‘Ewa Makai Middle, Stevenson Middle named AMLE 'Schools of Distinction'

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​HONOLULU - 'Ewa Makai Middle and Robert Louis Stevenson Middle schools are among just 17 middle schools across the country to be named AMLE Schools of Distinction for 2024 by the Association for Middle Level Education.

This honor recognizes exemplary middle schools while supporting them through a process of strategic vision setting to help foster ongoing growth and success. The program's evaluation criteria are anchored in AMLE's landmark position paper on best practice in the middle grades, The Successful Middle School: This We Believe, now in its fifth edition and 42nd year of publication.

Both schools completed a rigorous review process that measured implementation of middle grades best practice and continuous improvement plans. After advancing from the initial application, the school's community participated in a series of stakeholder interviews that included staff, students and families.

'Ewa Makai Middle was praised for embedding student voice and choice into the life of the school, whose motto is "Empower, Explore, Excel Together!" Students in grades 6-8 are offered a menu of 20 different electives, allowing them to explore a wide range of interests - everything from robotics and esports to fashion design and culinary to natural resources and health care.

"All the electives, they came about because of choice of the students - that voice and choice," said 'Ewa Makai Middle Principal Kim Sanders, who expanded elective offerings from seven to 20 over the past eight years. "We talk about students being engaged in classrooms, but we don't want them just to be engaged. We want them to be empowered. We want them to become leaders."

Stevenson Middle was praised for involving its faculty and staff in designing the school's programs and offerings. Staff are then empowered and invested in the school's success. Stevenson also implements an academic advising period for all 6-8 students to start each morning. Advisors stay with their student advisees throughout their time at Stevenson to ensure that every child has at least one trusted adult on campus, an AMLE best practice.

"When we talk about leadership, we're not talking about administration. It's all teacher leaders. It's leaders in the office. It's student leaders. So it's really raising up people to be empowered to make the decisions that they need to make, or make suggestions, for the whole school," Stevenson Middle Principal Laurie Luczak said.

"We are immensely proud of 'Ewa Makai Middle and Stevenson Middle schools for being named AMLE Schools of Distinction. Their commitment to student empowerment and innovative education not only sets a high standard for our state but also highlights the exceptional talent and leadership within our Hawai'i public schools," said Superintendent Keith Hayashi, who has prioritized middle level education as a focus area for the Department. "Having representation on a national stage affirms the incredible work being done here in Hawai'i, and I am confident that their success will inspire continued excellence across our education system."

The winning schools will be recognized and teams will present on their exemplary practices in November in Nashville, Tennessee, at AMLE24: The 51st Annual Conference for Middle Level Education.

"The AMLE Schools of Distinction Committee extends its heartfelt congratulations to 'Ewa Makai Middle School and R. L. Stevenson Middle School. We eagerly anticipate celebrating their achievement at our annual conference in November and learning about their exemplary middle school practices," said Katie Johnson, chair of the AMLE Schools of Distinction Committee.