"You tell me, and I forget.
You teach me, and I remember.
You involve me, and I learn."
- Benjamin Franklin -
Our Volcano community, while diverse, has nonetheless worked together to make our
geographical isolation more hospitable with amenities such as our own community center that
hosts a Sunday morning farmer's market, to the volunteer fire department and fire station, and an
assisted living program. It is with this same vision toward the needs of community residents that
we are planning a kindergarten through eighth-grade school.
Adjacent to the eastern boundary of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the community of Volcano
is on the westernmost edge of the district of Puna and the eastern edge of the Ka'u district. It is
home to an economically and culturally diverse group of several thousand residents. Many Park
biologists, geologists and field technicians, as well as maintenance and office personnel live within
the greater Volcano community. In addition, there are many Volcano residents who drive to Hilo
to work each day. Other residents stay home but connect to their central offices via computer.
Many work at their own small businesses such as bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants, farms, or home
studios and workshops.
The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences, A Community Public Charter School, (hereafter known
as the Volcano School) will be located within this community. In a recent survey conducted by
the Volcano Community Association regarding the future needs of Volcano residents, the desire
to have a school was the most commonly registered request. The desire to educate our children
within the community is not without precedent. In 1971, in a statewide move to consolidate small
schools into larger ones, the town of Volcano lost its two-room DOE school and children were
bussed fifteen or more miles to Mountain View or Keaau. Since that time, residents have
frequently expressed an interest in reestablishing a school in our community. With the passing of
the New Century Charter Schools Act, the community of Volcano has seen an opportunity to
create a new school for our children, a school which will incorporate our community's values into
an educational plan that will serve to educate and inspire our children.
In July of 1999, community dialog began through a series of open meetings resulting in the
formulation of the ideals which have guided the development of this document. Parents, educators
and community leaders, as well as National Park and Kilauea Military Camp personnel have all
helped in designing this school. A high level of commitment from the community has been
apparent every step along the way. In gathering written documentation of community support,
more than two-hundred people have assisted, either by signing documents of support or by
contributing to community meetings.
The interim board of directors for the Volcano School has created a vision for a school that
emphasizes the following four primary values expressed by the community:
To achieve these values, innovative programs will be developed using the vision of teachers and
administrators, collaborations with partner organizations, and applications of real-world
experiences with community members.
Learning through the natural sciences
:
With Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as their back yard, the children of Volcano live next to the
world's most active volcano, and their own yards frequently host native, even endangered, plants
and animals. The Park has been named by the United Nations as a World Biosphere Reserve and
a World Heritage Site, marking it as one of Earth's biological and cultural treasures. Using the
National Park's geological and cultural resources as a locus and its community of scientists and
specialists as mentors, the students of the K-8 school will enrich classroom experiences with
discovery-based learning outside the classroom. Education will focus on experiential learning,
making learning multi-sensory and relevant to their daily lives.
Learning through the arts:
Centered in the community of Volcano, an area well known for its diverse artists, the school will
provide an enriched arts curriculum, taking advantage of community experts and offering a
spectrum of opportunities for learning and exploration through the visual and performing arts.
Students will experience the arts, both by being exposed to the artistic expression of practicing
professionals and by expressing themselves individually and in groups through a variety of media
and tools. Studios, classrooms, theaters and the environment will become familiar arenas for
self-expression. In addition, students will gain an overall understanding of the language and
concepts of art, the history of art, and the applications of art in today's world.
Modeling a community-wide learning network:
The school will be supported by the diverse partnering organizations that make up the Volcano
community, including Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea Military Camp, the U.S.
Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and the Volcano Art Center as well as other
community resources such as agricultural entrepreneurs and senior citizens. The Volcano School
will be a model for communities in Hawaii that wish to take advantage of their own specialized
environments to teach their children and to exercise local governance of the learning process.
Meeting Hawaii's learning standards:
The school's educational program will be designed to meet the Hawaii Content and Performance
Standards. The HCPS-II states that "higher expectations are needed for our children." With a
unified vision, well-focused curricula and dedicated staff in a small learning community, lessons
will be carefully crafted so topics naturally build on one another. We feel that all students,
including those with special learning needs, will be engaged in a way that empowers each to find
his or her own path to success.
Targeting a population:
The target population of the school is the community of Volcano. Grade levels will be K-6 in year
one, adding grade seven in year two of operation and grade eight in year three. Interested
families will be those who live or work in the Volcano area and others who seek alternative public
education and value the vision of this school.
The Vision:
is just like a bucket with a hole in it."
- Rev. Jesse L. Jackson - Designed with community involvement:
Since its inception, parents and community members have been fundamentally involved in
planning The Volcano School. Documented, public weekly meetings at the local community
center, Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village, have been ongoing since July of 1999.
The interim board formed from these meetings represents a cross-section of the population unified
in its commitment to develop a community charter school. These individuals continue to regularly
attend the charter school meetings as well as volunteer their time researching and networking both
with local and national charter groups to aid in the design and implementation of the school plan.
The charter school interim board hosted two community forums. The first was held in October
of 1999 and the second in March 2000. To gain an understanding of the scope of the community
comments and suggestions, reviewers of this plan may view notes from the community forum
meetings. At these open forum meetings the board reported charter school progress to the
community and gathered information, paying special attention to community concerns and values.
This information served as guidelines for formulating the mission and vision statement of the
school in such a way as to best serve the students, the parents and the community.
Implementation with community participation:
Community vision has guided the planning for the Volcano School since open discussions about
the creation of a community school began in the summer of 1999. Community involvement will
continue to be key, and indeed is critical to the success of the school. The following are some of
the ways the community will be involved:
|
Members of the Volcano School of Arts &
Sciences Interim School Board
| NAME ROLE | POSITION |
| Sally Wilburn | President |
| Ben Blakemore | Vice-President |
| Marilyn Hiestand | Secretary |
| Lisa Barnard | Treasurer |
| Dina Kageler | Public liaison |
| Xanthe Serafin | Editor |
| Kalena Blakemore | |
| Jelena Clay | |
| David Frankel | |
| Jim Jacobi | |
| Sue Jarvi | |
| Glenn Kadota | |
| Lisa King | |
| Fia Mattice | |
| Scott Pruitt | |
| Terry Reveira | |
| Karin Schlappa |
An excellent example of a lifelong learner, Ms. Barnard studied English writing at St. Lawrence
University, and later received her BA in literature and writing from the University of
Massachusetts. She went on to study education and linguistics at the University of
Hawaii-Manoa. In the future, she plans to earn a secondary English teaching certificate. Her
experience includes work with students from preschool through ninth grades and nine years of
management experience in a computer store. She has a three-year-old son.
Ben Blakemore:
Mr. Blakemore is a licensed school counselor working for the Hawaii State Dept. of Education at
Keaau Middle School. He has a BA in psychology from UC Santa Cruz, and an MA in
counseling from San Jose State University. He is a parent of children ages 5 and 12. Mr.
Blakemore lives with his wife and children in Volcano.
Kalena Blakemore:
Ms. Blakemore is a student at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. She is the mother of two children
ages 5 and 12. Ms. Blakemore has experience as a business owner and operator. In the past she
has been very active in community schools, volunteering and teaching ceramic art. She is a
native Hawaiian.
Jelena Clay:
Ms. Clay is an artist and wholesale business owner, married with three children ages 4, 7 and 9.
Originally from Saratoga, Calif., she attended college in the San Francisco area. She has been a
resident of the islands for fourteen years, and her family moved to Volcano from Oahu seven
years ago. She teaches and exhibits her work throughout the islands and on the mainland and has
been listed in Art in America magazine's 1999 guide to American artists.
David Kimo Frankel:
Mr. Frankel graduated from Iolani School in Honolulu and from Carleton College, then taught
environmental education at Boston University's Human Environment Institute. After receiving a
J.D. and M.U.R.P from the University of Hawaii, he headed a 5,000-member environmental
non-profit organization. He is presently chair of the board of that organization and is an
environmental attorney. He serves on the Volcano Community Association board and is the
father of a two-year-old boy.
Marilyn Hiestand:
Ms. Hiestand holds regular K-8th as well as special education teaching licenses in California and
Hawaii. She has taught grades pre-school through eighth grade, and is currently teaching a
5th-6th grade special education class in Na'alehu and an after-school art program. She lives in
Volcano with her husband. Their three children are grown and they have one grandchild.
James D. Jacobi:
Dr. Jacobi has been a resident of the Big Island since 1971. He and his wife have two children
ages 7 and 5. He grew up in Honolulu and attended Punahou High School. He received a BA in
biology from the University of California at Riverside, and a Ph.D. in botanical sciences from the
University of Hawaii-Manoa. He is currently a research botanist with the U.S. Geological Survey
in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Sue Jarvi:
Dr. Jarvi received a B.S. degree in Education, a M.S. in Genetics and a Ph.D. in Biology. Her
post-doctorate work has been in the field of evolution and conservation. She is currently
Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Hawaii- Hilo. She and her biologist husband
reside in Volcano and are parents of a three-year old daughter.
Glenn Kadota:
Mr. Kadota holds an Elementary Education Professional Teaching Certificate in the State of
Hawaii and has over 24 years of experience in Hawaii public schools teaching grades K-6. He
also served one year as temporary vice-principal at Mt. View Elementary. He currently works
part-time at Kilauea Lodge and as a volunteer in the Interpretive Division at Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park. Mr. Kadota was born and raised in Hilo.
Dina Kageler: Artist, parent, educator
Ms. Kageler grew up in Texas where she received secondary school teacher certification in the
areas of English and journalism. She worked in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as a research
associate in the natural sciences during the 1980's and continues to teach science and performing
arts as a volunteer in Hawaii's public elementary schools. She has been active in the Volcano
community since 1977 and is a visual artist working in photography, fabric and ceramics. She is
the mother of two children ages seven and nine.
Lisa King:
Ms. King received her B.S. in marine biology from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.ED.
in secondary education (curriculum and instruction with science emphasis) from UH-Manoa. She
served as science department head at a northern California high school for five years and has
taught a wide variety of science courses. While in California, she completed a year-long program
at Cal State Chico and graduated as a trained mentor teacher for elementary and high school
teachers. She has been living in Hawaii off and on for the past ten years and has more recently
taught at Maryknoll High School on Oahu and short courses at Hawaii Preparatory Academy in
Waimea and is currently teaching ninth and tenth grade Biology at Keaau High School. Ms. King
has served on a variety of curriculum and standards committees. In addition to her education
background, she has participated in a number of marine research projects and assisted in the
development of eco-tourism projects in Micronesia and Hawaii. She currently sits on the board of
the Hawaii Environmental Educators Association and the Friends of the Panaewa Zoo.
Fia Mattice:
Ms. Mattice was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden where she earned a B.A. in journalism
and a B.A. in social work from the University of Stockholm. While living in Sweden she traveled
extensively throughout Europe and Asia. Her work experience includes social work, retailing and
the floral industry. For the last five years she has worked as assistant manager of the Volcano Art
Center. She and her husband own a flower farm in Volcano where they are raising their sons,
ages ten and 15.
Scott Pruitt:
Mr. Pruitt has been a resident of the Big Island for twenty-five years and a member of the
Volcano community for ten years. He came to Hawaii after college in 1975 to explore Hawaii's
sailing environment he stayed. In the ensuing years he has sailed to all the Hawaiian Islands
several times, gaining a unique island perspective. For the past sixteen years he has been involved
in the golf and visitor industry. Mr. Pruitt and his wife have a seven-year-old son.
Terry Leianuenue Reveira:
Ms. Reveira was raised in the district of Ka'u. She graduated from high school in California,
received an AA degree from Hawaii Community College with honors and a B.A. in natural
sciences, a certificate in Hawaiian studies and a certificate in elementary education. She is now
finishing a master's degree in education specializing in counseling from the University of Phoenix.
Ms. Reveira has taught at Keaau Elementary School and at Waiakea and Hilo intermediate
schools, and has over eight years of experience teaching science field programs with Na Pua
No'eau in geology and cultural education. For the past six years, Ms. Reviera has worked for
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as an education specialist, planning curriculum and educational
programs. She is married with four children ages 17, 15, 13 and ten.
Karen Schlappa:
Ms. Schlappa was born and raised in Germany where she also completed her high school
education. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Hawaii in 1994.
Since graduation she has worked as a research technician with several groups conducting research
in biology and biogeochemistry in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Karin and her husband have
been Volcano residents for eleven years. They have a five-year-old son.
Xanthe Serafin:
Ms. Serafin was raised in Berkeley, Calif., where she attended the innovative, multi cultural and
experimental education programs offered by the Berkeley public school system in the 1970's.
After earning her BA in semiotics at U.C. Berkeley, Ms. Serafin moved to Japan, where she has
owned and operated a language services consulting company in Tokyo for the past ten years. Her
professional experience includes educational materials development and English and Japanese
language instruction. Ms. Serafin relocated to Volcano in 1996, where she is raising a
three-year-old daughter with her husband and continues an active international career.
Sally Wilburn:
Ms. Wilburn was born and raised on Oahu, and has lived in Volcano for ten years. She was
educated in Hawaii's public schools and has a B.A. degree from a mainland university. She is
currently the PSAP Home/School liaison at Mountain View Elementary School and she and her
husband own and operate a small business in the food processing industry. They have two
children ages seven and 11.
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