OUR SCHOOL
The mission of Saint Francis School is to provide a “Quality Catholic Education in a Spirit of Joy!” Away from the city in beautiful Manoa valley, adjacent to the University of Hawai’i, Saint Francis School has open courtyards, a fish pond, swimming pools, and sports facilities. The Christian atmosphere and philosophy of the school provide a great moral and spiritual foundation for our students. In addition, the quiet and beauty of the campus provide an outstanding environment in which to study. We believe that all children are capable of learning and can become self-reliant, contributing members of their church and society. We are proud of this legacy and we continue to be committed to excellence. We welcome your interest, your questions, and your visits.
KE ALAKA‘I NEWS ONLINE MISSION STATEMENT
The Ke Alaka‘i is the official student-produced medium of news and information website published by students at St. Francis School-Oahu. As preservers of democracy, our school shall protect, encourage and enhance free speech and the exchange of ideas as a means of protecting our American way of life. This site includes original content such as: photo galleries, blogs, live video, forums, polls, late breaking stories and more that are part of an on-going effort to bring news to our school’s community.
OPEN FORUM AND PRIOR REVIEW
The staff of Ke Alaka‘i are subject to review by the St Francis School’s administrative team in circumstances that concern student safety and illegal behaviors by students. Otherwise, the Ke Alaka‘i News Online has been established as a public forum for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience, regardless of diverse ages, sexes, races, cultures, religions, or beliefs. All public forums are subject to moderation by the web staff, and insensitive or derogatory comments may be censored. Personal blogs and columns reflect the opinions of the individual, not necessarily the web staff, newspaper staff, or the school community.
ROLE OF THE ADVISOR
The Adviser of the Ke Alaka‘i News Online will supervise production and offer advice and instruction to help the staff meet professional standards of English and journalism following the Code of Ethics for Advisers established by the Journalism Education Association as well as the Canons of Professional journalism. The adviser will not determine the content of the site.
ELECTRONIC MEDIA
Electronic media(including online, broadcast and podcast media) produced by St. Francis School/Ke Alaka‘i News Online students are entitled to the same protections-and subjected to the same freedoms and responsibilities-as media produced for print publication. As such, they will not be subject to prior review or restraint.
EDITORIAL BOARD AND CONTENT
The editorial board, which consists of the staff’s student editors, will determine the content, including all unsigned editorials. The material may not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of St. Francis School or St. Francis School faculty, administrators, or board members. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinions of individual authors.
LEGAL LIMITATIONS ON THE STUDENT PRESS
Ke Alaka‘i News Online will not publish any material determined by student editors or the student editorial board to be unprotected, that is material that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive to the school process, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright or a promotion of products or services unlawful (illegal) as to minors as defined by state or federal law.