Niu Valley Middle School has achieved "Candidate School Status" as an International Baccalaureate school

Memories of middle school usually aren't good. Even time under the seventh grade bridge doesn't help. The years between 11 and 14 for most boys and girls are blurred: shyness to embarrassment to belligerence to arrogance.

What if middle school could engage these kids? What if instead of rote learning, they could experience an integrated process which incorporates class work with fieldwork, and even community service?

Niu Valley Middle School, under the leadership of Principal Justin Mew, has achieved "Candidate School Status" as an International Baccalaureate school. This program is a global learning system based on international-mindedness, holistic learning, and communication. It's not just a curriculum; 17 teachers and administrators have undergone extensive training to be certified at Level 1, with the goal of having all teachers trained over time.

Mew, beginning his third year at Niu Middle, is determined to change the perception of public schools.

"Getting the public and community involved is the key," says Mew. "And sometimes that happens in strange ways. Here, it was a recycling bin, here on the school grounds. Neighbors began reporting people getting into the bin at night, the noise of cans and bottles were a nuisance, and cars driving around the bin made the area a dusty (or muddy) mess.

"We talked to our kids, and although the revenue [from the cans and bottles] was helpful, we decided jointly to remove the bin. Then, serendipitously, the Board of Water supply initiated water quality projects in ten locations, including Aina Haina Elementary, Kalani High School and Niu Valley Middle School. Working with BWS, our students decided to construct a 'Peace Garden,' using a water project as its central feature.

"Not only will this involve the kids in the design and construction phases, but they will collect data on runoff and other water quality issues-creating an innovative learning atmosphere for our students."

The garden project integrates the IB precept of five areas of interaction-approaches to learning, the environment, service (in the community), human ingenuity and health and social education-with the curriculum and technology. Traditional disciplined courses of mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies are integrated and interwoven in the areas of focus, rather than as separate "stand-alone" classes. Joining the traditional core are the arts, world language (Japanese or Mandarin), physical education and technology. The BWS offered the opportunity, the staff and teachers will implement the IB principles, and the administration will facilitate the process with support and training. It was also good timing; many sixth graders were transitioned from elementary into middle school, with trepidation by parents and schools. Aside from a few issues of maturity, the younger children were quite comfortable moving into the system and are involved right along with the older students.

"This added 310 new students to our school," said Mew. "We have 775 now. I believe firmly that our IB quest contributed to this increase in enrollment. By embracing global education, all our children are being better prepared in tangible, measurable, and relevant ways to meet the challenges they will face as high school graduates.

"We want to put our public schools on the same radar screen as the private schools," stated Mew. "At Niu, we require three years of language (Japanese or Mandarin), physical education for wellness, and music or art. They are not electives. Our students come from Aina Haina, Wailupe Valley, Hahaione, Kamiloiki and Koko Head Elementaries, and go to Kaiser or Kalani High Schools from here. I presented a White Paper to various groups in 2006, and the BOE has been supportive of our initiatives."

Of course, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. And the proof in this case is the attitude of the students. Kira Fox, 13, is an articulate, poised eighth grader who aspires to be a veterinarian. She plays oboe in the band, and says one way music study has changed is that they now also learn the feel and interpretation of music, not only how to play. She said IB has inspired her to think and ask questions.

"I'm fifth generation Japanese, and this IB program gives me the opportunity to study Japanese. In my family, the language kind of died out after my grandma's generation, so I'm now learning Japanese and about my ancestral background," said Kira.

"We're now in the second stage of being accredited, and more teachers and staff are being trained," says Nick Black, art teacher and one of about a dozen trained so far. "In art, one of the disciplines, the students are creating developmental workbooks, in which they document all their art, sketches, reflections...not just a scrapbook, but also an assessment tool, including critiques and criteria, that in ten years they can look back and see how they've progressed. We want to capture the child's attention, and then start the learning."

Black is in his fourth year at Niu Valley and was IB trained by a Canadian team. With the global aspect of IB, bringing in visiting teachers from other countries is part of the program.

"We have a sister school in China," Black said. "Each year we have communication with them. IB is an international program that stresses the cultural aspects of each area. We're just one of the 2,000 schools involved, but there's a great interest in Hawaii...now they all want to come here!

"This program is always moving; we're given a template, with a lot of leeway. We're training these kids for jobs that don't exist and technology that hasn't been invented yet. We're going from an island stage to the world stage."