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OHA
Trustees visited several Kanu O Ka ʻĀina Public Charter schools. OHA
supports the schools with grant funding. [Click photo for larger view.]
Photo: T. Ilihia Gionson
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OHA
Board Tours Waimea Charter Schools
By
T. Ilihia Gionson / Ka Wai Ola
The
OHA Board of Trustees toured three sites of Kanu O Ka ʻĀina charter
school in Waimea, Hawaiʻi on July 16. The Hawaiian culture-focused
school of about 150 students, which for much of its existence has held
classes in tents and other temporary structures, is currently
constructing a permanent site. The Trustees were first greeted at Kanu
O Ka ʻĀina's existing Lālāmilo site on Opelo Road in Waimea by
teachers and staff members who were preparing for the new school year.
Following a tour of that facility, the group continued on to Kanu O Ka
ʻĀina's new site, Kauhale ʻŌiwi O Puʻukapu on Hiʻiaka Street. The
first building of Kauhale 'Ōiwi O Puʻukapu is being erected on
Hawaiian home lands. Construction is being funded through private
financing and government grants, including a $1 million Level II grant
from OHA. The building is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving, and
the school plans on moving classes to the facility early next year.
The last stop on the Trustees' tour was Māla Naʻauao O Puʻupūlehu,
Kanu O Ka ʻĀina's outdoor learning laboratory on Kīpuʻupuʻu Street,
adjacent to the Puʻukapu Reservoir. The site, also on Hawaiian home
lands, is home to a classroom, an eating area, and a greenhouse for
plant propagation, with more to come. Dr. Kū Kahakalau, director of
Kanu O Ka ʻĀina, spoke to the Trustees about the school and its
mission, then joined the Trustees and staff for lunch.
Link: Kanu O Ka ʻĀina Public Charter Schools
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