search logo

Photo galleries

KS shows appreciation to 800 kumu through gift of lei

May 15, 2017

What will 18,000 orchids and 20,500 kukui nuts get you? Over 200 orchid lei and over 600 kukui nut lei.

Through no small feat, staff members from KS' Honolulu headquarters at Kawaiahaʻo Plaza came to lend a hand to make lei for more than 800 KS campus and preschool kumu. The lei were then distributed to kumu during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 1-5) and Teacher Appreciation Day (May 9) by KS CEO Jack Wong, members of ʻAha Kūlia (the KS leadership team), Community Engagement and Resources leaders and staff, and leaders and staff from nearly every support group at KS.

Below are some of the great moments captured during this inaugural teacher appreciation event. Mahalo nui e nā kumu ʻo Kamehameha!

KS Kalihi-Pālama Preschool kumu Jannie Umeda, April-May Smith, Jamie Lucas, Andrea Yogi, Sheila Sanford and Rochelle Guthrie, come together with their haumāna to show their lei.




Executive Vice President of Administration Darrel Hoke presents ʻAʻapueo kumu Lori Lum Ho with a lei.




Hoke presents kumu Carol-Ann "Malia" Ota, at Paukūkalo preschool, with her lei while Vice President of Communications Kevin Cockett talks about the significance of the lei.




KS Kailua-Kona Preschool kumu Kim Valdez, Moana Tolentino, Helen Kelekolio, Wendy Marks, Michele Agbayani and Melony NeSmith get their lei during Teacher Appreciation Week.




CEO Jack Wong strings together kukui nut lei in preparation for distribution to the teachers.




KS Hawaiʻi kumu Cynthia Debus, Kanani DeSa, Tana Rosehill, Corinna Kay and Kaleo Kaleohano were pleasantly surprised with their lei from the Kawaiahaʻo Plaza staff.




Communications Director Kekoa Paulsen presents KS Hawai‘i kumu Corinna Kay with a lei.




Cockett presents KS Kapālama High School art teacher Carl Pao with a kukui nut lei.




KS Kapālama first grade kumu Terri Marshall gets her lei from Senior Tax Manager Michael Kam and Paralegal Keala Roberts.




CEO Jack Wong and Legal Counsel Jason Hirata present kindergarten kumu Loke Melchor and Michelle Maskell with their lei.




CEO Jack Wong gives a lei to KS Kapālama elementary speech and hearing resource kumu Bruce Watson.




KS Kapālama Middle School kumu, Chase Wiggins, Maka Valdez, Vanessa Souki, Pōkiʻi Seto, Leialiʻi Manoʻi-Cuban and Leslie Kang, and their haumāna, come together on Teacher Appreciation Day.




Cockett gives an orchid lei to KS Maui art teacher Angie Abe.