Contact: Greg Knudsen
Date: October 30, 2001


Hawaii's Outstanding Public Schools:
Frito-Lay of Hawaii Honors Aliamanu Middle, Central Middle, & Waimea High


The following release was prepared by Frito-Lay of Hawaii and Bright Light Marketing Group, Inc. Contacts: Sheila Yamato, Frito-Lay of Hawaii, (808) 484-0411; or Lynette Lo Tom, Bright Light Marketing Group, (808) 524-6441.

HONOLULU -- Aliamanu Middle School, Central Middle School and Waimea High School are Hawaii's Outstanding Public Schools for 2001-2002. The announcement was made today by Frito-Lay of Hawaii at an awards recognition luncheon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Frito-Lay awarded $2,000 to each winning school. In addition, Aloha Airlines provided air transportation for neighbor island representatives to attend the luncheon.

"Frito-Lay of Hawaii is pleased to continue sponsorship of this recognition program which honors outstanding schools for their school improvement effort," said Lisa Early, general manager of Frito-Lay of Hawaii. "We truly believe that Hawaii's public schools are committed to providing the best education possible for our students -- our future leaders of Hawaii."

"Today we are acknowledging Hawaii schools that have demonstrated characteristics of outstanding schools. These schools can and should be models for others to emulate as all of Hawaii’s schools focus on meeting the challenging standards that have been set," said Patricia Hamamoto, interim superintendent of the Hawaii State Department of Education.

"With standards-based education and a school accountability system soon to be in place, Hawaii's schools will continue to meet the challenge of future higher standards of recognition as exemplified in programs such as the Blue Ribbon Schools," Hamamoto added.

Other nominated schools in this year’s program were Ke Ku Kaiapuni 'Anuenue (Hawaiian Immersion School) and Pearl City High School.

The recognition program alternates each year between elementary schools and secondary schools. Noelani Elementary School was the 2000-2001 Blue Ribbon School for Hawaii.

Frito-Lay of Hawaii established Hawaii's Outstanding Public Schools program in 1985, which evolved into the Hawaii Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 1988. Schools are evaluated by a panel of judges on criteria that include leadership, teaching environment, curriculum and instruction, student environment, and parent and community support.



2001-2002 Hawaii Outstanding School Awardees


Aliamanu Middle School
Honolulu, Hawaii

"The mission of Aliamanu Middle School is to build a community of life-long learners
by promoting excellence, leadership, and self-responsibility."

Aliamanu Middle School is a seventh and eighth grade campus located in the Central Oahu District. Located on land formerly owned by the U.S. Navy, the school is surrounded primarily by military family housing. It also serves families living in Foster Village, Aliamanu, Salt Lake, near the Honolulu Airport, Aloha Stadium and Pearl Harbor. About 75% of its student population are military dependents of enlisted personnel. Due to this military segment of the population, the school has a high transient rate, which results in a low percentage of students that are at Aliamanu for an entire school year.

Aliamanu Middle Schools is actively incorporating middle school components proven to improve education for early adolescents. Conscious efforts are made by all faculty and staff members to draw each student into the active learning environment of the classrooms. Specialized programs ensure the needs of students are met. At Aliamanu, students are respected and appreciated for their individualism and heritage, and are taught to value peers and adults who add to the diversity and richness of the school culture.

Aliamanu students participate in numerous community service activities, including organizing canned food drives and collecting monetary contributions for needy families at Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as campus clean up and beautification.

Students, parents, faculty, staff and administration worked together to create Aliamanu's Expected Schoolwide Learning Results: a) The ability to be responsible for one's own learning; b) The understanding that it is essential for human beings to work together; c) The ability to be involved in complex thinking and problem solving; and d) The ability to recognize and produce quality performance and quality products.


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Central Middle School
Honolulu, Hawaii

"We, at Central Middle School, are committed to providing quality instruction
and caring guidance in a safe, nurturing, attractive, and pleasant learning environment."

Central Middle School, formerly known as Central Junior High School and Central Intermediate School, is located in the State Capitol District in downtown Honolulu. It has a population of 520 students in grades 6-8 from Kakaako, lower Makiki, lower Nuuanu, downtown Honolulu, Chinatown, Liliha, and Palama. Part of the school population includes children from immigrant families, families residing in public assistance housing, as well as families in homeless shelters. The varied and diverse background of the students is best reflected in the more than 15 languages spoken by the students.

Over the years the school has incorporated the middle school philosophy and has addressed the unique needs of adolescent students. It was renamed Central Middle School in 1997 to reflect this strong commitment to the middle school belief. In 1993, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredited Central Middle School for a six-year term. The school received a full six-year accreditation again in 2000.

The school's exemplary programs include Character Education, which emphasizes the development of not only "honor roll" students, but also more importantly, "honorable" students in the community. The after-school tutorial and sports programs emphasize the belief in balancing a strong mind with a healthy body.

With its close proximity to the business and political districts, Central Middle School has established partnerships with the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Palama Settlement, Verizon Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii Schools Federal Credit Union, Kapiolani Community College, and the U.S. Department of Justice's Weed and Seed Program.

Rich in history, the property was once the home of Princess Ruth Luke Keelikolani. To this day, the school lives up to its legacy that the property be used for educational purposes. Although the original structure, Keuoa Hale, was replaced with three buildings in 1926, these newer buildings were placed on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places in 1994.


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Waimea High School
Waimea, Kauai

Waimea High School is located in Waimea, Kauai, serving the communities from Kalaheo to the Pacific Missile Range Facility. The school, which opened its doors in 1881 as an elementary school, expanded to grades kindergarten to 12 in 1938 and assumed its present structure in 1977. Today it has an enrollment of 867 students in grades 9-12, of which 33% are Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian, 16.4% are Special Education students and 5.6% are second language learners. Waimea High School has an average daily attendance of 92% and a graduation rate of 99.4%.

In 1999, the school received a six-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Its current priorities include aligning the curriculum with the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards and using the Focus on Learning process as a part of its curriculum restructuring efforts to help students develop communication and problem solving skills. Another major priority is reading improvement.

One of the school's more successful programs is the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program, which was initiated in 1996 to motivate young people to become better citizens. There were 49 cadets in the first year; this year there are 184 cadets. Because of their involvement in the program, a number of students who would have dropped out have completed high school. Others are striving for goals, which would have seemed impossible without the program.

The entire school community takes pride in being part of the "Big Blue Machine." Booster groups also provide support and assist students in reaching school and individual goals. For the combined efforts of all involved, the school was awarded top honors with the 2001 Team Excellence Award of Merit.

With many of the students' families rooted in the sugar plantation, Waimea High School has embarked on a school-wide project-based initiative, "People of the Plantation." The project, designed to keep the plantation history and culture alive, will help students strive to become effective communicators, critical thinkers and effective problem solvers.


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