HCEOC PROGRAM EYED FOR 'ICE' FIGHT

Jessica Yamamoto was living on her own at age 16 and on the verge of
dropping out of school. Now she has a college degree in business
administration.

Turner Hocson started cutting classes a year after his father died. He and
his twin sister, who have six older siblings, became the first in their
family to graduate with their high school class.

They all credit the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council's drop - out
prevention program with turning their lives around.

George Yokoyama, who runs the program, thinks it could be an answer to the
crystal methamphetamine - or "ice" - problem on the Big Island.

Although the program wasn't started to prevent drug use, Yokoyama says the
mentoring program has a "track record" and that none of the participants has
ever been arrested for drugs. "My facilitators act as a second parent," he
said.

The Economic Opportunity Council plans to seek more government money to
expand the program, which has helped 4,000 Big Island students complete high
school since its inception in 1975. Only 15 of the students dropped out,
according to information provided by the council.

The drop - out prevention program takes referrals for students with two or
more "F" grades who are considered anti - social. It has 26 clients each at
Hilo, Konawaena, Pahoa and Honokaa high schools and about 10 at Laupahoehoe
High. Even more students are referred for short - term assistance.

All but Laupahoehoe High have a mentor - or "facilitator" - on campus nearly
every day. At Laupahoehoe the mentor stops in once a week.

The programs at Kealakehe, Keaau and Waiakea high schools were shut down
because of lack of funding, Yokoyama said. The state contributes $120,000 a
year, but Yokoyama said that isn't enough to accommodate all the students
who could benefit from one - on - one attention.

Retired Judge Sandra Song, who works as an unpaid adviser to the Economic
Opportunity Council, said most 18 - and 19 - year - olds who appeared before
her in court were high school drop - outs and drug users. "If they had a
mentor two years before they saw me ... they wouldn't have been where they
were," she said.

Yamamoto, now 28, went through the program at Waiakea High School in the
1990s. She said she had no adult role model after she was "kicked out" of
her home at 16, so she stopped attending classes. Her high school counselor
said she'd never go to college and told her to get her graduation
equivalency degree.

Yamamoto thought the drop - out prevention mentor would be "the same kind of
animal" but found out otherwise. "My drop - out prevention counselor said,
'You're going to college,'" Yamamoto said. The mentor helped her fill out
applications and stopped by her house with food, making her feel that
someone cared.

Yamamoto now works at the Economic Opportunity Council writing grant
proposals.

Rose Kuamo'o, in her fifth year as a mentor at Hilo High School, works out
of a renovated bathroom on campus.

Hocson was one of her students. "The counselor was saying, 'There's no hope
for Turner. Get him out of school,'" Kuamo'o said.

Hocson said he was "real smart" before his father died. Then, without his
father's discipline, he started experimenting with alcohol and cutting
school to "be one of the cool guys," he said.

Kuamo'o entered the picture when Hocson's mother referred him to the drop -
out prevention program. "That's when I knew I had something going for me.
When I was with Auntie Rose," Hocson said. "She would talk to me not like
the other teachers, the counselors ... She was like a mom."

Kuamo'o referred Hocson to the Lanikila school program for students who need
to make up credits to graduate.

Hocson graduated this year and is now certified as a lifeguard and majoring
in agriculture at University of Hawaii at Hilo.

"If it wasn't for the drop - out prevention program I'd be one loser on the
beach surfing," he said Thursday. "I wouldn't like to live like that."