Last week, school principal Peter James Le’au said he signed the transfers of 15 of their students to schools in the U.S. and Guam, but as of yesterday, transferees to SSHS from other schools had already reached 60.
Majority of the new students are from private schools.
Le’au expects to have 780 students in the new school year, which is the same figure as last year.
As of yesterday, the school had 732 enrollees.
The conditions of its buildings and facilities are not a serious concern for SSHS, which opened in 2002.
Le’au said SSHS has 31 classrooms which do not include the facilities for its JROTC and special education programs.
The school’s good maintenance program ensures a clean and safe environment for students, he added.
SSHS has a yearly local budget of $43,000 for its operations, which include security, water and trash disposal.
Education tax credit donations helped the school pay for its maintenance and immediate needs such as toiletries and other materials, Le’au said.
The school has 29 classroom teachers of whom 26 are highly qualified — they have degrees, are certified and have passed the Praxis tests, he added.
The school’s projected student to teacher ratio this year is 24:1.
On Sept. 8, 60 brand new computers will be used by students taking the computer application and networking class, Le’au said.
In preparation for the power outages, he said two new windmill power generators will be built on campus this November.
Last March, the school got a commendation from the accrediting team that was here for a midterm visit.
SSHS has a six-year accreditation term which ends in 2011.
The school recently completed its summer classes for students who were not able to get their credits for math, science, and English on time.
“It is our goal to become better this year,” Le’au said. “Our focus in the new school year is on both academics and athletics.”
He added, “No matter what happens, my goal is to keep the school operational for our students. Whatever are the troubles and problems outside of the school, I want to make sure that these will not affect our learning environment and student learning on campus.”
