[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12925]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           CELEBRATING WAHIAWA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S CENTENNIAL

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to 
congratulate the Wahiawa community as it marks the centennial of 
Wahiawa Elementary School. Located in central Oahu, Wahiawa is home to 
one of Hawaii's first pineapple plantations. As the industry grew, so 
did Wahiawa and the needs of its residents.
  Wahiawa Elementary opened in 1908, on Lehua Street with one teacher, 
Mrs. H.C. Brown, and 56 students. In 1924, Wahiawa Elementary expanded 
to six classrooms, only to be closed during World War II. In 1950, 
Wahiawa Elementary reopened with a new building and a new location on 
Glenn Street.
  Today, Wahiawa Elementary has an enrollment of approximately 500 and 
includes a center for medically fragile students, a teacher training 
center for students with autism, and a preschool. Wahiawa Elementary 
students have a 95 percent attendance rate.
  For 100 years, Wahiawa Elementary has been a focal point for Wahiawa, 
providing a strong foundation for the community's children and 
families. There are now several other elementary schools in the Wahiawa 
area due to dramatic population growth on the island of Oahu, but 
Wahiawa Elementary remains a special place. In understanding what this 
elementary school represents to its community, the school's motto is 
fitting: Ku lokahi ka `ohana `o Wahiawa! Stand in unison the family of 
Wahiawa!

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