Kahuku Red Raiders Rise To Meet Commencement Challenge

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At the Kahuku High School Commencement Challenge check presentation are (from left) state Sen. Jill Tokuda and son, FHB Foundation president Sharon Brown, Kahuku restructuring specialist Debbie Voorhies, principal Donna Lindsey, teacher Uila Vendiola, state Rep. Roy Takumi and DOE superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. Photo from Sandra Goya.

Following the example of President Obama’s Race to the Top Commencement Challenge, local public schools were asked to showcase their academic success, culminating in the May 9 Hawaii Commencement Challenge awards ceremony.

Kahuku High and Intermediate School garnered second place and a $5,000 prize from First Hawaiian Bank while Kaimuki High finished third and earned a $2,000 prize from Island Insurance Foundation.

Public and charter high schools from across the state submitted essays demonstrating how each school was building and perpetuating a culture of academic success, including the advancement of students through the college ranks.

“Today’s honorees have shown their commitment to building a world-class education system to ensure that all students demonstrate readiness for college, career and citizenship in a global society,” schools superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said at the ceremony.

Roosevelt took home top honors and a $10,000 first-place prize from The Learning Coalition. The money will go to support graduation and career- and college-related activities.

The Hawaii Commencement Challenge coincides with the state’s Race to the Top Plan that has set aggressive goals of boosting graduation and college enrollment rates.

By 2018, the initiative hopes to build the Hawaii high school graduation rate to 90 percent while increasing the percentage of students who go on to enroll in college to 62.