Barcarse named West Hawai'i regional director

Nov. 21, 2016

Contributed by Andrea Oka

To better serve the needs of Native Hawaiian learners, Kamehameha Schools has established leadership in regional communities statewide. This regional approach is about working with others to improve education systems for Hawaiʻi’s students.

Kamehameha Schools has named Kaimana Barcarse the new regional director of West Hawaiʻi – a position within KS' Community Engagement and Resources Group (CE&R).

Barcarse assumed his new role on Nov. 1, replacing the region’s former director Jamee Miller, who transferred to a similar position on Oʻahu. In his new role, Barcarse is responsible for using data, research and community input to match area needs with accessible resources, including culturally rich lands stewarded by KS, that may be used for educational or cultural practices.

“As Kamehameha seeks to create a thriving Lāhui where all Native Hawaiians are successful, grounded in traditional values, and leading in the local and global communities, I believe that Kaimana’s depth of experience and diverse skill sets will help us advance in those areas,” says Alapaki Nahale-a, senior director of Hawaiʻi Island for CE&R. “What impresses me is that he leads by example, demonstrating a strong sense of kuleana for Pauahi's lands and keiki, while treating the people and community with aloha. With his strong ties to West Hawaiʻi, we look forward to working with this community to develop strong and successful Native Hawaiian leaders.”

The region, with a growing number of Native Hawaiian learners, spans from the Kohala end of Laupāhoehoe to the East end of Kaʻū. It is home to 19 K-12 public schools, one K-12 Hawaiian-focused charter, one K-3 immersion charter, one K-12 HIDOE immersion school, two Aha Punana Leo preschools and one college, all of which are partnering with KS to improve leadership development or Hawaiian culture-based education opportunities for students. Barcarse will oversee these collaborations and ensure KS is effective in working to achieve the goals shared with each entity – goals that impact all learners in the region.

Barcarse has worked with numerous KS ʻāina- and culture-based education programs since 2013 and served as coordinator and senior program manager of various teams. Most recently, he served as interim director of KS' Kealakūlia Hawaiian Culture-Based Education Department. He brings extensive cultural knowledge to the new position and is fluent in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

“Ua piha ka naʻau i ka ʻae haʻahaʻa ʻana e hana alulike me ko Hawaiʻi Komohana i mea e hoʻoholomua aku ai i nā hana like ʻole i pono ai ko kākou poʻe Hawaiʻi ma kēia hapa o ka mokupuni, ma ka moku o Keawe nei, a no ka Lāhui hoʻi,” says Barcarse. “He wā kēia e hoʻihoʻi kuʻu ʻohana i nā pōmaikaʻi i ili ma luna o mākou mai kēia kaiāulu.

“He pīhoihoi hauʻoli koʻu e hana pū me ko Kamehameha mau limahana e noke like ana e hoʻokō i nā pahuhopu a ke aliʻi Pauahi i hua mai ke ola pono o ka Lāhui.”

“I am humbled to answer the call to serve in West Hawaiʻi, a region that has given so much to my ʻohana and I,” says Barcarse. “I look forward to working as a part of the community to realize our potential and to work together towards filling the needs of West Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi island and our Lāhui.

“I am also excited to work with our regional team as we strive to realize the goals of Ke Aliʻi Pauahi and Kamehameha Schools to contribute to attaining a thriving Lāhui.”

Barcarse holds a master’s degree in Hawaiian language and literature from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. He is the program producer and DJ for Alana i Kai Hikina, KWXX’s all Hawaiian Language program that has been running since 1998. An active servant of community, he is president of ‘Aha Hui Siwila ‘o Ke Aloha ‘Āina, a member of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Hawai‘i Council; board co-chair of The Cultural Conservancy, board vice president of Nā Kālai Waʻa Moku O Hawaiʻi, board member of Cultural Survival, and member of the International Advisory Council of the Indigenous Education Initiative.

He also has over 15 years of Polynesian wayfinding and voyaging experience and is a licensed ship captain trained for non-instrument navigation. He recently took part in the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage and served as a navigator during the leg from Tahiti to Samoa, and as a crew member on the South Africa leg.

Originally from Hilo, Barcarse has lived and worked in West Hawaiʻi and has historical family ties to the area.

STRATEGIC PLAN 2020
SP2020 is a five-year strategic plan that will guide Kamehameha Schools from 2015 to 2020. The plan marks a starting point toward KS’ Vision 2040, which envisions success for all Native Hawaiian learners.

This partnership aligns with Goal 2 of SP2020 as KS aims to improve education systems for Native Hawaiian learners. The project also aligns with Action 3 of Kamehameha’s Ten Actions for fiscal year 2016-2017 which calls for establishing KS regions statewide.

Ua piha ka naʻau i ka ʻae haʻahaʻa ʻana e hana alulike me ko Hawaiʻi Komohana i mea e hoʻoholomua aku ai i nā hana like ʻole i pono ai ko kākou poʻe Hawaiʻi ma kēia hapa o ka mokupuni, ma ka moku o Keawe nei, a no ka Lāhui hoʻi. He wā kēia e hoʻihoʻi kuʻu ʻohana i nā pōmaikaʻi i ili ma luna o mākou mai kēia kaiāulu.”“I am humbled to answer the call to serve in West Hawaiʻi, a region that has given so much to my ʻohana and I. I look forward to working as a part of the community to realize our potential and to work together towards filling the needs of West Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi island and our Lāhui.
Kaimana Barcarse, KS West Hawaiʻi Regional Director

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community engagement and resources,ce&r,west hawaii,hawaii island,16-17action3,ksorg