual applicants for admission who need “booster” support in English because they have been schooled in Hawaiian previously. The goal for these students will be functional bi-lingualism. A strengthening of their English to meet KS programmatic needs will not assume a neglect or diminishment of their Hawaiian. The Overseer will, together with counselors, provide individual guidance and counseling for these students and access to resources as they transition to KS. The summer before admission is a time that could be used to prepare these students.

• Information will be provided these new invitees to inform them of what they can expect or not expect by way of continued support of their Hawaiian once they join our programs. They will be counseled as to placement in Hawaiian language classes.

• Criteria for placement of immersion students in Hawaiian classes will be re-evaluated. It will be the kuleana of the Overseer, working with Hawaiian language teachers, to establish meaningful criteria and to place immersion students appropriately.

• Kamehameha will not, even inadvertently and unintentionally, contribute to a “brain-drain” in accepting many of the top immersion students and thus leading them away from those programs that benefit from having them. Strong support by KS of the community immersion schools will be seen as a part of, indeed a prerequisite to, our support of individual immersion students who make the family decision to join KS.

• Kamehameha will develop ways for immersion students to share the gifts they bring. Peer tutoring, doing cultural work in place of their school service/community service work and getting same credit for it are possible ideas to explore. Immersion students could, for example, visit lower level classes and help with listening comprehension experiences, support kumu, help create interesting materials, create traveling skits in Hawaiian that could be taken to classes & shown on Puka Mai ka Lä, etc. They could offer peer tutoring experiences at other times, lead a group of interested faculty, help in practical ways with the implementation of Hawaiian Language Competencies, etc.

• KS will develop “contexts” in which immersion kids can come together—with the understanding that these are kïpuka ‘ölelo. One suggestion is the newly reinstated recycling program could be done in ‘ölelo under the leadership of an appropriate Hawaiian speaking kumu. It would be great for all the kids to hear Hawaiian in this way throughout all the classrooms. A school service credit could be offered here, but with clear stipulations and expectations that this be done in Hawaiian. The Overseer will develop other types of activities which place the language in our midst with increasing visibility & audibility.

• We will develop more upper levels classes to support and elevate immersion kids. Such classes will also be open to advanced level students, say top 4th year and 5th year kids. There will be an advanced level conversation class for immersion kids. The current conversation class could be re-geared for 2nd and 3rd year as well as 4th year who need more practice. We will look to having classes/contexts which combines the Hawaiian language that lives in these kids with other activities such as dance and music (i.e. inter-disciplinary courses). For example, we can arrange weekly gathering with each student having an ‘ukulele—singing and having a good time (kanikapila) all in Hawaiian. Other advanced level kids who are committed to ‘ölelo will be included.

• Kamehameha will begin planning for a dorm experience which will eventually provide an on-going living context for the language. This needs to be planned for and the level of expectations around such a plan need to begin rising.

• There will be an ‘ölelo award created for immersion students. At present they cannot compete in the languages award that are given yearly to top-level students in Hawaiian language.

• There will be a hui or club founded for immersion students and other top-level students who truly commit to creating and maintaining this kïpuka ‘ölelo. This club will, among other things, create materials for Puka Mai Ka Lä and for classroom use.

• Puka Mai ka Lä will run bi-lingually once, twice a week and eventually daily. PSAs created by immersion kids.

• We will look for areas where kïpuka ‘ölelo or language hälau will be established.

• There will be a Kua‘ana Program for immersion kids. Older students will help new invitees.

• Immersion seniors as a group will be the alaka‘i or leaders of an olimahalo at graduation.

• Graduation diplomas for Hawaiian language students will be embossed with a likeness of Pauahi which corresponds to the Hawaiian Language Pin the student has acquired through continued study of ‘ölelo. Students will be allowed to wear their pins at Founder’s Day, and Graduation.

• Incoming immersion students will be placed in the same homeroom with a kumu who can guide this part of their school day in Hawaiian.

Closing Comments

The move to ignite the development of a Hawaiian language-speaking community with our haumäna kula kaiapuni (immersion students) at the core is tremendously exciting and very Hawaiian. It has great promise for cultural revitalization at Kamehameha. It also puts our Po'e Kanaka in the center of that revitalization effort, which sends an important and powerful message of authenticity and rightness.