May 7, 2025

Meet our kumu: Cherise Akao — Leading with heart and Hawaiian values

Even though she's only been teaching for three years, the teacher has learned so much about herself as a kumu and kanaka.

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May 7, 2025

Meet our kumu: BJ Peloso — Teaching kindergartners aloha ‘āina in the māla

The kindergarten kumu loves watching haumāna work in their campus māla and connect with ʻāina.

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May 7, 2025

Meet our kumu: Ashley Kalaiwaʻa — Instilling Hawaiian identity early on

The lead teacher’s goal is for keiki to leave the classroom knowing it is beautiful to be Hawaiian and show aloha.

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May 6, 2025

Meet our kumu: Shirah Minagawa — Growing leaders with core values

The KS Maui learning support specialist is proud to say her haumāna have become community leaders, positively impacting Hawaiʻi.

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May 6, 2025

Meet our kumu: Kalā Aukai — Empowering growth through connection

The KS Kapālama teacher turned learning specialist was inspired to become a kumu by a college internship at an after-school tutoring center for at-risk youth in Los Angeles.

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May 5, 2025

Meet our kumu: Carl Pao — Inspiring creativity through art

The art teacher encourages new kumu to be authentic, teach to their strengths, and bring unwavering passion to their work every day.

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May 5, 2025

Meet our kumu: Piʻikea Kihe — Teaching aloha through ʻike kūpuna

The preschool kumu grew up with a deep aloha for education, inspired by her mother's dedication.

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May 5, 2025

Meet our kumu: Michael Oliver — Elevating student voices through English language arts

The KS Maui teacher became an educator to have meaningful conversations with students and advocate for those who feel invisible.

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May 5, 2025

Meet our kumu: Mara Bacon — Celebrating culture through performance

The Kapālama alum urges new kumu to uphold Hawaiian culture-based education and the values of the E Ola! graduate, celebrating Hawaiʻi’s unique heritage in the classroom.

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Sept. 11, 2024

Starting the year right at KS Preschools: An intentional approach to building pilina

The new school year at Kamehameha Schools Preschools begins with a series of orientation activities designed to build strong, lasting connections between teachers, children and families for a holistic educational environment.

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July 11, 2024

KS Preschools launch summer institute for teacher assistants

KS Preschools’ Teacher Assistant Summer Institute immersed educators in place-based professional development sessions across Hawaiʻi.

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May 8, 2024

Kumu appreciation week: Embracing creativity and E Ola! at Kamehameha Schools Maui

Kamehameha Schools Maui kumu Robin Prais fosters growth mindsets through innovative teaching methods that contribute to students’ success.

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Jan. 4, 2023

Traditional Hale Building Sparks Joy for Science and ʻIke Kūpuna

The building of a hale waʻa sparked renewed enthusiasm for science and ʻike kūpuna among Māhele Lalo haumāna. The fourth- and fifth-graders learned traditional lashing and knotting techniques, hale oli protocol and applied their science knowledge to construct a hale in just 12 days.

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Dec. 15, 2022

A Final Founder’s Day for Rev. Kalani Wong

For more than 20 years now, the Rev. Kalani Wong has served the haumāna, kumu, staff and ʻohana of KS Maui as its kahu, shepherding the ʻAʻapueo flock through life’s blessings and challenges. KS Maui's 27th Founder’s Day will be the last time Wong presides over the affair.

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Dec. 7, 2022

Alum Bailey Onaga Is Revitalizing the Community Through Public Art

Bailey Onaga, KSM'09, has been making a name for herself as a muralist and public artist. The work of this ʻōiwi leader can be seen everywhere from the streets of Wailuku to Maui beach parks.

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Nov. 30, 2022

Uncovering Moʻokūʻauhau: Workshops Equip Haumāna & Community With Research Tools

KS Maui Librarians Geri Kimoto and Kumu Ketra Arcas introduced haumāna and the community to Hawaiian database resources to assist those eager to research their own genealogies.

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Nov. 17, 2022

The Wind & The Reckoning: Lindsay Watson’s newest film revives the story of a Hawaiian heroine

KS Maui alum Lindsay Watson’s newest film tells the story of Hawaiian heroine Piʻilani fighting to keep her family intact as Native Hawaiians who contract leprosy are exiled to Kalaupapa.

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Nov. 10, 2022

Mahalo for Your Service: KS Maui Alumni Embody Alakaʻi Lawelawe

A cadre of KS Maui alumni have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. In honor of Veteran’s Day, we gathered reflections from a few of our graduates about alakaʻi lawelawe — servant leadership — embodied by our founder Ke Aliʻi Bernice Pauahi Bishop.

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Nov. 3, 2022

Building Strong Relationships Through Moʻolelo

Wā Moʻolelo, centered around the Kamehameha Schools Maui value of pilina, is a monthly opportunity for K-5 haumāna to meet different groups of leaders, kumu, and even Māhele Luna (6-12) students from across the Maui campus. Each class receives a visitor who reads from a story special to them.

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Oct. 27, 2022

Haumāna Inspire Other Indigenous Peoples to Share Their Native Moʻolelo

Oct. 20, 2022

Words Heard ‘Round the World: KS Maui Poets Gain Global Audience

Twenty-five student poets from Kamehameha Schools Maui had their poems published in the international Young Writers’ Empowered — Dare to Dream poetry anthology. KS Maui had the most poets represented from a single school in the collection. From right to left: Freshmen Ella Lei Kawailani Cashman, Leihaliʻa Bulusan, Kaylia Gomes-Hema, Lilinoe Peterson and Kumu Robin Prais.

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Oct. 13, 2022

Every Friday the Fashion of Our Kūpuna Comes Back to Life

The Puʻu Muʻumuʻu Project, started by Kumu Hulali DeLima, has grown into a massive collection of aloha wear thanks to local designers like Sig Zane, Manuhealiʻi, Kealopiko and community donations. Every Friday, haumāna connect with their kūpuna by wearing the clothes they wore.

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Sept. 29, 2022

Reviving Traditional Place Names One Sign at a Time

Kamehameha Schools Maui haumāna helped bless a new ahupaʻa sign that identifies the traditional name of the land where the school resides. For years KS Maui has worked to help revive the use of ʻAʻapueo as the place name of our community.

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