NEWS RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE: KS and Assets School Partner to Provide Education for Exceptional and/or Gifted Children

Kyra-Ann and Celestiale Solomon, Ryan Masa (principal), Khloe & Kori Gaurani

Kelson Chase Buentipo, Celestiale Solomon, Khloe Gaurani

The first day of the new school year at Assets School marks an exciting new beginning for nine kindergarteners who are receiving an exceptional educational opportunity.

As part of a new pilot scholarship program between Kamehameha Schools (KS) and Assets School – the first of its kind – these young students will now have access to resources they need to thrive: financial support and culturally grounded educational opportunities combined with the highly specialized learning environment unique to Assets School.

“Kids like my daughter are capable of amazing things, but without a deeply specialized education, it’s hard to help them reach their potential,” said Kori Gaurani, mother of 6-year-old Khloe. “Dropping her off for her first day of school today filled me with hope and gratitude, knowing that Kamehameha is stretching far beyond their own campuses because they’re thinking about how to improve my child’s life.”

“This pilot partnership creates a new, need-based scholarship for keiki who will benefit from the special care and attention available from the caring professionals at Assets School,” said Jack Wong, CEO for Kamehameha Schools. “We’re looking forward to partnering with a school that provides expert assessment, instructional strategies, and enrichment as well as ongoing and continuous engagement with the parents and caregivers who make such a difference in the keiki's present and future success.”

KS and Assets’ shared goal is to create a powerful educational trajectory for the scholarship recipients, setting them on a path for success in learning. The schools hope that the methods of assessment and teaching utilized in this pilot program will be broadened and shared with other educators, eventually taking the positive impact of this approach to scale throughout Hawai‘i.

"This one-of-a-kind partnership is a testament to Kamehameha’s commitment to the youngest learners, giving them the tools they need to not only succeed, but thrive in their academic career,” said Paul Singer, Head of Assets School. “Language-based learning differences can create real frustration and leave students thinking they can’t learn. At Assets, we help them discover their strengths and from that, discover how they best learn.” 

The collaboration with Assets is an example of the creative initiatives under development by the newly formed Strategy and Innovation team at KS, headed by Lauren Nahme, vice president of Strategy and Innovation at Kamehameha Schools. The group was created to help the organization identify and test new approaches that will support the improvement of Hawai‘i’s educational system in new and innovative ways.

“Research shows that early intervention is vital for children with learning differences, and as we track the program’s progress, we hope to leverage its successes for future classes beyond the pilot group of students coming in this school year,” said Nahme. “KS and Assets School hope that the success of the pilot program will allow for its expansion into future school years.”

Organizers of the scholarship program are also seeking like-minded funders and philanthropists interested in addressing the educational needs of Hawai‘i children to support the scholarship in the future.

About Kamehameha Schools

Kamehameha Schools is a private charitable educational trust endowed by the will of Ke Ali‘i Bernice Pauahi Bishop to provide learning opportunities for Hawai‘i’s children. Income generated from its endowment portfolio of Hawai`i commercial real estate and other diverse investments funds more than 96 percent of Kamehameha’s educational mission. Today, the trust is leveraging its assets and the resources of various partnering entities that possess a common vision for improving Hawai‘i’s systems to promote the wellbeing of its people in perpetuity.

Strategic Plan 2020

SP2020 is a five-year strategic plan that will guide Kamehameha Schools from 2015 to 2020. The plan marks a starting point toward KS’ Vision 2040, which envisions success for all Native Hawaiian learners.

This KS-Assets partnership addresses Goal 2 of SP2020 which calls for KS to contribute to collective community efforts to improve education systems for Hawaiian learners.

About Assets School

Assets School is a co-educational, independent K-12 school that has been serving gifted and capable students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences since 1969.  The school specializes in educating young people whose capability is greater than their achievement, and those who are in need of acceleration and enrichment. Assets provides a strength-based program complemented by outreach and training that empowers students to become effective learners and confident self-advocates. The school is committed to educating students by designing personalized and strategic programs to challenge, sustain and support their growth academically, socially and personally. Assets School is located on two campuses: the K-8 campus and main administration are located at One Ohana Nui Way near Hickam Air Force Base, and the high school is located in Alewa Heights.