A total of 28 Lahainaluna High School students volunteered to tutor LHS and Princess Nahi‘ena‘ena Elementary School students in math throughout the school year.

LAHAINA — The Lahainaluna High School Ho’oko Math Program found continued success in the 2022-23 school year after receiving grant funds from the Lahaina Complex Education Foundation at the start of the school year.

This free peer tutoring program provides math intervention for Lahainaluna High School students with math skills needing improvement.

Overseen by Tutoring Coordinator and LHS Math Teacher Michelle Abad, the objective of the Lahainaluna Ho’oko Math Program is to help all students to perform at grade level in math, increase understanding of math concepts and build confidence in solving problems.

The program was expanded this school year to include support for Princess Nahi’ena’ena Elementary School, as they piloted their new tutoring program this year by providing tutors recruited from LHS.

A total of 28 Lahainaluna students volunteered to support the needs of both the LHS and elementary school programs as peer tutors throughout the school year.

Student participants at LHS were identified and recommended to the tutoring program by their math teachers. Students that were identified were either failing math, on the verge of failing math or observed to benefit from additional math support.

There were 21 LHS participants this school year receiving support in Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 or Special Education Math.

For the pilot program at Princess Nahi’ena’ena Elementary School, they focused on grades 3-5 and invited approximately 30 students based on teacher recommendations and iReady diagnostic scores. Of the 30 invited, 16 families accepted and participated.

As an incentive for participating in the LHS or PNE program, a pizza party celebration was held at the end of each semester for students and peer tutors. Awards were also given to students and tutors that demonstrated outstanding commitment to the program.

LHS and PNE teachers with students participating in the program expressed support for it and shared that student performance improved greatly when students attended tutoring sessions regularly, allowing them to successfully pass their math courses. Due to the support provided by the Lahainaluna Ho’oko Math Program, the overall number of students failing math this school year remained low. Teachers have expressed interest in having the tutoring program available again next school year.

Lahainaluna High School is grateful for the opportunity to have continued the Lahainaluna Ho’oko Math Program in the 2022-23 school year and thanks the Lahaina Complex Education Foundation for the continued support provided to its students.

LHS will be seeking funds to continue this free peer tutoring service again in the 2023-24 school year.

If granted funds for the next school year, some updated goals of the program are to increase the number of student participants and to include a mentorship opportunity for two experienced senior tutors, who will earn scholarships to further their education after graduation.