James Campbell High School

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James Campbell High School
Motto "Way to wisdom"
Established 1962
Type Public secondary
Principal Dr. Gail Awakuni
Students 2,500+ (2007-2008 SY)
Grades 9–12
Location ʻEwa Beach, Hawaiʻi, USA
District Hawaii State Department of Education, Leeward District
Campus Suburban
Colors Orange and black
Mascot Sabers
Yearbook Pohaku Makamae
Newspaper ʻEwa Naupaka
Distinctions Principal Gail Awakuni: National Principal of the Year 2004-2005
Website www.campbell.k12.hi.us

James Campbell High School, often simply Campbell High School or JCHS, is a public coeducational high school located at 91-980 North Road in ʻEwa Beach, Hawaiʻi, 25 miles away from Downtown Honolulu. James Campbell High School is not to be confused with Campbell High School (Smyrna, Georgia), or Campbell City School's Campbell High School (Campbell, Ohio). The school serves grades nine through twelve, has an enrollment of around 2,000 students, and is part of the Leeward Subdistrict of the Hawaii State Department of Education. It also serves children of Department of Defense employees that live in military housing in ʻEwa Beach, ʻEwa and Iroquois Point. Over half of the students are of Asian or Pacific Islander descent.

The school's educational program, Smaller Learning Communities (SLC), hopes to specifically help students in a chosen career pathway, thus benefiting students in precise occupational skills for the future. The school has a variety of programs such as agriculture, marine science, newspaper, yearbook, and television production media, most of which are beginning to retain excellence. James Campbell High School has indeed a promising future.

James Campbell (1826-1900).
James Campbell (1826-1900).

The school is named after real estate tycoon James Campbell who was at the forefront of Ewa's prosperous progression into a sugar cane plantation community. James Campbell immigrated from Ireland to the United States at the age of 13 and worked as a carpenter. After two years, he began work on a whaling ship in the South Pacific which became shipwrecked. Fortunately he survived this dilemma and lived in Tahiti until he boarded another whaling vessel bound for Maui, Hawaiʻi. He then ventured into real estate, buying a large arid area of land in Ewa, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Many believed his investment to be a waste of profits due to the dry and unproductive climate of Ewa, but his artesian well had changed the landscape into a thriving sugar cane plantation. From this, his legacy continues in the community, as well as in the high school.

James Campbell High School was once located at a nearby school, which is presently a neighboring junior high school, ʻIlima Intermediate. Since its establishment in 1962, the school has grown throughout the years to accommodate the increasing population of the Ewa area. James Campbell High School is currently the second largest school (in terms of population) in the Leeward District of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.

Contents

[edit] In-depth information

[edit] Campus

There are nine academic buildings on the campus. With that, there are two portable complexes which serve as extra classrooms, an administration building, a cafeteria, locker rooms for both genders (as well as an additional football locker room), and a gym (complete with a basketball and volleyball court). The school also houses a football field surrounded by a dirt track and a baseball field.

O building area.
O building area.
G building area.
G building area.
Stage near F building at the courtyard.
Stage near F building at the courtyard.

[edit] Block schedule

Since the 2003-2004 school year, James Campbell High School has followed block scheduling. The schedule divides the school year into two semesters, each containing two terms. Each semester is equivalent to one year, as there are four classes in a regular school day, each being about 82 minutes long (except on Wednesdays when classes are 10 minutes shorter). Before the implementation of the new schedule, a school year consisted of six classes per student, while the new schedule allows students to take eight classes per year. In spite of the longer class periods, students are given more opportunities to gain credits.

  • Below is the schedule of a regular Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday school day:
Subject Time Duration
Period 1 8:00 - 9:22 82 minutes
Passing 9:22 - 9:27 5 minutes
Period 2 9:27 - 10:49 82 minutes
Lunch 10:49 -11:26 37 minutes
Passing 11:26 - 11:31 5 minutes
Period 3 11:31 - 12:53 82 minutes
Passing 12:53 - 12:58 5 minutes
Period 4 12:58 - 2:20 82 minutes
  • Below is the schedule of a regular Wednesday school day:
Subject Time Duration
Period 1 8:00 - 9:12 72 minutes
Passing 9:12 - 9:17 5 minutes
Period 2 9:17 - 10:29 72 minutes
Lunch 10:29 - 11:06 30 minutes
Passing 11:06 - 11:11 5 minutes
Period 3 11:11 - 12:23 72 minutes
Passing 12:23 - 12:28 5 minutes
Period 4 12:28 - 1:40 72 minutes

[edit] Smaller Learning Communities

Along with the change in bell schedule, James Campbell High School also has undergone an academic adjustment. The Smaller Learning Communities (or aptly SLC) are academies within the school curriculum which are divided into distinct sections according to workforce divisions (i.e. health, media, etc.).

There are four SLC groups within James Campbell's school curriculum:

  • Arts and Communication
  • Business and Health
  • Industrial and Engineering Technology
  • Public Human Services and Natural Resources

Students are placed into an SLC group by preference and his or her classes are then geared towards that specific area of study. For instance, a student in the Arts and Communication SLC will have social studies classes that will include topics relevant to that SLC.

[edit] Clubs and Organizations

Along with James Campbell High School's varied curriculum, the school possesses a wide gamut of clubs and organizations that cater to the diverse interests of the student body. All "official" clubs must be chartered by the Student Association.

Here is a complete list of "official" clubs and organizations within the campus:

  • Advancement, Via, Individual, Determination (AVID)
  • Achievement, Compassion, Education, Service (ACES)
  • Art Club
  • Automotive Club
  • Band
  • Christian Club
  • Color Guard
  • Drama Club
  • Saber Dance Team
  • Distributive Clubs of America (DECA)
  • ʻEwa Naupaka (Newspaper)
  • Family Career Community of America (FCCLA)
  • Future Farmers of America (FFA)
  • Filipino-American Club (Fil-Am)
  • Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Club (GEAR-UP)
  • Graphics Club
  • Hiking Club
  • Japan Club
  • Leadership Experience Opportunity (LEO)
  • Letterman's Club
  • Literary Connections Club (LitCon)
  • Literary Magazine (annual publication called thINK)
  • Math Club
  • Medical Careers Club
  • Mock Trial
  • National Honor Society (NHS)
  • String Ensemble
  • Student Association (SA)
  • Television Production (SaberMedia Productions)
  • Paintball Club
  • Peer Education
  • Photography Club
  • Pohaku Makamae (Yearbook)
  • Naval Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC)
  • Universal Fundamentals of Science (UFO)
  • Video Club (SaberMedia Productions)

[edit] Athletics

Campbell High School also has an array of sports for its students. These activities include:

  • Air Riflery
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Bowling
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross Country
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Judo
  • Paddling
  • Soccer
  • Soft Tennis
  • Softballs
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and Field
  • Volleyball
  • Wrestling

[edit] Alma Mater

Sing our praise to thee alma mater
Ring thy praise all you sons and daughters
Raise your voices, Oh! Mighty ʻEwa
Let all declare our loyalty to thee
Let the sunset reflect thy colors.
Radiantly hoping for bright tomorrows.
You our symbol of endless striving,
Content to work to make this world we live in free.
The tradewinds shall echo always,
The truths we hold sincere;
The canefields with its ceaseless swaying,
Together we show fealty to thee.
So stand Black and Orange proudly;
Let us strive toward the future wisely.
Let no challenge to pass us by,
Knowing we are all for you, Campbell High!
Hail to thee! (Hail to thee!)
Sabers True (Sabers True!)
CAMPBELL HIGH!!!

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Distinctions

  • The James Campbell Naval Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. (NJROTC) has been awarded the distinguished unit title for eleven consecutive years.
  • In 2003, the school was the first Leeward Oʻahu school to place first in the Math Bowl competition. Presently, Campbell High School is the only Leeward school to have such a title.
  • The school's current principal, Dr. Gail Awakuni, was awarded National Principal of the Year 2004-2005.
  • The varsity football team won the OIA White and Division II State Championship in 2004
  • The high school is one of a handful of schools in the United States selected as a model school. This selection is based on Campbell's academic curriculum and innovative school and community-related programs.
  • JCHS currently has had 7 gates-millennium scholars.
  • James Campbell High Cheerleaders- JV won 3rd Place at OIA's during the year 2007-2008 and their Varsity placed 3rd as well in their division at OIA's during the year 2007-2008. While finishing the year with their Varsity team placing 9th in the State for the year 2007-2008 coached by Scott Sampaio.

[edit] Traditions

  • James Campbell's original pupils were from Waipahu High School, a nearby high school in the city of Waipahu, Hawai'i. Despite this fact, Campbell and Waipahu have been rivals since the school's founding. This has led to a football rivalry between the two schools. Every year, both schools compete in a football game, often called the "The Cane Knife Classics", for the coveted Cane Knife—a trophy fashioned after a blade made for cutting sugar cane. However, because Campbell's football team has been promoted to OIA Red Division, the traditional game has not been held for three years.

[edit] Miscellaneous

  • James Campbell's alma mater is the second longest in all of Hawaiʻi's high schools.
  • Its library also serves as the community library, under the Hawaiʻi State Library System.
  • Former student, Braxton Olita, was a member of Ashlee Simpson's band. He also dated her.[citation needed]

[edit] External links