Maui High vs Baldwin vs Kihei Charter

[maui08]

Originally Posted by MeginSchool

Well that is certainly a lot to think about. As I said we did consider boarding school for her, because I went to boarding school and learned first hand how great of an experience it is. Maybe it is best to wait until after she has finished school, although to be fair I didn't think the cost of Seabury Hall was that bad. As for sports and activities my daughter does gymnastics and karate, so I doubt they are at the school anyway.

If $16,000 a year is not that bad, I wish I had your income! We actually make low 6 figures here on Maui and with a family of 4 it just does not go that far. On the main land, we could afford private school. Like I said earlier, if you can live away from the beach (which in our minds defeats the purpose of moving to an island) then you could enroll in this school. But if you live anywhere else then you need to set aside at least a few hours each day to drive back and forth to pick up your kids there which just doesn't sound fun for an entire year plus most folks have to work so that would be quite difficult. No school buses up there. Gymastics and karate are not offered. We had our kids do karate on the side for awhile.

[maui08]

Originally Posted by hothulamaui

we moved here after my daughter was out of school and no longer living with us because of the education concerns. don't mean to discourage you but it can be hard here for haole children. sometimes they are picked on just because they are an outsider. only you know your child's personality and know how she would handle the added pressure of this on to the regular problems a teenage girl faces.

I agree with this somewhat.....I don't think the race thing is all that bad here, at least on Maui. Yes, it does exist but if you just stand your ground and be yourself these folks generally back down. They are mostly like a barking dog.....if you stand up to it and not act afraid it will usually just turn and go away. I personally would be more concerned with the sketchiness of the majority of the people. Honestly, living on Maui is like revisiting Woodstock everyday. People not wearing shoes, dirty feet, hairy armpits (I mean the girls), smelly folks (showers are actually good people), the smell of pot blowing in the air (ooops I meant plumeria) and just the overall laziness of the place. No shirt, no shoes, no problem! We are moving!

[hothulamaui]

Originally Posted by maui08

I agree with this somewhat.....I don't think the race thing is all that bad here, at least on Maui. Yes, it does exist but if you just stand your ground and be yourself these folks generally back down. They are mostly like a barking dog.....if you stand up to it and not act afraid it will usually just turn and go away. I personally would be more concerned with the sketchiness of the majority of the people. Honestly, living on Maui is like revisiting Woodstock everyday. People not wearing shoes, dirty feet, hairy armpits (I mean the girls), smelly folks (showers are actually good people), the smell of pot blowing in the air (ooops I meant plumeria) and just the overall laziness of the place. No shirt, no shoes, no problem! We are moving!

I don't think every haole child has a hard time in school or living here. there are tons of blonde blue eyed kids thriving. anyone that comes here child or adult if you "get it" and respect others, this for the most part will be given back to you. aloha is a feeling you generate and people can feel it or the lack of it. I have friends that think they get stink eye...when I think it is more their outlook on others than actual stink eye. hawaii is either a good fit or it isn't.
high school is a hard time for kids, girls in particular and kids get picked on for the stupidest reasons this can be one of them.
the "sketchiness" of the "majority" I don't see at all. it is hardly the majority. yes we have homeless and people that are not clean, but that is far from the norm. I wonder where the heck you are living to see "all" of these dirty folks.

[maui08]

Originally Posted by hothulamaui

I don't think every haole child has a hard time in school or living here. there are tons of blonde blue eyed kids thriving. anyone that comes here child or adult if you "get it" and respect others, this for the most part will be given back to you. aloha is a feeling you generate and people can feel it or the lack of it. I have friends that think they get stink eye...when I think it is more their outlook on others than actual stink eye. hawaii is either a good fit or it isn't.
high school is a hard time for kids, girls in particular and kids get picked on for the stupidest reasons this can be one of them.
the "sketchiness" of the "majority" I don't see at all. it is hardly the majority. yes we have homeless and people that are not clean, but that is far from the norm. I wonder where the heck you are living to see "all" of these dirty folks.

We actually have lived in Hawaii Kai on Oahu, Ewa Beach on Oahu and now in Maui. We live in South Kihei. If you go into any store on any part of the island you will see folks with no shoes on and feet that are covered in red dirt. Go to the health food shops in Paia and you will gag when folks walk by you! Promise. They stink and the women have hair so long under their arms that you would need scrissors to cut it. Yes, we realize the majority are not like this but being that Maui is sooo small it seems like a lot when you run into some of these people on a daily basis. The homeless on Maui are harmless and actually become a familiar site. Same faces each day doing the same things. I was actually referring to the people you run into at the stores, post office, etc. -Kinda getting off topic from the OP. I'm just stating facts having lived on and off for 15 years. Island living is quite different from the main land.

[hothulamaui]

well I see it differently for sure. the barefoot people in the stores are just off the beach and no need for shoes, our dirt is red. I do not go to health food stores, nor do I go to places where I run into the type of people you describe and I am all over the island. even in Paia, most people seem to be pretty clean. in your first post you said the majority of people are dirty and in your second post you say, you realize the majority are not. again it maybe how you see them and be the facts as to your experience on and off the last 15 years, but it is not that facts as I experience island life.

[MeginSchool]

From what you are saying it can't be worse than what we are used to being right by the reserve. As bad as it sounds to say, the people there pee on buildings when they come to town, I would dare say haven't bathed in months, are rarely sober, and we tend to avoid them when they come to town. Don't get me wrong, I am not racist, my husband is also American Indian, I am just saying about the people who come into town on the 1st weekend of the month. We avoid the stores etc because they are so crowded with a lifestyle I don't care to be around.


And no I don't think 16,000 is all that bad for tuition to know my daughter will be learning as she should in my opinion. My parents sent me to school for over 30K a year for high school. We do plan to live near the beach, but my husband does (and plans to keep doing) web design work for a friend of his, taking her back and forth to school shouldn't be a problem. No different than living where he did growing up and driving to school daily.

I know a lot of people talk about all these changes people need to make in their lives when coming to Hawaii. But to be honest, it sounds a lot like here with better weather. The prices (although not housing) are very similar, every where has undesirable people, right now we are over 4 hours from a city so going anywhere takes serious planning and are used to the same things day in and day out. We fish, go to the lake, poke around wal-mart and other local stores on a weekly basis even though they never have new things, and go for coffee with friends. Even the flight from Hawaii to see my family is quicker than the drive we do to see them now.

I guess it really is just all about expectations.

[comtemplative]

the schools ARE acredited - State system is certainly not top of the mark. that being said, there ARE opportunities for kids to learn and grow, and get scholarships & be educated enough to go to Ivy League mainland schools. It happens.... if that's the goal. Lots of kids fall through the cracks tho. I have two hs teens & I'd say, Seabury was a good experience, but with thoughtful planning a very good education may be had at Maui High for tech, math, science driven kids - a few kids have gone from there to MIT with success AND for lib.arts-oriented kids, Baldwin is a good choice if you wanna save 14+ grand from Seabury. Again, it does require vigilance and awareness. We can't just drop 'em off & see how it goes. my family wasn't crazy about kihei charter due to limited classes, clubs, and no campus, but it works for many. It works best for less social self-starters & independent workers.

[comtemplative]

Re: elementary schools - in Kihei kids have loved Kamalii in Kihei (for those living S of Welakahao St.) & Kihei Elementary (for those living N) - Kamalii is newer building & had larger student body.
Kula elementary (upcountry) is considered best island-wide by many - and rumor has it Kihei El has most attentive special needs staff. These choices will be made for you by geography - tho you can apply for a geographic exception. very tedious process and not guaranteed to get you in.
Seabury does not have an elementary school. (grades 6-12) many of St. Anthony's best teachers have left... can't recommend.