“We’ve gone through a huge metamorphosis,” she said. “We’ve been really focused on making sure the kids don’t just come to be babysat. They’re coming to learn.” By COLIN M. STEWART ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald staff writer Mountain View’s previously struggling charter
By COLIN M. STEWART
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Mountain View’s previously struggling charter school, Waters of Life (Na Wai Ola), made a big splash this week at the 2011 Hawaii Charter Schools Conference.
On Tuesday, the Hawaii Public Charter School Network recognized Waters of Life as the Most Improved Charter School of the Year, while also lauding its science teacher, Amanda Benevides, as the Charter School Teacher of the Year.
According to Principal Dan Caluya, the recognition for the hard work of his students and staff was a moment of vindication for Waters of Life, which has fought to rebuild its reputation after almost being shut down by the state.
“The school now has been completely healed. It tells the public that we are a viable institution of learning,” he said.
Almost from the moment of its founding more than a decade ago, the school struggled financially, eventually finding itself in debt to the state to the tune of $100,000.
The school was placed on probation and was in danger of having its charter revoked by the state Charter School Review Panel. But in what members of the charter oversight panel have referred to as a “miraculous” turnaround attributed in part to Caluya’s leadership, the school steadily managed to climb its way out of that debt. The school’s balance sheet returned to the black in 2010, and this summer Waters of Life was removed from probation.
“Our Local School Board gave us a good mandate and we followed our mandate,” Caluya said. “We acquired a new gym, we passed all our audits, we got off probation. It’s due to hard work. That’s all there is to it.”
Meanwhile, Benevides said Friday she was thrilled and more than a little surprised to be named the charter teacher of the year.
“When Mr. Caluya told me he was going to nominate me, I thought ‘Yeah, that’s never going to happen,'” she said. “So my initial reaction was just being really thankful and honored when I won. I didn’t think it would happen for me.”
Benevides has taught at Waters of Life for four years and has seen the school transform in that short time.
“We’ve gone through a huge metamorphosis,” she said. “We’ve been really focused on making sure the kids don’t just come to be babysat. They’re coming to learn.”
