North Shore NewsFor over 75 years, St. Michael School has been a staple in Waialua, and many in our community have greatly benefited from a Catholic education, which focuses on academic excellence in a faith-based environment. Nearly the entire history of the school has been focused on providing a quality education for students in Preschool through Grade 8, but coming next school year, St. Michael School will be expanding to include an innovative option for high school students.
Last year, the school received a stellar recommendation for renewal of its WASC/WCEA accreditation. Part of the accreditation process included comment from the school’s parents. One comment that incited much discussion from parents was their lack of options for continuing their child’s Catholic education beyond St. Michael School. The nearest Catholic high school is Damien Memorial School, which is located over 27 miles away from St. Michael School, which often equates to a more than hour commute between their campus and Waialua. Additionally, most private high school tuition rates are about twice as much as St. Michael School or even more. Parents were looking for a more convenient, cost-effective option.
In response to the parents’ comments, St. Michael School has partnered with a high school program called Catholic Virtual. Instead of the traditional “brick and mortal” type school, this program offers a fully accredited online-based curriculum featuring highly qualified teachers from throughout the nation. There will be an on-site learning center to provide students a safe space to complete their studies while being physically connected to a home campus. Families also have the option of enrolling “online-only” while still being able to participate in certain school events. Because of the virtual nature of this program, students can work independently at their own pace while having the support of an on-campus high school director as well as their teachers online. The curriculum includes participation in group projects with students on-campus and across the nation.
The format of the high school program is very similar to online courses currently offered by many colleges and universities. Part of the benefit of enrolling a student in this type of program is that it allows them to be more familiar with the online platform they will undoubtedly encounter in both post-high school studies as well as the emerging work force. Additionally, because the classes are offered online, it reduces the need to hire multiple subject area teachers or build additional spaces, so the cost of tuition is considerably less than the majority of private high schools on the island.
An Informational Meeting for the high school program will be held on Thursday, February 27, at 6pm at St. Michael School. For more details on this exciting new program at St. Michael School, please visit their website at www.stmichaelschoolhi.com or call 808-637-7772.